A Personal Video Invitation to the March 19-23 Plant Medicine Summit From Your Host, David Crow

Welcome to everyone. I'm David Crow, and this is an invitation to join me for the third annual Plant Medicine Telesummit.

Each year for the last three years, the summit has grown exponentially and is now one of the largest online gatherings of herbalists, naturopaths, clinicians, researchers, educators, and environmentalists working in the field of botanical medicine.

The use of plant-based medicine has exploded in the last few years. This is a natural and expected response to the limitations and side effects of pharmaceutical medicine. It's also a response to the growing interest, need, and demand for medicine that is nourishing, rejuvenative, immune boosting, and vitalizing, as well as medicine that is detoxifying, purifying, and cleansing.

The growth of natural medicine is very much linked to our new media technologies, and with that has come a complicated mixture of reviving healing traditions and knowledge, an abundance of complex scientific research, a flood of new products, and an overwhelming amount of marketing for those new products. On the one hand, we could say that this is a golden age or a renaissance of natural medicine, where we now have at our fingertips the herbs — and knowledge of their use — from almost every culture and part of the world, combined with a massive amount of research and documentation about their uses. But on the other hand, we could say that this is a time of great confusion about how to care for ourselves and our loved ones. We are faced with many differing opinions and, in many cases, simply erroneous, false claims being propagated about what we should do, how we should do it, and what we should use.

So, how do we sort this out? Well, the art and science of using plants for medicine is a huge field of study. There are hundreds of important herb species, hundreds of ways of preparing and administering them, and an infinite number of recipes for combining them. There are also some significant warnings and contraindications for some species and for some conditions. On the one hand, it takes a lot of time to learn how to use plants effectively for preventing and treating illness. But on the other hand, many plants are incredibly easy to start using in our diet... in a home pharmacy... as folk medicine... medicine for the people... without needing to spend years getting an in-depth education or sorting through layers of information on the internet.

So, what are some of the primary benefits that you will receive from attending the summit? One of my primary objectives in offering the Plant Medicine Summit is to give people practical information from leading educators and clinicians about simple and effective ways to start caring for ourselves. Many times, that's all we need to make a dramatic difference in our health.

You'll learn a lot of specific and practical uses of simple herbal remedies that can be immediately used in safe and effective ways. You will meet many practitioners of natural medicine who share a wealth of knowledge and wisdom and experience. You'll learn about their training, their skills, and their clinical practices. All of these teachers and speakers are easily accessible for further education, clinical consultations, or visits to their herb gardens. You'll learn about where you can find them, about their websites, and about their specialties, so in a way the summit serves as a large networking opportunity for those who are seeking education about herbal medicine and for those seeking to meet and connect with different practitioners.

You'll hear from people who are working to preserve endangered medicinal plants through work in sustainable reforestation and agri-forestry. You'll hear from a senior herbalist about how to use a powerful herb to manage pain and wean off opioid medications. You'll hear from the herbalist who practices first aid medicine at free clinics. You'll hear about the benefits and the safe uses of kava kava for relaxation and sleep. You'll hear from one of the naturopathic community’s foremost researchers and educators about what conditions herbal medicine excels at treating, thereby reducing the need to use pharmaceutical drugs, and which conditions where herbal medicine will not be so effective.

In previous summits, we've had several teachers who have discussed the numerous benefits and ways of using medical cannabis. In this summit, we'll hear from a senior clinician on the long-term toxicity and adverse reactions that can happen when people use medical cannabis incorrectly or for extended periods of time. We'll hear from a neurologist who specializes in using Ayurvedic herbs for treating headaches and migraines. We'll hear from a flower essence expert on using herbs and essences for calming the mind and spirit in times of stress. We'll hear from an Ayurvedic Panchakarma expert on how detoxification of the body can support spiritual growth and evolution. And this is only a partial list.

Some of the segments are with educators who have so much to share, they simply give an information-packed lecture. Some segments are conversations, where we explore complex subjects in a dialogue or interview format. Several speakers have personal stories to tell about their own journeys to healing, and how they came to study and practice natural medicine out of their own search for medical answers.

Some of these people started with serious and debilitating conditions, and through working with plant medicine became leading educators, clinicians, and industry innovators. Some are clinical herbalists who also grow their own herbs and have teaching farms and gardens, who share details with us about cultivation, harvesting, and preparation of herbs from our backyard. Some teachers have developed a close and long-term relationship with a particular medicinal plant and are now expert on that species through intimate use.

Some have written groundbreaking, authoritative books on specific herbs, groups of herbs, or therapeutic applications. Some teachers received their training from indigenous healers and shamans and are now holders of ancient lineages of knowledge and wisdom. Some are experts in the biochemistry of medicinal plants, and some are both. Some are using methods developed by early alchemists to prepare medicines from plants. Some are using modern distillation and extraction methods. Some are teaching how to make simple teas.

As you can see, it's a very full lineup of experts. The summit itself is free, and if you would like, there is an upgrade package that includes all the audio recordings, transcripts of the talks, and a large assortment of bonus materials from the presenters.

So I hope you'll join me for this historic event.

David Crow, LAc is one of the world’s foremost experts and leading speakers in the field of botanical medicine and grassroots healthcare. He is a master herbalist, aromatherapist, and acupuncturist with over 30 years experience and is an expert in the Ayurvedic and Chinese medical systems.

David is a renowned author, a poet and is the founding director of Floracopeia Aromatic Treasures. Floracopeia was created as a way to help preserve and promote the use of botanical medicines as solutions to solving numerous interrelated global problems: lack of healthcare, poverty, environmental destruction, and loss of ethnobotanical knowledge.

David has presented his vision of grassroots healthcare, preservation of botanical medicines and the use of plants for ecological restoration to hundreds of audiences, ranging from small private groups to conferences and lecture halls to a panel discussion with the Dalai Lama broadcast internationally to millions of viewers. Through his visionary synthesis of medicine, ecology, and spirituality, he has helped transform the lives of thousands. Click here to visit David’s website, Floracopeia.

In 1987, David journeyed to Nepal in search of teachings in Tibetan medicine and Buddhist meditation. For the next 10 years, he studied with many teachers. Using his newfound knowledge, Crow opened a clinic in Kathmandu and another in a small mountain village, where he treated beggars from the street as well as high abbots of monasteries. In Search of the Medicine Buddha interweaves medical teachings with insights into Tibetan Buddhism, evoking the beauty and wonder of a faraway land.