Lee to offer nine-week class about medicinal herbs beginning this week

QUINCY — Deborah Lee of Four Winds Farm is offering a nine-week course about medicinal herbs beginning this week.

Participants can attend either on Wednesday from 6-9 p.m., March 22-May 17, or on Thursday from 9 a.m.-noon, March 23-May 18. The class is limited to 12 participants. It will be held at Four Winds Farm, 3729 N. 36th. This program includes the classes, student-made wellness kits and a go-to 385-page book titled “The Herbal Medicine-Makers Handbook” written by James Greene.

Lee has been intrigued by wild edible and medicinal plants for more than 40 years. She has given hundreds of conference talks on the topic across the United States and has taught her in-depth, nine-week class more than 50 times. Four Winds Farm in Quincy is an Illinois-certified “International Herb of the Year Garden.”

Lee has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, master’s degree in environmental education and doctorate in nutrition. She is a 22-year University of Illinois Master Gardener.

Topics to be covered in the class are:

• Regular, safe use of common herbs
• Medical terminology and herbal approaches
• Naturopathic look at how ‘dis-ease’ builds
• Outdoor identification and collecting treks
• Tips for growing and harvesting herbs
• The art of harvesting herbs in a traditional way
• Drying and preserving methods
• Infusions and decoctions
• Tinctures including ‘Master Formula’
• Fixed oils, salves, and lip balms
• Syrups and jellos
• Insect repellant and parasite cleanses
• Therapeutic use of essential oils
• Flower essences

For more information or to register, visit www.four-winds-farm.com or call 217-257-1480.