Official Submission for AANP call for Abstracts 2009- “Physicians, Heal thy Planet”

Contact Name: Natalie Metz

Presenter: Natalie Metz, ND, BA

13 Clear Ridge Big Sur, CA 93920

Phone: Day: (602) 741-8243 Fax: (831) 667-2724

Email: natalienaturedoc@gmail.com

This abstract is being submitted for consideration as a 90-minute oral presentation with demonstration of
specific techniques.

Presentation Title: Stewarding Earth’s Herbal Abundance: Wildcrafting and Medicine Making

Presentation Description:

This presentation will consist of a review of common herbal remedies for topical application in the form
of poultices, washes, and salves and will also allow time for the demonstration of topical herbal remedy
preparation. Specific attention to the ancient practice of wildcrafting will be given through slide and
specimen presentation with the intention of increasing participants’ awareness of both the simplicity and
importance of maintaining this naturopathic tradition.

Abstract:

Learning Objectives:

Participants will experience a review of common topical herbal remedies, both pharmacy and field
identification of various plants with pictures and specimens will be discussed. Participants will also have
the opportunity to consider what impact the practices of wildcrafting/herbal medicine making have on
human and environmental health, and how these practices can help physicians to heal the planet.
Participants will also have the opportunity for hands-on creation of their own remedy to take home with
them.

Target Audience: General population, physicians, herbalists, midwives, botanists

Outline:

The ancient craft of communing with and harvesting wild useful plants is referred to as “wildcrafting,”
and has served as a pillar in the evolution of human medicine. History from all around the Earth,
wherever any humans have ever been, indicates intimate understanding and utilization of plants available
in the surrounding environment. Plants have served as a main source of our food for countless ages, as a
source of medicine and shelter, and at times a source of poison.

In consideration of the current state of planet Earth, it is high time that wildcrafting be given its proper
appreciation in the practice of Naturopathic Medicine. Wildcrafting is a sustainable practice and invites
us to engage relationship with plants directly and with our entire environment in turn.

The only things on the planet making energy are plants- we are therefore totally reliable upon them for
our energy needs. Whether we choose to consume a plant based diet or include animal products, even the
animals rely on the plants for their energy. Plants breathe with us, inhaling what we exhale; this exchange
is entirely interdependent, we cannot exist without plants and they cannot exist without us.

In Naturopathic medical practice, wildcrafting and medicine making are both environmentally conscious
and clinically valuable practices. As physicians with a practice based in observing and supporting the
innate healing force in Nature, we have the unique opportunity to create our own herbal medicines,
through becoming stewards to the forest, to our gardens, to the medicinal plants growing in urban lots.
Beyond this we have the opportunity to teach these crafts to the general populace, to presence humanity
to the power that exists in being related to their immediate environment through wildcrafting and
medicine making.

It is through this empowerment that we can begin to heal our planet. This presentation/demonstration will
provide ample opportunity for the exploration of pharmacy and field identification of several topical
herbal remedies available to us in our immediate environment as well as create a network for supporting
the expansion of these practices through community sharing.

Personal Biography:

Dr. Natalie Metz is a licensed primary care Naturopathic Physician, received her clinical training at the
Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Arizona, and maintains a family practice in Santa
Cruz and Big Sur, CA. During her time at SCNM, she pursued additional training in herbalism through
Voyage Botanica Herbal Field School and her own independent study; and has created Green Goddess
Apothecary, whose mission it is to bring the healing power of plants to the hands of people worldwide.
She serves as faculty at Heartwood Institute, a residential healing arts school in Garberville, CA, where
she teaches Anatomy, Physiology, Kinesiology, Hydrotherapy, Nutrition, Herbalism and Bodywork; and
also teaches Herbalism at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. She is a featured expert in the recently
released documentary The Future of Medicine, sharing her experience and vision for the evolution of
healthcare. In her healing practice, she enjoys the application of Herbal Medicines, Intuitive Bodywork,
Clinical Nutrition, Counseling, Hydrotherapy, Acupuncture, Homeopathy and Energetic modalities for
health maintenance and promotion. She is a student and lover of art, dance and music and enjoys sharing
her passion for life with the world.