Two Elderberry Wisdom Farm staff were invited to travel to Columbia, Missouri in June to meet with University of Missouri faculty, Isa Kupke, PhD and Dr. Chung-Ho Lin, PhD at UM Center for Agroforestry. Our newest staff member, Naturopathic Doctor and Certified Herbalist, Aaronda Mayo (Eastern Band Cherokee) traveled with Rose High Bear, EWF’s Founding Director to consult with our partners and attend the annual Comprehensive Elderberry Workshop as a guest of UM’s Center for Agroforestry Program.
UMCA was established in 1998 and is one of the world's premier agroforestry programs. Our new partners have offered to help us strengthen social and economic development support to our community by providing assistance to the Native-owned microenterprise, Blue Elderberry Farm LLC. This microenterprise was created to serve as a business model for EWF’s emerging indigenous business owners and operators who are forming their own businesses.
Rose gave a presentation during the pre-conference, introducing the Native American nonprofit, Elderberry Wisdom Farm. We agreed that our new partnership will provide advanced research and development on the health properties of herbal products developed at Blue Elderberry Farm LLC. UMCA has offered the use of their microbiology lab to test our Blue Elderberry products to determine the bioactive compounds found in Blue Elderberry. Although it is widely known for its antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antitumor properties, very little research has been conducted on this species Native to Oregon. We are committed to working with tribal and naturopathic clinics to find products needed to resolve health issues, including immune systems and skin disorders. We are still restoring the soil at our Marion County farm, so they are also analyzing the soil samples from our Blue Elderberry patch in their soil diagnostic lab. The results will be analyzed and used to determine soil health and restore its biodiversity. You can watch for updates in future newsletters.