HERBAL JOURNEY: Plant Walk & Foraging (West Bragg Creek)

Welcome to my HERBAL JOURNEY event series. I am a local herbalist in Calgary, trained by various local herbalists and enhanced by loads and loads of research. I seek to learn constantly and add to my breadth of knowledge. I am excited to share my knowledge with others.

This HERBAL JOURNEY event will have us spending 2-3 hours in the forest, learning about late summer plants and we will actually be harvesting here (crownland allows free foraging).

In this location, I expect to find the following for foraging:

• Goldenrod (allergies, sinus infection, UTI)
• Fireweed (soothing, anti-inflammatory)
• Red clover (hormonal support, lymphatic tonic)
• Strawberry leaves (mineral rich, vit C)
• Yarrow (heal all, complementary to all medicines, wound healing, stops bleeding)
  --> Flowers are richer in volatile aromatic oils suited for fevers and allergies, while leaves contain higher amounts of astringent tannins ideal for stopping bleeding and healing wounds
• Plantain weed (all in one first aid, flower pod for fiber)

Near the end of the walk, we will enjoy some tea from the plants we harvested.

Considerations:
Often, we go off the path. To reduce tick issues, wear long pants tucked into socks. Bring a hat, and a basket or bag containing supplies:

• water and snacks
• small mug for tea
• bug spray and sunscreen
• smaller paper bags to hold individual herb collections
• sharpie to label your bags
• small notebook and pen to record why you harvested, how to prepare going forward, etc.

We will wander about 2-3 km in and around hostel meadows.

Location is roughly 50-minute drive from Calgary downtown. Recommended donation $5-10 to deposit4myspot@gmail.com with code 'thanks'.

And don't forget to have your Kananaskis Parks Pass!