How to make lavender wands from fresh lavender

Lavender lovers came from near and far for the 7th annual ACHS Lavender Open House held at the College campus in SW Portland on July 17. Participants were treated to a series of lavender-themed workshops that ranged from the practical to the scientific, including making natural lavender products to differentiating lavender varieties.

As the culmination of the workshop activities, participants headed into the ACHS Botanical Teaching Garden to harvest their own lavender Lavandula angustifolia for drying and making into lavender wands.

Look for a video of the day's events on ACHStv, the ACHS YouTube channel, soon.

In the meantime, here is some information about making your own lavender wands. If you live in the Portland area, harvest your own fresh lavender at the ACHS campus Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-5:30 pm. If you're not in Portland, Oregon, find a U-Pick in your area at pickyourown.org.

Materials Needed

• 13 stems of fresh lavender (or any odd number larger than 13)--each at least 12-inches tall.
• 3 yards of satin or other ribbon, ¼-inches wide.
• Patience... allow yourself about 40 minutes to do your first wand. Be very forgiving of yourself... like all skills, this one improves with practice.

Directions
1. Strip all the leaves from the stem. The suppleness of the stem is important to the success of wand making. Harvest the lavender early in the day, and make sure that the flowers are not damp.

2. Line up the bottom of the flower heads and tie them gently together with the end of the 3 yards of ribbon.

3. Turn the bundle upside down and gently bend each stem down around the blossom heads. You can facilitate this step by scoring the underside of the stem section that is being bent with your fingernail. When all of the blossoms are “in the cage of stems”, the long end of the ribbon should be pulled out of the cage, the short end tucked inside.

4. Line up all of the stems evenly around the blossoms, making sure that they do not overlap.

5. Start to weave the ribbon under and over the stems. Gently pull on the ribbon to make sure the weave is tight. The most difficult part of this process is in the first two rows of the weaving. On the second row you should be going under the stems that you had gone over on the first row.

6. Continue weaving until you have covered all the flowers. You can use a stem of lavender to push any buds that stick out back into the weave or rub them off. Wrap the ribbon around the “neck” of the wand and tie a slip knot.

7. Trim the stems to the same length and continue to wrap the stems until you reach the end. Use a rubber band to secure the ribbon to the end of the stem. After the stem has dried and shrunk, you can rewrap the ribbon and glue the ends.

>> To learn more about lavender, or herbal medicine or aromatherapy classes, visit the American College of Healthcare Sciences website.

How to make lavender wands from fresh lavender

Lavender lovers came from near and far for the 7th annual ACHS Lavender Open House held at the College campus in SW Portland on July 17. Participants were treated to a series of lavender-themed workshops that ranged from the practical to the scientific, including making natural lavender products to differentiating lavender varieties.

As the culmination of the workshop activities, participants headed into the ACHS Botanical Teaching Garden to harvest their own lavender Lavandula angustifolia for drying and making into lavender wands.

Look for a video of the day's events on ACHStv, the ACHS YouTube channel, soon.

In the meantime, here is some information about making your own lavender wands. If you live in the Portland area, harvest your own fresh lavender at the ACHS campus Monday-Friday, 8:30 am-5:30 pm. If you're not in Portland, Oregon, find a U-Pick in your area at pickyourown.org.

Materials Needed

• 13 stems of fresh lavender (or any odd number larger than 13)--each at least 12-inches tall.
• 3 yards of satin or other ribbon, ¼-inches wide.
• Patience... allow yourself about 40 minutes to do your first wand. Be very forgiving of yourself... like all skills, this one improves with practice.

Directions
1. Strip all the leaves from the stem. The suppleness of the stem is important to the success of wand making. Harvest the lavender early in the day, and make sure that the flowers are not damp.

2. Line up the bottom of the flower heads and tie them gently together with the end of the 3 yards of ribbon.

3. Turn the bundle upside down and gently bend each stem down around the blossom heads. You can facilitate this step by scoring the underside of the stem section that is being bent with your fingernail. When all of the blossoms are “in the cage of stems”, the long end of the ribbon should be pulled out of the cage, the short end tucked inside.

4. Line up all of the stems evenly around the blossoms, making sure that they do not overlap.

5. Start to weave the ribbon under and over the stems. Gently pull on the ribbon to make sure the weave is tight. The most difficult part of this process is in the first two rows of the weaving. On the second row you should be going under the stems that you had gone over on the first row.

6. Continue weaving until you have covered all the flowers. You can use a stem of lavender to push any buds that stick out back into the weave or rub them off. Wrap the ribbon around the “neck” of the wand and tie a slip knot.

7. Trim the stems to the same length and continue to wrap the stems until you reach the end. Use a rubber band to secure the ribbon to the end of the stem. After the stem has dried and shrunk, you can rewrap the ribbon and glue the ends.

>> To learn more about lavender, or herbal medicine or aromatherapy classes, visit the American College of Healthcare Sciences website.

American College announces hire of Dr. Arianna Staruch, ND, as Academic Dean

Portland, OR—July 15, 2009—American College of Healthcare Sciences has hired Dr. Arianna Staruch, ND, to serve as Academic Dean effective July 1, 2009. Dr. Staruch will oversee all aspects of the College’s educational programs and new course and program development to better meet the growing demand for accredited, online holistic health education.

The development of this new position marks a period of expansion for ACHS, and follows the College’s official name change from the Australasian College of Health Sciences to the American College of Healthcare Sciences on May 1, 2009. This transition from Australasian to American College celebrates the College’s 20th anniversary of operations in the United States and better represents the College’s long-term goals as an Institute of Higher Learning in the U.S.

Dr. Staruch, who started her work in medical research in 1978, will work with College President Dorene Petersen and Vice President Erika Yigzaw to expanded course offerings, including a Bachelors of Science with a major in Complementary Alternative Medicine expected to launch fall 2009 and several career-training and graduate certificate programs. “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Staruch to this new position,” says Dorene Petersen. “Dr. Staruch is a terrific addition to help ACHS move forward with expanding holistic health course offerings that will provide our students with the opportunity to have meaningful, healthy careers and lifestyles.”

Dr. Staruch has more than 30 years’ experience in the healthcare field. Before graduating from the National College of Natural Medicine in 1997, Dr. Staruch worked in medical research for both the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Cornell University Medical College. As a licensed naturopathic physician, Dr. Staruch has maintained a naturopathic practice in Oregon focused on women’s health and allergies, and has been a member of ACHS faculty for more than six years.

American College of Healthcare Sciences is the only accredited, fully online college offering degrees, diplomas, and career-training certificates in complementary alternative medicine. Founded in 1978, ACHS is committed to exceptional online education and is recognized as an industry leader in holistic health education worldwide. For more information about ACHS programs and community wellness events, visit www.achs.edu, call (503) 244-0726, or stop by the College campus located at 5940 SW Hood Ave., Portland OR 97239.

Who are ACHS students?

Jennifer Exum is a student in the Diploma of Holistic Health Practice at ACHS. After completing her education, Jennifer wants to own and operate a wellness clinic. To help facilitate her goal, in addition to Jennifer's ACHS training, she is also working toward a Certificate of Proficiency in Business Management at a local community college, which will teach her how to plan, build, and maintain a successful small business.

Jennifer's primary area of interest is the prevention and management of disease through wellness protocols. During the course of her program with ACHS, she will study holistic nutrition, anatomy and physiology, and holistic pathology and protocols, to name a few.

To learn more about the accredited Diploma of Holistic Health Practice from ACHS, go to www.achs.edu and click on Holistic Medicine.

Jennifer is pictured above with ACHS President Dorene Petersen in the ACHS Botanical Teaching Garden.