Mānoa Heritage Center

Community herbalist Nicki Garces is back to share a special workshop focusing on Filipino plant medicine that supports the digestive system.

 

The Philippines has the longest Christmas celebration in the world, starting from September 1st and ending on Three Kings Day in early January. With any celebration—and especially during this time—food is always abundant. In this workshop, we will cover common herbs and plants used by Filipino families to help and support the digestive system. We will also learn about suka and Filipino pickling practices where we will make atchara, a green papaya and suka condiment often given as gifts during the Christmas season and is a known digestive aid.   

 

Nicki Garces is a community herbalist specializing in Filipino plant medicine. Her first teacher is her mother, an Ilokana immigrant from the Philippines. She continued her studies under Angela Angel of California. Due to the local Filipino community’s request, Nicki began teaching traditional Filipino plant medicine in 2021. She is also a Reiki master and recently graduated and was ordained as a hilot binabaylan (a traditional Filipino healer) through Hilot Academy of Binabaylan based in Bulacan, Philippines. Her day job is an information management professional for a philanthropic foundation. Nicki can be reached through her Instagram account @nanangmichaela.