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Plant medicine is a general term to describe the detailed process of learning and communication with the plant kingdom, whereby a person learns to communicate, harvest, and prepare traditional plants for their health, wellness and restoration benefits across the full being (body, mind, spirit (energy) and emotion).  In western context, the term which is similar herbalism.

 Sandi’s specialty is the area of ethnobotany, the scientific study of the traditional knowledge, application and customs of a people in relation to their plants for cultural, religious, food, clothing, housing, tools and traditional medicine use.  It explores the deep relationship between human societies and the plant world – an interdisciplinary world of anthropology, ecology, medicine, biochemistry, neurology, physiology, culinary, traditional plant knowledge, and culture.  It reflects upon the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind the interaction between humans and the older plant kingdom, creating a bridge between Ancient knowledge, practices and contemporary understanding and practices.

 Core concepts of ethnobotany and plant medicine include:

• Cultural use – how plants were used by original people, how they are now used in local cultural and diasporic cultural groups
• Traditional Medicine – how plants are used to create, maintain, sustain or restore balance within individuals, families, communities and societies
• Knowledge transmission – how the plant medicine knowledge is acquired by traditional Indigenous people, how it is transmitted/shared with those in training (when to and how to), how the knowledge is transmitted to others, how the knowledge is kept alive and changes as the world evolves and changes
• Conservation – how we recognize the cycles of plants, harvest and prepare plants and seeds to preserve biodiversity and sustainability

 Sandi will use Plant Medicine in many different forms within bioenergetic sessions and Indigenous/Integrative medicine sessions including (and not limited to):  ethno-nutrition, ethnobotany, consumption of plants (food/fluid), burning of plants, homeopathy, essential oils, vibration, presence.

 Sandi began her journey with food and food preparation at the tender age of 10years.  As a young teenager, while learning food preparation from her Mother and others, she also expanded her inquiry to the realm of nutrition for performance (enhancing her athletic endeavors).  An illness in her early 20’s opened the realm of nutrition for rehabilitation and to affect health development.  Hand in hand, she entered the realm of the science of food, food preparation.  She documented the recipes of all the living Elders in her family, along with stories.  Her traditional plant medicine teachings/ethnobotany arrived in directed effort on the guidance of the CWIS/CTM and Elders from many Nations.  At the same time, her Ancestors were providing structured teachings and transmission of knowledge, later verified.  As she developed her skills, communication with the plant kingdom a necessary aspect, they became inseparable companions.  Sandi lives the concept “your medicine is in your backyard” and is adept at distinguishing the importance of responding to our imbalances with plants from our genectic/ancestral background, the lands we have lived on for more than 1 full year cycle and the land we currently live on.

 A reminder:  Plant medicine use, in this context, is not a replacement nor substitution for medication or supplements prescribed by your medical (allopathic) doctor or nurse practitioner, naturopath or mental health practitioner (psychiatrist, psychologist, psychotherapist). 

Sandi does not offer micro-dosing or entheogenic/hallucinogenic journeys.  She does work with people who have challenging experiences with these methods.