Health fair has a twist of green.

Byline: Tim Christie The Register-Guard

River Kennedy doesn't just sell herbal supplements - she lives them.

Kennedy, owner of Terra Firma Botanicals in Eugene, has had multiple sclerosis for eight years. It's a confounding disease of the nervous system that has left Kennedy in a wheelchair.

Kennedy said she treats her MS with herbal and nutritional supplements and avoids conventional medications.

"I have a neurologist," she said. "I choose not to take her advice a lot of the time."

Kennedy is one of the featured speakers at this weekend's seventh annual Health & Well-Being Celebration in downtown Eugene. The event, which runs Saturday and Sunday, is free and for the first time takes place at the same time as the Eugene Celebration.

In a new twist, the event will dedicate a day to herbal medicine. The Green Medicine Herbal Conference takes place Sunday in the Atrium Building.

"We have such a plethora of very, very talented herbalists in Eugene, it seems like a good thing to do this year," said event coordinator Peter LeSueur.

"This is an alternative town," Kennedy said. "More people are open-minded about using herbs for things."

As herbs and supplements enter the mainstream, big companies are trying to cash in, said herbalist Sherri Brown, but people can grow their own herbs and turn to local herbalists for advice and help.

"There's a lot of grass-roots movement in Eugene to keep herbalists on a home-type scale," she said.

An herbalist is someone who uses plants and preparations made from whole plants as a primary way of health care, Brown said.

Herbalists generally learn from other herbalists. They aren't licensed in the United States, Brown said, but rather are "more regulated by the community."

"When someone has had enough training and the community considers them an herbalist, then they are," she said.

"One of the best qualities of an herbalist would be knowing their limits and know when something is above the level they're able to do," she said.

Brown sees herbal medicine as a complement to conventional medicine, not an alternative. She said herbal medicine is a mixture of science and folklore.

During her workshop, Brown will talk about water as medicine and water as a medium for herbal concoctions, from flower water and various herbal infusions to moon water.

Moon water is tea made in a glass bowl set on a mirror laden with herbs. It's left outside overnight when the moon is out.

Moonlight reflects off the mirror and the tea is "infused with the energy of the moon," she said.

The tea is used for mood enhancement and is one example of using water for spiritual and energetic purposes, she said.

"My suspicion is if the water was tested, scientists would probably not find a difference in the constituents of the water because it's an immeasurable quality that goes into the water," she said.

Kennedy's talk will be on herbal aphrodisiacs - which herbs help increase the libido for both men and women, which herbs can help men with their sexual function. She'll also share sensual recipes. The herbs range from exotics such as damiana and kava kava to those found in most kitchen cupboards, such as cinnamon and vanilla.

"The general gist of it is for people to have more fun sexually," she said. "Even if you're having no problems in that department, you can still enhance it."

HEALTH & WELL-BEING CELEBRATION

The seventh annual Health & Well-Being Celebration takes place this weekend in downtown Eugene. Booths offering health products and services will line Broadway between Olive and Charnelton.

Entertainment, classes and workshops: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday in the Atrium Building, 10th and Olive. Entertainment includes dancing, tai chi, East Indian music, chants for world peace and belly dancing. Classes and workshops include prophecies, rolfing and visceral manipulation, essential oils, yoga and healing touch.

Green Medicine Herbal Conference: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in the Atrium. Topics include herbal infant care, protecting your immunity, spiritual properties of herbs, herbal aphrodisiacs, water as medicine and medicine in your kitchen.

Information: 461-8052 or [e-mail]