What's up Guild. I know it's been a minute since I've been in here! There's been a lot of personal things going on that I had to give my absolute attention to. Yet I appreciate you all's patience with me. We still have to do our fourth week Meetup which will be this week on Sunday. Yet, I think that Arabia, mountain or Stone mountain would be a good place for our field trip! What do you guys think? Also, I just finished and published my hood medicine book and everyone that is a member in here will be receiving the ebook in their email this week. It's online for $10 for the ebook. If you want a physical copy I can give you guys a discount of $35. It'll be signed as well. I get my physical copies in a few days.

What's up Guild? I apologize for the lack of engagement this week. I have some one close to me that has contracted pneumonia, and I haven't had time to focus on the guild...unfortunately ,I will have to postpone today's class. Please review the last 3 weeks of the course. i want to pose a question to you in the meantime. How has this course affected your daily living? Since you've been learning? Please share with me what ways that this has improved your way of living?

this week we talked about how to integrate different winter medicines into our daily lives . why you should be detoxing during the winter with these medicines, how to identify these medicines, and we even looked into what animals can show us when it comes to winter foraging! look in the classroom to see this part of the course! have a great week!

Plant of the Week: The "Chaney Root" in Your Backyard (Greenbrier) ​Hope yall havin a cool weekend, Guild! ​We are deep in "Root Season," and I wanna let you in on a secret. People pay good money to import "Chaney Root" from Jamaica for energy, stamina, and iron. ​But here’s the thing: You don’t need to go to Jamaica. You probably have its twin brother growing in your backyard right now, tearing up your pants. ​I'm talking about Greenbrier (Smilax spp.)—aka Catbrier or Sawbrier, it's got alot of names! ​🔬 The Ethnobotany Breakdown The famous Chaney Root is Smilax balbisiana. Our local thorny vine is usually Smilax bona-nox (Saw Greenbrier) or Smilax rotundifolia. They are the same genus. They carry the exact same medicine. ​While your neighbors are poisoning it to get it off their fences, we are digging it up for gold. ​ The "Southern Iron" Medicine Just like its Caribbean cousin, our local Greenbrier root is a powerhouse: - ​The Southern Tonic: The massive, woody tubers are loaded with steroidal saponins. This is our local "testosterone support" and vitality builder. - ​Blood Purifier: In Southern folk medicine and indigenous tradition, this was the spring tonic. It cleans "bad blood," helps with rheumatism, and clears up skin issues. - ​Nutrient Dense: The young shoots are edible (like asparagus), but right now, in winter, we are after the Red Rhizome. It’s high in minerals and acts as a serious restorative for fatigue. ​✨ Hoodoo & Spiritual Properties Because they are family, the spiritual properties transfer perfectly: - ​Protection: The thorns don't lie. This vine protects its space aggressively. Use the root to ground that same protective energy into your life. - ​Dominion: Just as Chaney Root is used for male virility and command, Greenbrier is a "Boss" plant. It takes over. It persists. It strengthens the spirit of the wearer. ​⚒️ The Harvest (Warning) This plant makes you earn it. The tubers can be huge (sometimes the size of a football), but they are deep, woody, and guarded by thorns.

This week we talked about roots, berries, fungus growing in the winter. As well as how to identify what type of environments would be best to forage in the winter. Please leave a message in the discussion section if you have any questions or comments!