On Saturday, February 27, 2010 the Alabama Medicinal Plant Growers Association will hold a workshop titled "Home and Small Farm Use of Medicinal Plants".   Five speakers are scheduled with each giving a one hour presentation.  Other speakers will be added as time permits.  On Sunday, February 28 for an additional fee of $35 there will be a half-day shiitake mushroom workshop available to the first 20 people requesting a seat.  By the end of the workshop all participants will take home a log they have inoculated with shiitake mushroom spores. Those wishing to participate in the Shiitake workshop MUST call and confirm space is available.
The speakers and topics scheduled for Saturday are:
Debbie Boutelier on small farm value added products;
Dr. Safaa Al-Hamdani on the medicinal properties of kudzu;
Phyllis D. Light on interactions between herbs and prescription or over the counter drugs;
Darryl Patton on native Alabama medicinal plants and their properties;
Thomas Easley on the cultivation of medicinal plants.
The workshops will be held at the Biology Department of Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Road North, Jacksonville, Alabama 36265. Biology professor Dr. Safaa Al-Hamdani is sponsoring the events.
Registration will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. There will be a fifteen minute break between speakers and lunch is scheduled from noon until 1:00p.m.
Registration fees are as follows: For members:
$40 for early bird registration and annual dues payment by January 31st
Additional Family member registration: $20
Registration before Feb. 27th $60
Additional Family member registration: $30
On site registration $70
Additional family registration: $35
Dual Memberships (Two registering members) Early bird registration and annual membership fees by Jan. 31st: $60
Additional family member registration $30
Registration before Feb. 27th: $80
Additional family member registration $40
On site registration: $90
Additional family member registration: $45
Non Members:
Early bird registration and dues payment by Jan. 31st: $60
Additional family member registration: $30
Registration before Feb. 27th: $80
Additional family member registration: $40
On site registration $100
Additional family member registration: $50
Student (ID required):
Registration by Jan. 31st: $25
Registration before Feb. 27th: $40
On site registration: $50
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Send checks or Money Orders to AMPGA P.O. Box 382705, Birmingham, Alabama 35238-2705

Biography of speakers:
Phyllis D. Light, RH, has almost 25 years of clinical experience as an herbal consultant and teacher. She provides continuing education classes for nurses and other health care professionals as well as classes at the Appalachian Center for Herbal Studies. She is Professor of Herbal Studies at Clayton College of Natural  Heath. Her formal training was preceded by traditional training from Appalachian Folk herbalist such as her Cherokee/Creek grandmother Rosie Light and renowned Alabama herbalist Tommie Bass. She may be reached at 256-931-0351 or at www.appalachianherbalist.com
Darryl Patton, ND, publisher, author, educator and Master Herbalist has been called a walking encyclopedia of herbal folklore. He spent 12 years studying under the internationally recognized A.L. "Tommie" Bass and is adjunct Professor of Herbal Studies at Clayton College. Darryl operates a wilderness survival training school in North Alabama and is the veteran of numerous trips to the Peruvian Amazon where he graduated from the Peruvian Air Force's Jungle Operations and Survival School. He and his wife Jane live on Lookout Mountain and may be reached at P.O. Box 8481, Gadsden, Al. 35902 or at http://www.thesouthernherbalist.com  .
Debbie Boutelier's interest in herbs began in the  80's with a culinary herb garden. In 1995 she took the next step in her education by taking the Alabama Master Gardener course. She has logged over 4,000 hours of volunteer service to the Master Gardener program, which lead to an eight year stint as a County  Extension Agent in Autauga County. She now teaches nationally and serves on the Board of Directors of the Herb Society of America. She may be reached at (334)  365-7806.
Thomas Easley, at the age of 14 completed a five year apprenticeship under a Master Herbalist and at the age of 19 opened his first herb store. After years of study under professional members of the American Herbalist Guild he became a certified instructor and started teaching at schools and medical colleges. Thomas is also on the Board of Directors of Herbs for Orphans, an organization fighting childhood malnutrition in poverty-stricken countries.
Dr. Safaa Al-Hamdani is a Fulbright Scholar and a professor in the Department of Biology at Jacksonville State University. Since 2005 he has been Editor in Chief of "Alabama Academy of Science Journal". He is a recipient of the Association of Southeastern Biologists Meritorious Teaching Award and his research in plant physiology is published worldwide. Safaa is the originator of the Books for Bagdad program which has sent over 55,000 textbooks to Iraq. He may be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (256) 782-5801.

We have arranged for discounts at two local motels. For further information on this workshop contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (205)540-8215