Herbs and Literature Workshop
Vilma Sierra
Issue date: 5/6/09 Section: Campus and Community
On Thursday, April 23, at 11 a.m. English professor and The Herbs Companion Magazine's second winner with her article, "Beyond Lavender and Echinacca," Gert Coleman conducted her workshop "Herbs in Literature" for the Liberal Arts Festival 2009 in the College Center in room 319.
The room was occupied by 28 students during the entire presentation. The workshop consisted of the importance and resemblance of herbs in the literary world. "Don't get me wrong, [I] love bay trees, but bay's role as a poetic symbol for women's roles in society has long made me uneasy," said Coleman. She also mentioned famous literary works that mentioned different herbs. "Shakespeare quoted and provided the famous definition of the herb rosemary in his novel 'Hamlet,'" said Coleman.
She not only explained the role of herbs in literature, but she also taught and demonstrated different types of herbs and their benefits. Coleman explained how Americans have the most stressful lives and that most of their headaches are caused by stress, according to doctors.
"I remember suffering from a severe headache and I did take some pills, but they didn't cure my headache. My last desperate option was to rub a leaf of rosemary through my head and my headache was gone," said Coleman.
Meanwhile, she explained the importance of chamomile tea and lavender and their components that promote relaxation and restful sleep for those horrible and difficult times. The smell of lavender filled the room and each student had the opportunity to refresh themselves with her homemade lavender scent. Coleman's presentation also consisted of an exhibit of plants and herbs that were available for the students to observe, smell and touch.
She also gave each student a small bag of bay leaves and each bag was labeled with the instructions of how to use the bay leaf at home.
The room was occupied by 28 students during the entire presentation. The workshop consisted of the importance and resemblance of herbs in the literary world. "Don't get me wrong, [I] love bay trees, but bay's role as a poetic symbol for women's roles in society has long made me uneasy," said Coleman. She also mentioned famous literary works that mentioned different herbs. "Shakespeare quoted and provided the famous definition of the herb rosemary in his novel 'Hamlet,'" said Coleman.
She not only explained the role of herbs in literature, but she also taught and demonstrated different types of herbs and their benefits. Coleman explained how Americans have the most stressful lives and that most of their headaches are caused by stress, according to doctors.
"I remember suffering from a severe headache and I did take some pills, but they didn't cure my headache. My last desperate option was to rub a leaf of rosemary through my head and my headache was gone," said Coleman.
Meanwhile, she explained the importance of chamomile tea and lavender and their components that promote relaxation and restful sleep for those horrible and difficult times. The smell of lavender filled the room and each student had the opportunity to refresh themselves with her homemade lavender scent. Coleman's presentation also consisted of an exhibit of plants and herbs that were available for the students to observe, smell and touch.
She also gave each student a small bag of bay leaves and each bag was labeled with the instructions of how to use the bay leaf at home.
Be the first to comment on this story