Matthew Wood Institute of Herbalism

The female reproductive tract is complex to begin with, more so after the beginning of menses, during the monthly cycle, during and after pregnancy, for which fertility herbs may be needed, and during menopause.

In this series of classes, we address all of these epochs of life, the difficulties encountered therein, and the numerous remedies we have successfully used over the years.

In order to remedy female conditions effectively, multiple approaches are necessary: a knowledge of hormones AND knowledge of tissue states and structures: how to remedy tendons, ligaments, mucosa, muscles, pelvic floor, drying out of the skin, mucosa, and vagina, and even the kidneys and bladder. 

The liver is also important because it breaks down old hormones. A woman must take her own health into her own hands.

Herbalists Phyllis D. Light, MA and Matthew Wood, MS, share their herbal knowledge--with more than 75 years of professional experience combined!

We promise this will be the best class (and series of classes) on the subject ever taught in Western herbal medicine.

Discusses the full range of action of the traditional women’s remedies, including:

🌿 Pulsatilla, black cohosh, blue cohosh, blue vervain, American ginseng, artemisia, trillium, senecio, mitchella, blessed thistle, lady’s thumb, wild yam, true and false unicorn root, cooked rehmannia root, sumach, shepherd’s purse, yarrow, shatavari, and many more.

In this class you'll learn:

The Heritage Gift of the Great Female Remedies

It is not well known that there are medicinal plants that are specific to gynecological and obstetric problems. 

First, we have to imagine that such a thing exists. Many prominent herbals in female medicine do not include these remedies but instead rely upon vitamins, supplements, diet, and a few herbs that are of general use—not specific to women. 

If we look at the herbs of China, India, and Europe, we never find more than three or four that are specific to women’s health. There was also the problem that it was mostly men who were practicing and recording medical knowledge during the centuries when herbalism was developing—exceptions would be Torta, a woman doctor of medieval Salerno, or the midwife Jane Sharp (1677). 

Who was it that imagined that these special herbs existed? It was the Native people of North America. The great female remedies known today in Western herbal medicine are testimony to the debt owed to Native medicine. Since the majority of the important remedies adopted into Western herbalism from Native America are female medicines, it is clear that the transference of information came predominately through Native, white, and black midwives. 

This heritage needs to be acknowledged and cherished. 

🌿 This group includes the great remedies of North America (black cohosh, blue cohosh, trillium, wild yam, partridge berry, true unicorn root, false unicorn root, raspberry leaf, cramp bark, black haw, wild ginger), Europe (pulsatilla, mugwort, lady’s mantle, vita), China (peony root, wild yam, American ginseng), India (shatavari), and others.



Hormones, Tissues, and Stress

In modern biomedicine, there is only one way to explain reproductive difficulties: hormones. However, we herbalists recognize multiple different perspectives: 

1. analysis in terms of hormones
2. conditions of the tissue (tendons, muscles, nerves, mucosa, pelvic floor)
3. stress, sympathetic nervous system, hormones, and 
4. the overall situation, constitution, personality

In this class, we learn that medical tests cannot always be relied upon. Some women are so sensitive to a hormone that they produce very little of it, and therefore the test result shows the hormone is low but the woman reacts as if she had a high level of hormone. 

We also learn that the liver, because it breaks down hormones when their time is over and produces some hormones, needs to be treated—and what those symptoms often are. Other important processes include nutrition and methylation.  

Join us for just this class or the entire series!

Everyone interested in this subject must catch this assemblage of two highly experienced herbalists with over 75 years of clinical experience between them.

This will not only cover the topics of menarche, menstruation, pregnancy, lactation, menopause, and everything in-between (except fertility--handled in another class), but it will do so from several different perspectives. It goes without saying that two herbalists will have two perspectives, but beyond that, we are referring to (1) analysis in terms of hormones, (2) analysis in terms of tissues (ligaments, mucosa, muscles, pelvic floor, etc.), and (3) the relationship between the immune system, sympathetic and reproductive function.  Female reproductive cancers will largely not be discussed here.

"I know I will learn a lot myself and can hardly wait for these classes."

- Matthew Wood

Learn herbal secrets of the midwives, down through the ages!