I am a passionate educator, committed to sharing information with a wide variety of lay and professional audiences, students and individual clients.
In addition to teaching locally, both privately and at a wide number of venues, I’ve offered workshops at regional, national and international herbal symposia. I regularly work with small groups of herbalists, those new to herbs, Master Gardeners as well as environmentalists. I also offer an annual weekend intensive.
My ease as an educator comes with years of experience, as an academic and as a student. As a student, I always appreciated instructors who were able to present material that expanded my mind beyond the printed page, who varied their pace and who engaged me with both their wit and their knowledge. I enjoy learning most when hierarchical models were set aside in favor of collaborative learning. Consciously or unconsciously, I strive for the same when I teach.
Through my commitment to education, I hope to assure access to affordable natural and botanical wellness, while addressing gaps in health justice. I invite you to come and join me.
When it comes to herbs, there seems to be a never ending array of herbal topics that can occupy our minds, from making extractions in water, which we might call infusions, teas or tisanes, to understanding the nature of plants and how they act upon the body. We can explore various ways to offer medicinal herbs, body systems and energetics as well as what happens when we alter growing environments. Opportunities abound. Work with local flora offers many a possibility.
I offer individual and group learning opportunities and I am happy to work with you and/or your group to offer custom educational programs. A sound herbal education embraces a wide range of topics. Currently, much of my educational energies are focused on:
herbs for the home and kitchen and an introductory herbal path
clinical education, ranging from interviewing clients to creating a sustainable practice as an herbalist
dental herbalism or more broadly, herbs for the mouth
maritime herbal medicines used during the Age of Sail
making and taking herbal preparations, including dosing and dispensing.
And, of course, there’s so much to learn from plant walks.
I routinely teach about conditions that affect our health, how to use herbs day to day and planting an herb garden. Of course, there are the plants themselves; what they bring to us, to the environment, the ways they can support our health and, yes, even bring a smile to the mind … and also the heart.
Some people like to learn as part of a group, others individually. Each is possible while learning with me, while exploring opportunities to build a solid foundational knowledge at a comfortable pace.