Aug 22, 2020 (10-11am): Love Your Lungs

(Español abajo)

Herbal Horchata to Support Immunity + Respiratory Health

It’s late summer, wildfires are filling the skies- and our lungs- with smoke and COVID-19 continues to threaten our community. What can we do NOW to bolster our respiratory health and immunity?

Join us this Saturday to learn about medicinal herbs that tone the epithelial lining of the nasal cavity, trachea and bronchi. Keeping this mucosal tissue healthy allows for balanced production of secretory IgA…a powerful antibody that can protect against viral infection.

We will make a Horchata with medicinal herbs: marshmallow, mullein, maca, shatavari, astragalus and cinnamon. Horchata is a cool, sweet, plant-based drink made throughout Latin America (but with North African origins) from rice milk, cinnamon, sugar and delicious additions depending on the region such as sesame seeds, coconut, and licorice flavored semilla de jicaro. Our version is sweetened with dates!

SEE RECIPE FOR HERBAL HORCHATA

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84121034700?pwd=aHNFaXhnZGw4TGJBVER4VjRrcGVXQT09

Meeting ID: 841 2103 4700

Passcode: 935610

By Phone: (669) 900 6833

Horchata de Hierbas para Apoyar la Inmunidad y la Salud Respiratoria

Es a fines del verano, los incendios forestales están llenando los cielos y nuestros pulmones de humo y COVID-19 continúa amenazando a nuestra comunidad. ¿Qué podemos hacer AHORA para reforzar nuestra inmunidad y salud respiratoria?

Únase a nosotros este sábado para conocer las hierbas medicinales que tonifican el revestimiento epitelial de la cavidad nasal, la tráquea y los bronquios. Mantener este tejido mucoso sano permite una producción equilibrada de IgA secretora … un poderoso anticuerpo que puede proteger contra la infección viral y el crecimiento microbial.

Haremos una horchata con hierbas medicinales: malvavisco, gordolobo, maca, shatavari, astrágalo y canela. La horchata, una bebida fresca y dulce a base de plantas elaborada en toda América Latina (pero con orígenes del norte de África) a partir de leche de arroz, canela, azúcar y deliciosas adiciones según la región, como semillas de sésamo, coco y semilla de jicaro. ¡Nuestra versión está endulzada con dátil!

Unirse a la reunión de Zoom

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84121034700?pwd=aHNFaXhnZGw4TGJBVER4VjRrcGVXQT09

ID de reunión: 841 2103 4700

Código de acceso: 935610

Por teléfono: (669) 900 6833

“La Cosecha Cura” Healing Harvest

Promotora (pro-mo-tor-a): community health worker who is rising up to lead, advocate, educate, mentor, and translate health programming in their own community

After months of sharing recipes and shelter-in-place screen shots of potted plants, our team of Promotoras gathered in the fields for a healing harvest.   Under the wide-open skies at Tara Firma farm with Mandalion Designs we knelt together in chamomile, tulsi and yarrow. Lulu called us together to give thanks to the four directions and offer our thanks to the plants. Her daughter and grandchildren helped to fill baskets of medicinal herbs to distribute to community. Angeles brought along a huge bag of dried comfrey (the primary ingredient in her healing salve…highly valued by her friends and family) to share. From between the rows we gathered Omega rich Purslane, while Norma shared her recipes for steaming the wild greens in salsa verde. Close to the earth: the smell of the sweet herbs, the scratchy summer grass, the sounds of blackbirds gathering to drive off a hawk were the real medicine.

We are honored to bring together this powerful group of women who heal with plants. All of our upcoming workshops will be led by Promotoras! ¡Sí se puede!

August 8, 2020 (8:30-9:30 AM): La Cosecha de Plantas Medicinales/ The Harvest of Medicinal Plants

(Español abajo)

Join us for a special workshop with promotora de salud, LuLu María de Lourdes Péres Centurión on the importance of the harvest. The harvest La Cosecha is sacred and central to the tradition of herbal medicine. Learn and share with our community of healers’ best practices- the month, the moon, the time of day- for harvesting vital herbal medicine.

Together we will explore:

  • phases of the moon
  • harvest of medicinal herbs
  • uses and preparation of herbal medicine
  • benefits of having a natural medicine cabinet

Meet Lu Lu! 


Únase a nosotros para un taller especial con promotora de salud, LuLu María de Lourdes Péres Centurión sobre la importancia de la cosecha. La cosecha es sagrada y central en la tradición de la medicina herbal. Aprenda y comparta con nuestra comunidad de sanadores las mejores practices -el mes, la luna, la hora del día-para cosechar hierbas medicinales vitales.

Juntas vamos a explorar:

  • faces de la luna
  • recolección de las hierbas medicinales
  • distintas formas de utilizarlas y preparación
  • beneficios de tener un botiquín natural

¡Conoce a Lu Lu!


Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82281923141?pwd=WWpPenpiQ2ZVclBRUExFOXRxSDNxZz09

Meeting ID: 822 8192 3141

Password: 098754

By phone: +1 669 900 6833

Unirse a la reunión de Zoom

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82281923141?pwd=WWpPenpiQ2ZVclBRUExFOXRxSDNxZz09

ID de la reunión: 822 8192 3141

Contraseña: 098754

Por teléfono: +1669900 6833

JULY 25, 2020 (10-11 am): HECHO-A-MANO Desodorante de Rosa + Coco/ Do-it-Yourself Rose + Coconut Deodorant

You can make your own deodorant free of toxic chemicals with just a few simple household ingredients! Join The Botanical Bus promotora, Samantha Perez in this hands-on workshop. With raised fists of resistance…lets make sure we smell like roses!

¡Puede hacer su propio desodorante libre de productos químicos toxicos con solo unos pocos ingredientes caseros! Únase a la promotora de The Botanical Bus, Samantha Perez en este taller práctico. Con todos las manos de resistencia arribas … ¡asegurémonos de oler a rosas!

SEE RECIPE AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR SAMANTHA’S DIY DEODORANT

Join Zoom Meeting

Please DONATE what you can to sustain our programs! All zoom conferences are free to community members.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87950196544?pwd=VzA0MW9nbHBwaTE0U2VJVkRBc3lIZz09

Meeting ID: 879 5019 6544

Password: 920087

By phone: +1 669 900 6833

Unirse a la reunión de Zoom

¡DONE lo que pueda para mantener nuestros programas! Todas las conferencias de zoom son gratuitas para los miembros de la comunidad.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87950196544?pwd=VzA0MW9nbHBwaTE0U2VJVkRBc3lIZz09

ID de la reunión: 879 5019 6544

Contraseña: 920087

Por teléfono: +1669900 6833

JULY 11, 2020 (10-11 AM): Rise Up! Leave Sugar / ¡Levántete! Deja el Azúcar

Can’t imagine starting your day without your cafecito and pan dulce? Our sugar intake directly impacts our immunity, sleep and levels of pain and inflammation throughout the body. Join Botanical Bus Promotora Angeles Quiñones in her journey to leave behind sugar. We will exchange delicious recipes, herbal remedies and lifestyle recommendations that have helped us reduce sugar in our diets and feel better!

¿No te imaginas comenzar el día sin tu cafecito y pan dulce? Nuestro consumo de azúcar afecta directamente nuestra inmunidad, el sueño y los niveles de dolor e inflamación en todo el cuerpo. ¡Únete a Botanical Bus Promotora Angeles Quiñones en su viaje para dejar el azúcar. Intercambiaremos deliciosas recetas, remedios herbales y recomendaciones de estilo de vida que nos han ayudado a reducir el azúcar en nuestras dietas y a sentirnos mejor!

JOIN ZOOM MEETING

Please DONATE what you can to sustain our programs! All zoom conferences are free to community members.

Online: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89980683310?pwd=L1dTNXZJQm8xNnlXYjhzVXlVTkJ6UT09

Meeting ID: 899 8068 3310

Password: 558913

By phone: (669) 900 6833 US

UNIRSE A LA REUNIÓN DE ZOOM

¡DONE lo que pueda para mantener nuestros programas! Todas las conferencias de zoom son gratuitas para los miembros de la comunidad.

En línea: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89980683310?pwd=L1dTNXZJQm8xNnlXYjhzVXlVTkJ6UT09

Por teléfono: (669) 900 6833 US

ID de reunión: 899 8068 3310

Contaseña: 558913

Jun 20, 2020 (10-11 AM): Herbs for Restorative Sleep + Stress Reduction

Join us to make herbal medicine to support restorative sleep and stress reduction with Promotora and Community Herbalist, Angeles Quiñones.   Our commitment to justice and equity can be sustained through rest, empowered self-care and access to trauma informed mental health resources. We will make herbal medicine from california poppy + passion flower and share other useful remedies for quieting the mind, reducing nervous tension and building energy reserves.

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Únase a nosotros para hacer medicina herbal para apoyar el sueño restaurativo y la reducción del estrés con la Promotora y la herbolaria comunitaria Angeles Quiñones. Nuestra dedicación a la justicia y la equidad puede ser apoyado con un buen descanso, el autocuidado empodera y el acceso a recursos de salud mental. Haremos medicina herbal de california poppy + pasiflór y compartiremos otros remedios útiles para calmar la mente, reducir la tensión nerviosa y aumentar las reservas de energía.

Join Zoom Meeting

Please DONATE what you can to sustain our programs! All zoom conferences are free to community members.

Online: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81717415340?pwd=RGxhdHI3aUVuMTFtSlU4R0JzS0dDdz09

By phone: (669) 900 6833 US

Meeting ID: 817 1741 5340

Password: 659638

Unirse a la reunión de Zoom

¡DONE lo que pueda para mantener nuestros programas! Todas las conferencias de zoom son gratuitas para los miembros de la comunidad.

En línea: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81717415340?pwd=RGxhdHI3aUVuMTFtSlU4R0JzS0dDdz09

Por teléfono: (669) 900 6833 US

ID de la reunión: 817 1741 5340

Contraseña: 659638

Plants to the People! COVID-19 Mutual Aid Action

The Botanical Bus: Bilingual Mobile Herb Clinic and non-profit Daily Acts are distributing 1,500 garden kits to Latine community members experiencing food insecurity in Sonoma County. We are partnering with United Farm Workers, Graton Day Labor Center, La Luz Center, La Plaza, CAP Sonoma and Sonoma Valley Community Health to take action at their resource distribution sites.

We believe the COVID-19 gardening movement is rooted in a deep human instinct to cultivate resiliency through connecting to the earth. As we touch soil, tend plants and grow food we reclaim our power to nourish ourselves and our communities.

Mother earth feeds us with her fruits and vegetables and heals us with her plants.  It is impossible to live without them.” –Maria de Lourdes Pérez Centurión (Promatora, The Botanical Bus: Bilingual Mobile Herb Clinic) 

The ready-to-go garden kits contain essentials for growing food and medicine, including: culturally relevant plant starts; vegetable and flower seeds; organic potting soil; GeoPot Fabric Pot planters; medicinal teas and bilingual educational gardening resources.

Thank you to our donors: West Marin Compost; Mercy Wellness; Sonoma County Climate Activist Network; Shone Farm; Petaluma Bounty; Mary Foley; The California School of Herbal Studies; Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, Left Coast Wholesale, Traditional Medicinals, and Tadin.

Join us by donating your time as a volunteer or by making a fiscal contribution to our work. ¡Sí se puede!

Donate $50 today to fund a garden kit for a community member!

Contact us at info@thebotanicalbus.org to volunteer.


The Botanical Bus: Bilingual Moblie Herb Clinic y Daily Acts están distribuyendo 1,500 kits de jardinería a los miembros de la comunidad Latine que están enfrentando inseguridad alimentaria en el condado de Sonoma. Estamos trabajando con United Farm Workers, Graton Day Labor Center, La Luz Center, La Plaza, CAP Sonoma y Sonoma Valley Community Health para tomar acción en sus sitios de distribución de recursos.

Nosotros creemos que el movimiento de jardinería durante COVID-19 tiene raizes fuertes en el instinto humano para nutrirnos y conectarnos con la tierra. A medida que tocamos la tierra, cuidamos las plantas y cultivamos alimentos, reclamamos nuestro poder de nutrirnos a nosotros mismos y a nuestras comunidades.

“La madre tierra nos alimenta con sus frutas y verduras y nos cura con sus plantas. Es imposible vivir sin ellas”.-Maria de Lourdes Pérez Centurión (Promotora, The Botanical Bus: Bilingual Mobile Herb Clinic) 

Los kits de jardín listos para llevar contienen: plantas medicinales y alimenticias que son culturalmente relevantes; semillas de vegetales y flores; tierra orgánica; macetas de tela GeoPot; té medicinales y recursos educativos de jardinería bilingües.

Gracias a nuestros donantes: West Marin Compost; Mercy Wellness; Sonoma County Climate Activist Network; Shone Farm; Petaluma Bounty; Mary Foley; The California School of Herbal Studies; Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, Left Coast Wholesale, Traditional Medicinals, y Tadin.

Únase a nosotros donando su tiempo como voluntario o haciendo una contribución fiscal a nuestro trabajo. ¡Sí se puede!

¡Done $ 50 hoy para financiar un kit de jardín para un miembro de la comunidad!

Póngase en contacto con nosotros en info@thebotanicalbus.org para ser voluntario.

De-La-Gente Fire Cider

The People’s Fire Cider: Your Kitchen Your Power!

This recipe truly represents the power of the people to take health into their own hands. It’s powerfully anti-viral ingredients which include garlic, onion, ginger, and apple cider vinegar are easy to source in these times of thinly stocked grocery store shelves and have been used in our kitchens for thousands of years to fight infection. Ask your grandma….she knows all about this. And check out the inspiring people’s victory in which the medicine could not be trademarked www.freefirecider.com

Every fall we make this medicine in the community garden before flu season….but it is the perfect remedy for our current crisis and your kitchen. While there is no set recipe for Fire Cider, there are a few generally agreed upon ingredients: garlic, onion, ginger, hot peppers, horseradish, apple cider vinegar, and raw honey. You can adjust ingredients based on palate and desired effect. For example, do you need help raising core body temperature, so your body can better fight viral incursion? Add more ginger and cayenne. Extra thick congestion? Horseradish goes a long way here. Or a tendency towards secondary bacterial infection of the lungs or sinuses after a cold? Heavy on the garlic and turmeric.

Ingredients (based on a quart-sized jar)

  • 10 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 small-medium onion, chopped into 1/2-1 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup grated horseradish root
  • 1/4 cup grated fresh ginger (dried ginger is significantly hotter than fresh; use 1-2 tsps if fresh is unavailable)
  • 1-2 tablespoon(s) grated turmeric (or 1-3 teaspoon(s) dried)
  • Zest and juice of 1-2 lemon(s)
  • 1 jalapeno or serrano chile, slivered and seeds removed
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Local, raw honey

Directions

Pack all ingredients in the quart jar, and cover with vinegar. All vegetable/herb material should be submerged. Cap with a plastic mason jar lid, or use wax/parchment paper between the metal lid and the jar. (The vinegar will corrode an unprotected metal lid.) Shake well.

Store in a cool, dry place (no need to refrigerate) for 4 weeks, shaking frequently (daily is best!). Strain, squeezing the macerating vegetables/herbs in a cheesecloth to get the best extraction. Whisk in 1/2 cup raw honey, taste, and add more honey by the tablespoon until you reach your desired sweet/tart/hot ratio.

Other possible additions:

  • Rosemary
  • Thyme
  • Sage
  • Peppercorns
  • Hyssop
  • Fennel seed
  • Star anise

Uses

Take 1-2 tablespoons every few hours when illness threatens…this stuff will get you sweating and secreting so your body can do its best to fight infection. Get into a hot bath, wrap up, and let yourself rest!

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Respira Tranquila Melita

Love our lungs! According to Traditional Chinese Medicine grief is housed in the chest. Take a deep breath….that tightness you might feel can be associated with the emotions of sadness, fear and stress. This resonates with us right now in the time of COVID-19 when those with compromised respiratory health are at heightened risk of infection. What can we do to reduce inflamed respiratory passages and breath a little easier? Here is a simple remedy using elderflower + orange peel + local raw honey which is known to relieve allergy symptoms (runny nose, itchy throat and eyes) and reduce the inflammatory histamine response. We love to stir this blend into a cup of nettle tea for strong anti-histamine action.

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz raw local honey
  • 1 cup Elderflower (fresh blossoms or dried)
  • 1 cup Orange Peel (finely chopped fresh or dried)

Instructions:

Fill the Mason jar with herbs, cover and fill to the top with honey. Let stand for 1 month. Strain if you like or leave the herbs in for a stronger medicine. The blossom and orange peel are delicious, especially when covered in sweet honey!

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