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Organic Café Mam
Coffee
Organic Menu
for
Lunch & Dinner
Wireless Internet
Locally Owned
& Operated
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13th
& M
Oak
(formerly
Field’s)
• 434-6553
www.hcexpeditions.com
822-8288 or
1-888-461-7238
Come see us at
Belknap Hot Springs Resort
d & Scenic
Wil
High Country
Expeditions
Rafting Trips
Upper McKenzie • Upper Klamath
Cal-Salmon • Rogue
& other NW Rivers
Summer Rafting Special
Rafting Coupon
10% OFF 1/2 Day
Rafting Trips
OR
$40.00 Sun. & Wed.
Rafting Trips
This coupon must be presented at the time of
booking. Only valid for McKenzie Rafting Trips.
10% off will only be applied to adult rates. Not
to be combined with other specials.
30 JUNE 10, 2004
• Group & Student Discounts
• 1/2 to multi-day adventures
• Relaxing scenic floats
• Fun-filled family trips
• Class 4 & 5 adventures
• Trips run 7 days a week
• Located on the McKenzie River
• Locally owned & operated
BY RACHEL FOSTER
Sharol Tilgner
RACHEL FOSTER
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Herbal Learning
Wise Acres aims to fill an educational void.
T
here are not many places where you
can learn to grow, harvest and
process your own medicinal herbs.
This is a void that Sharol Tilgner seeks to fill.
A licensed naturopathic physician in Pleasant
Hill, Tilgner has been an avid herbalist since
1979 and has a long, interesting vita. Among
her accomplishments she lists “molding an
old cattle ranch into an organic herb farm that
is now called Shalimar Gardens.” Now she’s
at it again, turning a smaller parcel of former
cow pasture near Pleasant Hill into a full-
service herbal educational center called
Wise Acres.
With 61.2 percent of the population
reportedly using herbs, Tilgner believes
herbal medicine is a topic that needs more
attention. Most herbal products are safe
when used properly, she says, but people
need to learn which herbs to use, and how
to use them correctly. Herbal companies are
not allowed to provide educational material
on the medicinal uses of the herbs they sell,
so people often end up getting their infor-
mation from a well-intentioned store clerk
who may know little more than the con-
sumer. So Tilgner decided to sell her 14-
year-old herbal manufacturing company,
Wise Woman Herbals, and devote herself to
educating the public about herbs.
Most of Tilgner’s perfectly bucolic 25
acres are in pasture, though there is a big
new swath of creek-side planting, mostly of
native trees and shrubs. The garden itself
lies between two houses painted, like the
mailbox, the color of lavender. Wide grass
paths meander between a variety of herb
beds, and a cascade emerges from a silver
pile of enormous cardoon leaves. Tilgner
points out that the previous owner planted
rhododendrons, Japanese maples and other
things at the perimeter, providing a mature
backdrop and the irreplaceable look of an
established garden.
To begin my tour I enter on a path of
flagstones and thyme, bordered by a young
blueberry hedge under-planted with straw-
berries. (“Blueberry flavinoids are very
good for you,” says Tilgner.) Nearby is a
large herb bed containing oregano, winter
savory and several kinds of lavender, along
with a variety of medicinal herbs. Some
plants are here mainly for their decorative
qualities: balloon flower is used by the
Chinese, and Culver’s root was once used
in liver disorders but has now fallen out of
use. Figwort is here mainly for the bees and
hummingbirds, who visit all day long.
Other plants have more solid therapeutic
credentials. Tilgner showed me arnica,
well-known for easing sprains, bruises and
sore muscles, and meadowsweet, the origi-
nal source of aspirin. Conspicuous, large-
leafed elecampane (Inula helenium) is a
great tonic with antiseptic properties,
Tilgner says, and supports the immune sys-
tem. Tall stems of valerian are in full,
sweet-swelling bloom. The flowers (which,
I learned, smell like dirty socks when they
get old and dry!) are used in Biodynamic
gardening. Tilgner’s interest in useful plants
extends to Biodynamics and permaculture,
as well as medicinals and ornamentals.
I learn about medicinal applications for
several familiar ornamental plants. The
orange flowers of calendula (pot marigold)
are edible, and the leaves and calyces are
sticky. The resins that make plants sticky,
Tilgner explained, have anti-microbial
qualities, and can be used externally or in
the form of a tea to decrease inflammation.
Hardy geraniums, it seems, have astringent
properties, and are useful for diarrhea. Rue
is used externally for tendonitis, sprains and
bruising.
Black elder has anti-inflammatory and
expectorant properties, so it is good for res-
piratory infections. Use flowers and berries
only, though: The bark and leaves can be
toxic.
Help abounds for female function and
disorders. Raspberry leaves make the num-
ber one tonic for a woman’s urinogenital
tract. Viburnum opulus can lower blood
pressure, but the common name cramp bark
comes from its anti-spasmodic properties,
which make it helpful for menstrual
cramps. Goat’s rue (Galega officinalis) pro-
motes lactation. The dry brown “berries” of
chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) are used for
menstrual problems and for hot flashes
associated with menopause.
Beyond the second lavender colored
house, two blonde-coated cows have the
run of a roomy chunk of luxuriant meadow:
“More grass than they can possibly eat,” as
Tilgner says. I wonder when I last saw cat-
tle grazing in knee high grass. Just watching
them seems therapeutic.
Wise Acres offers everything from half-
day classes to long-term apprenticeships.
Instruction is tailored to fit the needs of the
participants. For a free introduction to the
place, join a Grand Opening and Summer
Solstice Celebration from 11 am to 4 pm
June 19. Tilgner’s impressive book, Herbal
Medicine from the Heart of the Earth, will
be available, along with class schedules and
two herbal videos she has produced. Bring
your lunch — you won’t find a nicer place
to eat it.
The address for Wise Acres is 84537
Proden Lane, Pleasant Hill 97455. For
directions or for more information, contact
Sharol Tilgner at 736-0164 or visit
www.herbaltransitions.com
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