osadha natural health, llc

In person & distance classes for individuals or groups

Classes & More

Class Notification List

Please contact me if you’d like to receive the once monthly “upcoming classes & plant o’ the month” email. Be sure to add marija@osadha.com, as one of your contacts so that the notice don’t land in spam/junk mail.

Backyard Botanical Survey

Want to know what’s growing on your land? Contact me for a leisurely stroll to identify medicinal plants and learn what they do, what parts are used, and how to prepare them, along with history and lore.

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1-on-1 Courses of Study

I take on a limited number of individual students for a learning experience tailored to your interests.

In person or distance via Zoom/Skype.
Once weekly to once monthly or something in between
$50 per hour
There is homework for maximizing your learning. We go over it, but it’s not “graded”.

Past students have…

Gone into clinical practice
Created herbal products for marketing
Incorporated herbs into their “main” profession (eg. body work, energy work, etc)
Used what they’ve learned to support the health of themselves, family, friends, pets

Please contact me for more info or to start planning your personalized timing and plan.

Ideas on topics

Basic concepts in herbalism
Materia Medica (meaning, plants/mushrooms/essential oils & their medicinal uses)
Plant/mushroom walks – Identification in the field, uses, folklore, science
Harvesting, processing, & medicine making
Diagnostics – Traditional approaches, constitutional evaluation, reading labs
Formulating
Herbal energetics – Hot, cold, damp, dry, consolidating, dispersing, etc
Clinical case studies – For those who already have 2+ years experience w/ herbalism
Reading & interpreting herbal scientific research
Herb-drug interactions
Herbal safety
Aromatic medicine
Natural perfumery
Interested in something not listed here? Let me know : )

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2023 Plant & Mushroom Walks

Meet our local wild edible/medicinal plants and mushrooms up close and personal. We’ll nerd out on identification, food/medicinal uses, history, folklore, and more. I’ll also be pointing out and sharing info on toxic plants and mushrooms that are good to be aware of if you play in the woods with your kids and/or dogs. We’ll be meeting plants at different elevations and different times of the from 6,500″-11,000″ and see who’s popping up at different times of the growing season.

The San Juans Range supports an immensely rich diversity of plants and fungi, due to the varied habitats the mountains provide: from the Pinon/Pondy/Juniper belt to high alpine meadows, from sunny rock piles to the dapple shade of an Engelmann spruce forest, from semi-desert to riparian zones.

Space is limited for each walk to keep it more interactive and engaging. If you have questions or want to be put on the waiting list for a particular walk, please Contact me. Please visit this page periodically to check for an update on the permitting!

Schedule is pending permit approval from USFS, San Juan Columbine District. Payment/registration buttons will be put up upon approval, so please stay tuned to book your spot.

DATES & TENTATIVE LOCATIONS (as per San Juan NF approval)…

June 17th, Saturday, 9-11:30am – Lower Elbert Creek Trail – This is one of the most accessible spots to see high elevation plants without having to climb straight up a steep mountain trail. Also a great spot to meet mushrooms of various ilk, especially conks (shelf fungi) like Artist’s Conk. The “walk” will be less than a mile total, as we will be stopping frequently to geek out on plants and fungi encountered.

July 15th, Saturday, 9-11:30am – Engineer Mountain/Pass Creek Trail – The meadow above the parking lot is absolutely glorious with wildflowers in full bloom in July. Many are medicinal. Some are potentially deadly. All are gorgeous. The walk will be about 2 miles total…we’ll go a mile up the trail through the meadow and into the woods to see who lives in both places. A higher elevation meander than the first walk, as we’ll be starting out at 10,640+’ (Coal Bank Pass).

July 23rd, Sunday, 9-11:30am – Upper Elbert Creek Trail – This is limited to just 8 people. We’ll be around 10,300′ looking at plants at their peak and when the highest diversity of mushrooms are usually fruiting. This involves a drive on a dirt road behind Purg that is a bit rocky in spots (my beater Subaru does fine but low clearance vehicles may not).

August 19th, 9-11:30am – Andrew’s Lake/1st 1/2 mile up Crater Lake trail (basically up the 1st 2 switchbacks) – Walk starts at Andrew’s Lake parking lot. We’ll see riparian plants, meadow plants, as well as plants along a short portion of the wooded trail. This is a common place to see mushrooms in the Bolete family, as well as Amanitas. Beginning elevation is 10,750′. Total meander will be ~ 1 mile.

September 12th, 5:30-7:30pm Tuesday – Something more or less in town! This is a great spot and time of year to learn about some of the local native fruits/berries. Many other plants will still be “at it” as well. There is a good variety of plants what with the open, sunny area between the parking lot and the first bridge (less than 1/4 mile from parking lot), the creek, and the wooded and shady trail through the canyon. We will meander about 1/2 mile up the trail.

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Upcoming Classes & Workshops

Medicine Making Workshop Series

In Durango. Sundays, 11am-12pm. $30.85 per workshop, including materials.

Jan 29th – Herbal syrups with honey

Feb 19th – Medicinal Teas 3 ways: Hot infusions, cold infusions, & decoctions

Mar 19th – Herb-infused oils

April 16th – Salves

May 21th – Tinctures

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Allergy Support with Local Plants & Mushrooms

Hands-on workshop. POSTPONED Saturday March 11th, 10am-noon at Basecamp. In the Lodge at Tamarron, 314 Tamarron Drive, Durango. $38.00 using the button below. Other methods of payment can be arranged ahead of time. Materials included.

Allergies can run from annoying to debilitating, and not everyone responds well to OTC allergy meds. Come learn about some great supportive, local plants and mushrooms while learning additional life hacks for taming the immune system, snot, and irritation. You’ll get to choose from multiple herbs to craft your own tea blend to take home.

After class is finished, consider going on a high country snow shoe then come back to Basecamp at 3pm to order some of their delicious offerings! Class participants get 15% off. Be sure to inform your server when ordering.

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Making Herbal Sleep & Dream Pillows

Hands-on workshop. Saturday April 8th, 10am-noon at Basecamp. In the Lodge at Tamarron, 314 Tamarron Drive, Durango. $39.25 using the button below. Other methods of payment can be arranged ahead of time. Materials included.

Many herbs and essential oils promote more restful sleep, and some can enhance dreaming A few may even help to prevent nightmares. In this workshop, you’ll learn some of the best herbs and essential oils to use, and you’ll put together your own pillow to take home. No sewing skills required!

After class is finished, go on a high country hike, then swing back by Basecamp at 3pm to get a delicious late lunch or early dinner. Class participants get 15% off. Be sure to inform your server when ordering.

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Summertime Leave-on Facial Treatment

Hands-on workshop. Saturday May 16th, 10am-noon at Basecamp. In the Lodge at Tamarron, 314 Tamarron Drive, Durango. $42.50 using the button below. Other methods of payment can be arranged ahead of time. Materials Included.

Summer means many of us are (hopefully) out having fun in the sun. Learn about plants and oils that benefit the skin after sun exposure, and those best for folks with aging, dry, or oily skin. You’ll have a collection of ingredients to choose from in making your own leave-on nighttime treatment.

Afterwards, stay at Basecamp to enjoy a delicious lunch. The kitchen will be open by the time we’re done with class. Class participants get 15% off. Be sure to inform your server when ordering.

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Please register here: Albuquerque Herbalism

Natural Perfumery

Everything you need to know to make your own scents

Making scent-sational natural perfumes is not as challenging as you may think. In this workshop, you’ll learn all you need to create blends as unique as you are. We’ll explore the following…

What’s the difference between essential and infused oils? Can I combine them?
Where do I start in coming up with a blend?
How do I create a memorable blend?
What do I use for a perfume base?
How do I make natural scents last longer?
How can I tell the difference between natural and synthetic scents?

There will be a variety of essential oils to play with along with the other supplies needed for you to make your own liquid blend using easy-to-understand principles.

Class Date: Saturday September 9, 2023
Class Time: 10am – 1pm
Cost: $42 (all supplies included)
Location: The Source, 1111 Carlisle Blvd. SE
Registration is required.

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Recorded Classes

Recording link will be sent within 24 hours of payment, unless purchased on weekend or holiday, then it will be sent on the next business day.

Herb-Drug Interactions

RECORDING of live, interactive Zoom class. $30

On average, in any given month nearly half of the US population uses at least 1 prescription drug (CDC). Approximately 76% of the adult population in the US used at least 1 herbal supplement in 2017 (Choi & Song, 2021). It is difficult to wade through the available information regarding herb-drug interactions for multiple reasons that include bias (folks publishing information on this are often not trained in botanical medicine or phytochemistry), sensationalism (fear-mongering newspaper headlines and clickbait), the growing ingredient complexity of supplements, and polypharmacy (the use of multiple medications concurrently that greatly increases the rate of adverse drug reactions).

This class takes a critical, evidence-base approach at looking at herb-drug interactions. The focus will be on individual herbs, and will include data from critically evaluated case studies, clinical studies, and practitioner experience. The most likely categories of herbs to interact with medications will be highlighted, as will well-documented interactions. The class is appropriate for multiple types of healthcare provider as well as for folks who take herbs and want to know more about the topic of interactions.

Medicinal Plants of the West

Recordings of live, interactive Zoom classes. $15.50 per class.

Plant ID, medicinal uses, folklore, and science. Attend 1 or all or however many you’d like. Many of the plants are also found elsewhere in North and Central America.

California Poppy & Pine

Sagebrush & Wild Rose

Barberry & Juniper

Elder & Oregon Grape

Insomnia: An herbalist’s approach

Class recording available. $17.50. (When you click “buy now”, scroll to the gray button for secure debit or cc payment)

Insomnia is an epidemic that significantly impacts the health and quality of life of many millions of people. Sleep meds often lose effect over time or can become addictive. They can help get one through a period of sleeplessness but, for many folks, aren’t a long term fix. Part of the problem is cultural. Here in the west, many of us go through the day at 110 mph then try to come to a screeching stop at night, hoping to be able to simply turn our switch to “off” and fall asleep. And it can be hard to change that pattern what with jobs, family responsabilities, and such. Join us to learn some simple approaches to improve your odds of a restful night of sleep.