Mountain City Traditional Arts is hosting a Mountain Herbalist Series featuring the work of herbalist Mimi Hernandez, coordinator of the Appalachian Center for Ethnobotanical Studies at Frostburg State University.  Meeting every other Monday through early May, the series tackles a number of topics covering topics as diverse as “Medicinal Flora of Appalachia” to “Kudzu” as culinary cuisine.

The free series runs alternating Mondays from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM.  The next in the series, "Kitchen Spices for Health” is slated for March 8.  Having recently relocated to Frostburg from Asheville, North Carolina, Hernandez is eager to meet community members with an interest in preserving local knowledge of mountain herbs.  Although pre registration is not required, the first session was a full house, despite winter weather.  Those looking for the best seats are encouraged to arrive early.

Hernandez is an herbal educator whose courses balance traditional reverence with scientific understanding.  A clinical herbalist and professional member of the American Herbalists Guild Mimi received her Masters of Science degree in Herbal Medicine from the Tai Sophia Institute.  With roots in Asheville, NC, Mimi is the founder of the One World Healing Arts Institute.  She also draws upon her rich traditional background & the Granny healers in her life.  Mimi believes that the handing down of plant wisdom is crucial to the world.

Mountain Herbalist Series:

March 8th - Kitchen Spices for Health!

Cayenne, garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, black pepper, paprika…  Did you know that these & other common household spices are great to have on hand for household ailments!  Learn how they can support and even improve your health!  Find out how to incorporate spices into your daily lifestyle to boost immunity and prevent heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and aging!

March 22nd - Medicinal Flora of Appalachia

The Appalachia area is one of the most diverse and abundant ecosystems for medicinal plants.  Find out why in this class designed to familiarize students with the most common medicinal herbs of our area.  Learn the fascinating stories of their traditional uses and how science supports many of those uses.

April 12th - Weeds!  Healing from Your Backyard

Dandelion, violets, plantain, chickweed, knotweed, oh my!!  Join us as we discuss how we can put these and other backyard  “weeds” to good use.  Many of these weed remedies are even supported by scientific evidence.  Come check them out and make new allies with these abundantly available green friends!

April 26th - Kudzu!

Where does kudzu come from and why is it everywhere?  What efforts are being done to fend off this mighty vine?  What are the issues and the challenges?  What about kudzu as a beneficial plant?  Come learn the answers to these questions and explore the practical uses of kudzu as a source for culinary cuisine, animal feed, basket and paper making, medicine, and much more.

May 10th - Medicinal Mints

What do rosemary, lavender, lemon balm, peppermint, thyme, and sage have in common?  They are all medicinal mints!  These lovely, easy to grow, and fragrant members of the lamiaceae (mint) family are just as versatile for health promotion as they are in the kitchen.  Come and learn how these and other mints have been used traditionally for health and how scientific evidence supports many of these uses.

Located at 25 East Main Street, Frostburg, Mountain City Traditional Arts is a partnership of Folklore & Folklife Programming at Frostburg State University, the Allegany Arts Council, and FrostburgFirst: A Main Street Community.  For more details about any of these sessions, or for general questions about MCTA, call (301) 687-8040; email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; or look for the venue on Facebook.