The Puddingstone School, 2024
Monthly Herbalism Program
* Class full for 2024 *
This year I am introducing my first monthly herbalism program for folks interested in engaging more deeply with the natural world. This course is designed for beginner-intermediate plant people. See syllabus below for topics of study.
While the lens of this program will be through using plants as medicine, it is not necessarily geared solely to people looking to become a capital 'H' Herbalist. This course is for people looking for a tangible and meaningful connection to plants and our local ecosystems. Engaging with plants as medicine provides a lens for looking at the natural world and how we are deeply enmeshed in it.
The program will meet one weekend day once a month, with the exception of one overnight field trip in New Hampshire and one local two day weekend in May. Classes will be held at Waltham Fields Community Farm and at various Boston-area nature spots.
The cost is $800 (a discounted rate compared to future iterations of this class, for those of you brave enough to join me for the inaugural year!). A non-refundable deposit of $400 will secure a spot in the program. Enrollment will be limited to 10-12 people. First come, first served.
If interested, please reach out via the contact page to set up a time for us to talk and see if the program will be a good fit for you and you for it!
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Syllabus
April 20th
• Intro to Herbalism - terms + concepts; what it means to be an herbalist; tools of the trade
• Intro to Botany for Herbalists - Plant ID, Ecology, Wildcrafting
• Expectations for the year and getting to know each other
• Plant Walk; Nettles Harvest
May 11th + 12th
Day 1
• Foundational Herbal Actions - how plants work as medicine in our bodies and how we talk about it; turning concepts into actions
• Tincture Making 101
Day 2
• Herbal First Aid pt. 1- wounds, injuries, and working with pain
• Plant Walk, Rutland Prison Camp; Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide
June 15th
• Herbal First Aid pt. 2 - viral illnesses and other internal infections
• Plant Walk, The Fells; local ecology
July 13th
• Herbs for the Nervous System
• Plant Walk, Blue Hills, local ecology
August 10th + 11th: Field Trip to NH/VT (2 hr drive from Boston)
• Herbs for the Digestive System
• Herbs for Reproductive Health
• Salve Making 101
• Plant Walks and opportunities for wildcrafting
September 21st
• Clinical skills in chronic care—strategies for working with common modern chronic illnesses
• Filling in the gaps
• Plant Walk; Nut/Acorn Harvest
October 27th
• Final Presentations and Class Party!