| FAQ
What am I looking at?
The three-acre field at Hillview Farm in Claverack NY contains one of the largest field-grown collections of Asian medicinal plants in North America. Over one hundred species of plants provide research and educational opportunities, as well as propagation material, to support the profession of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.
What is High Falls Gardens?
HFG is a farm-based nonprofit organization that provides educational services to the profession of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and to medicinal plant growers. We have an advisory board of scientists and health professionals, and are connected to several networks of people studying Asian medicinal plants.
Do you sell your herbs?
Plants and seeds from this location are not for sale. High Falls Gardens is part of a national Medicinal Herb Consortium, which is just beginning to produce Chinese medicinal herbs to sell directly to licensed practitioners of Oriental medicine. In addition, we supply about 15 Student Gardens around the country with free seeds as part of our program "Botanical Studies for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine."
Where do you get your seeds?
Most of our seeds are sourced in China through the work of Robert Newman, L.Ac., M.S.T.C.M., a practitioner of Oriental medicine and self-taught botanist based in Los Angeles. High Falls Gardens is one of the six conservators in Mr. Newman's group.
How can I grow some of these plants?
Many Chinese medicinal plants have been in North America for a hundred years or more and are available in the ornamental trade. Garden peonies, balloonflower, blackberry lily and gingko trees are examples. Other more recent introductions can be ordered from the following sources:
Do you grow ginseng here?
The most famous American species used in traditional Chinese medicine is ginseng, Panax quinquefolius. American ginseng has been imported by the Chinese for over 200 years and is valued in addition to their own native species, Panax ginseng. American ginseng has very specific cultivation requirements, which are not met in this field setting. Some farmers in the Catskills grow it.
Which of these herbs are good for my (insert name of ailment here)?
Traditional East Asian medicine is changing the way we think about herbs. Diet is central to the medicine. Ideally, your diet (including lots of herbs) keeps you balanced so you rarely get sick. Herbs are almost never taken individually but rather in complex formulas, traditionally boiled as decoctions (soups). We do not practice medicine here at HFG, but strongly recommend that you find and work with a competent, licensed pracitioner of Oriental medicine.
How do I find a licensed practitioner of Oriental medicine?
Check the database of the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM, 703-548-9004, www.nccaom.org/find.htm), the agency that certifies practitioners. The states are responsible for licensing. See the directory of the Acupuncture Society of New York (ASNY, 914-923-0632, www.asny.org/directory.asp).
How can I learn more about this subject?
HFG emails newsletters two or three times per year. Please send an email to info@highfallsgardens.net to be added to the list. A good introductory book on traditional Chinese medicine is Between Heaven and Earth, by Harriet Beinfield and Efrem Korngold. |
