Lisa Ganora

Lisa Ganora specializes in herbal constituents, organoleptics (learning directly from plants by using the senses), and science-inspired herbal medicine making. A Wise Woman tradition herbalist since 1986, Lisa also practices Vitalist clinical therapeutics. In addition to founding and directing the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism from 2012-2020 and managing Elderberry’s Farm (an herbal education center in Paonia, CO), Lisa is the author of Herbal Constituents, 2nd Ed., and teaches online classes at HerbalConstituents.com.

It's lovely to have Lisa back with us this year. Lisa will be running the following at this year's gathering:

The Art of Percolation: Tincturing Dried Herbs - Intensive

Capturing the essence of fresh herbs with alcohol in a mason jar is a great way to make a tincture, but what about tincturing dried herbs? Can you coax more herb into less alcohol for a rich, potent product? Yes! And it can be ready in two or three days! An old process called "percolation" is an amazing way to make a concentrated, vibrant tincture from your dried herbs. Using simple home kitchen equipment, we'll work with beautiful dried Dandelion root to learn how to percolate the easy way.

Organoleptic Herb Walk: Sensory Learning

On our Organoleptic Herb Walk we’ll practice the art and science of exploring plants with our senses. As herbalists we can practice and develop our organoleptic skills to better understand the identity, potency, and constituents of living plants, dried herbs, and herbal preparations. This way of understanding the messages and information carried by aroma and flavor molecules is a skill that all animals possess. With practice and attention, we can develop our sensory skills to learn directly from the plants themselves!