MEDICINAL HERBS
Seminar/Retreat
A 5 day, live-in retreat, set in an idealistic, picturesque Tasmanian bush setting, where you have "hands on" experience in the identification, growing and processing of medicinal herbs from the over 130 species in the organic gardens at Pindari (herb list). (Refer further on for the 5 day program.)

Dates for 2010-11 Season are:

Sunday 5th - Saturday 11th December 2010
Sunday 9th - Saturday 15th January 2011
Sunday 6th - Saturday 12th February 2011

Presented by Ken Atherton

Ken qualified as a pharmaceutical chemist in 1970 and has over 30 years of community pharmacy experience where he specialized in the compounding and dispensing of herbal and homoeopathic medicines, and other forms of complementary medicine. He has retired from community pharmacy to focus on "green medicines" and with his wife Giovi, has development Pindari into an organic herb farm. Pindari now has over 130 species of medicinal herbs which are harvested and processed into fresh plant tinctures and oil infusions. These are then used to prepare a range of natural healing and cosmetic skin care creams and ointments, and medicinal herb mixtures for common ailments. 

Venue (photos aerial and surface)
Pindari Herb Farm lies on a scenic hilltop in natural bush, 16 km from Launceston on the island of Tasmania, Australia.  It is self-sufficient in water and produces much of its electrical power from the sun and wind. The extensive organic vegetable and medicinal herb gardens produce most of the food and medicines for the family.

Costs
The cost of the 5 day Seminar is $AUD 900 which includes 6 nights accommodation, the materials used and meals. Full booking details are available at the end of this document. We ask for a prepaid deposit of $100 with payment of the balance on arrival.

Accommodation & meals
This is comfortable shared accommodation (up to three people per room). The meals are healthy, prepared largely from our organic gardens and are served buffet style. We cater for vegetarian and non-vegetarian, and for dairy and gluten intolerance. The meal times are a great time to communicate with like minded people from all over Australia. We have a maximum of 14 participants. 

Transport
A free minibus transport service is provided for the participants, departing at 5.00pm Sunday from the Launceston City Transit Centre arriving at Pindari at 5.30pm and returning the following Saturday, departing Pindari at 8.30am. There is an $15 airport shuttle service to the Transit Centre from Launceston Airport (25 minutes trip). Contact (03) 63436677 for reservations and enquiries. The Transit Centre has a baggage holding service from around $3.00 per day.

For those unable to use this service a taxi from Launceston and Launceston airport  to Pindari is approximately $55

Seminar Details (View collage of venue images - 520 Kbytes)
The seminar dates are timed to capture many of the herbs at their time of flowering. The herb's form, colour, smell, feel and taste are studied giving the participant an experience of the fresh live herb at its peak. It provides the opportunity for a deep and lasting experience of a medicinal herb and its unique characteristics.

Attendees at the 5 day seminar can claim 18 CPE points with the NHAA (National Herbalists Association of Australia).

Much time is spent in the gardens with the herbs, with the conference room set in and facing the garden. There is free-time to wonder the gardens, take photographs and collect samples.

The seminar is designed to provide basic experience in how to identify and grow medicinal herbs, and produce products from them in a home garden setting. The program for the 5 days provided below may vary according to weather conditions. There are over 40 hours of learning time and several hours of reading within this program. This time may be accepted by educational institutions as a part of their curriculum. 

With over 130 species available, the seminar by necessity is compact and time managed with the more important herbs being studied in more detail. 

At the end of the seminar many participants take the opportunity to visit other areas of Tasmania with some of the participants combining together to hire a car.

Seminar Program

Sunday afternoon

• 5.00pm collection from Launceston City Transit Centre.
• 5.30pm arrive at Pindari and taken to accommodation.
• 6.30pm buffet meal provided.
• 8.00 - 9.00pm introductions and orientation meeting including information and procedures to ensure the safety of each participant.

Monday and Tuesday - The first two days are mostly spent studying the fresh live herbs in the gardens.

• 9.00 am - Main conference starts with an overview of herbal medicine, growing medicinal herbs, information and resources followed by the viewing and experiencing the herbs in the gardens.
• The identifying features, growing requirements, parts used and harvest times are discussed.
• The herb's form, colour, touch, smell and their potential "doctrine of signatures" relationship to its medicinal properties are explored.
• If appropriate, the fresh herb's taste is sampled
• The fresh plant tincture and the fluid extract of some of the herbs are taste sampled for experience in a group setting.

Wednesday - Harvesting and processing of medicinal herbs. (harvesting photos - approx. 200k.bytes), (processing photos - approx. 300 k.bytes)

• Participate in the harvesting and making of fresh plant tinctures.
• Learn about processing methods, dry weight measurement and alcohol concentration calculations.
• Discuss the drying, packaging and stabilizing of herb materials.
• Discuss and view containers, batch numbering, labeling and storage systems.
• Prepare oil infusions.
• Participate in the steam distillation of an essential oil.
• Learn how to press herbal tinctures and oil infusions.

Thursday - Manufacturing of herbal creams and ointments. (Cream making photos - 170k.bytes)

• Each participant learns the principles in preparing creams and ointments from basic ingredients using a given formula and standard kitchen equipment.
• The information provided includes the definition of a cream and an ointment, oil qualities and properties, emulsifiers, stabilisers, preservatives and anti-oxidants.
• Manufacturing procedures are demonstrated including how to add herbal extracts, essential oils, flower essences and homoeopathics. And how to package and label.
• Each participant then prepares a herbal ointment and a herbal cream from basic ingredients, adding fresh plant herbal extracts and essential oils, which they take home with them. 

Friday - This day is used to refresh and complete those areas covered in the previous 4 days with the remainder of the day available to cover other areas of interest including:

• Manufacture and preparation of Flower Essences.
• Formulating, compounding, dosing, packaging, labeling and record keeping in medicinal herb dispensing.
• An introduction to homoeopathic, aromatherapy and flower essence medicines.
• Adding homoeopathic and flower essences to herbal preparations.
• Understanding well-ness, dis-ease and disease in holistic healing.
• Emotions and our mind and disease. 
• Late afternoon. 
      - final gathering, sharing and close of seminar.
      - sharing of available root stock and seeds of herbs of interest to participants. 

Saturday - Farewell and departure

• 7.40am - Breakfast.
• 8.30am - Departure for Launceston City Transit Centre.

How to Book  

Please Email or telephone us to check the availability of a place and then confirm your place by forwarding a $100 postal money order deposit with your details including name, gender, address, telephone and mobile number, and email address.
We will forward a confirming receipt and details on what to bring. 

We hope you can join us,
Ken and Giovi

Pindari Herb Farm
www.pindariherbfarm.com
200 Norwich Drive, Longford,  Tasmania,7301 Australia
telephone (03) 6391 1799 
Email Ken or Giovi at:
[welcome] @ [pindariherbfarm.com]
Please remove spaces and square brackets from this address to email us. Writing it this way protects us from spammers.

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