MPWG has an automated e-mail list that serves to promote native medicinal plant discussion. You must be subscribed to the list in order to "post," or send a message out to all the subscribers. Anyone is allowed to subscribe to the group. If you know of someone else who would be interested, feel free to tell them about the list. There is also a main list for general Plant Conservation Alliance announcements and discussions (click here for more information) and lists for the Alien Plant Working Group (click here for more information) and the Restoration Working Group (click here for more information).

The Medicinal Plant Working Group (MPWG) list is open to any individual with an interest in the sustainable use and conservation of medicinal plants - especially for plant species native to North America. Our membership is drawn from throughout the United States (from Washington State to Washington, D.C.) and abroad (Canada, India, New Zealand and the Philippines, to name a few). Contributors come from a variety of backgrounds (e.g. practitioners, foresters, journalists) and institutions (universities, industry, government, botanic gardens, et al.). The strength of our list is its ability to provide our diverse membership with a forum for information sharing and spontaneous discussion.

Posting guidelines:

• Cover appropriate subject matter. E-mails should pertain to topics related to the sustainable use and conservation of medicinal plants. This is not a venue for discussing specific remedies or treatments.
• Use the list as a networking tool. Members are encouraged to use this list to make initial contacts with people on any variety of medicinal plant issues. However, if it does not pertain specifically to the sustainable use and conservation of the plant, continued conversations should be conducted using personal e-mail addresses.
• Autoreply function. The list is configured so that "autoreply" will send your message back to the sender. Before posting responses back to the entire list, ask yourself, "Is my message of general interest?" If yes, copy and paste the list address to share with the whole group. Personal messages should be sent directly to the intended recipient.
• Be mindful of your message. Each member brings a unique perspective to the table and there will be differences of opinion. This list supports constructive discussion with respect to these differences. There is a fine line between constructive and destructive discussion and members are requested to be mindful of this when posting to the list.
• Remember the venue. In an effort to foster open communication, our list is not moderated. Members are asked to monitor their own postings before pushing the send button. Remember, most of us have never met each other; we do not know each other's sense of humor; and, we do not know when another person is being sarcastic. Please remember that what you write may be misconstrued by others.
• Post using appropriate language. Accusatory or inflammatory language is not consistent with the free and open exchange of ideas that MPWG was formed to promote. Offensive e-mails will result in a personal warning to the offending listserve member(s). Continued abuse of the posting guidelines will result in removal from the list.
• Do not attach large-sized files. Please be mindful of list members who are on slower dial-up connections and avoid attaching large documents to your posts. Documents that are up to around 200k in size are fine. If you have a large document for distribution, ask that interested parties reply to your message to request it.
• If you have any suggestions, complaints or questions regarding the list, please contact the MPWG Chairperson directly at: Patricia_DeAngelis@fws.gov.

How to subscribe to the list:

Send an e-mail to mpwg-request@lists.plantconservation.org with the following information in the body of the message (not the subject):

SUBSCRIBE

You will then receive an e-mail that you will need to reply to in order to confirm your subscription. After you confirm your subscription, another e-mail will be sent with instructions on how to use the list.

Compose the title and body of your message like usual and send it to mpwg@lists.plantconservation.org (the list address).  The  message will be redistributed to all subscribers as a bcc (blind carbon copy).  Please remember to limit the subject matter of your post to things that pertain to native medicinal plants and their conservation.

Send an e-mail from the address that you originally used to subscribe to the list to mpwg-request@lists.plantconservation.org with the following information in the body of the message (not the subject):

UNSUBSCRIBE

You will then receive an e-mail confirmation of your removal from the list.

Note: This should be done from the address with which you subscribed.

How to view the list archives:

Go to http://lists.plantconservation.org/pipermail/mpwg_lists.plantconservation.org/ to see older list messages.