POTION LAB
From alchemy to chemistry: creating our own medicinal apothecary.
Thursdays 3pm - 6pm | Ages 8 and up | September - December 2014
Medicine for the people, from chicken soup to elderberry syrup! Who takes care of us when we are sick? What can we fix on our own? A scratch? A cut? Do we know what to do when a sniffle suddenly sets in? What can support us during those moments when the wind sweeps in and chills us to the bone - how do we stave off the cold?
Through alchemical preparations in our kitchen, laboratory, and out in the world, we will learn the basics of wellness, self care, food-as-medicine and herbalism.
Our explorations will take us outside, identifying and harvesting medicinal plants and herbs from wild spaces and nearby farms. Each day we will gather, process, and imbibe autumn’s bounty, transforming plant material into delicious medicine. We’ll think about how to listen to our own bodies, identifying its needs, both physical and emotional. We’ll dive into the complex chemical construction of plants and plant constituents. From astringents to alternatives, we’ll learn how the qualities of plants affect our body’s health and wellness.
At the end of ten weeks, we’ll open our medicine chest to the community, with a pop-up clinic for the public run by the children of Potion Lab.
What could be more empowering than knowing how to create the medicines we need from the plant and animal life around us?