Even though Herbstalk isn't until June there are still many opportunities to learn about herbalism throughout the beautiful spring months. We've compiled a list of upcoming workshops happening around the Boston area, offered by our Herbstalk partners. We hope you can join in a few!

​Online Herbal Medicine Making Course
ongoing
The Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine
www.chestnutherbs.com

The Art of Home Herbalism Online
begins March 29
with Brittany Wood Nickerson of Thyme Herbal
http://www.thymeherbal.com

Spring Foods & Tonics
March 31, 6:00 - 7:30pm
The Kitchen, Boston Public Market
with Steph Zabel
http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do

Hand Reading as a Tool of Diagnosis
Sundays, April 3, 17, May 1, May 7, 1:00-4:00  p.m. 
Boston School of Herbal Studies, Arlington
with Linda Patterson
www.bostonherbalstudies.com

Spring Cleaning for a Healthy Home
April 6
CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism
commonwealthherbs.com

Fertility Awareness Method: A Natural Approach to Fertility
with Krystina Friedlander
April 7, 6:30-9:30pm
Boston School of Herbal Studies, Arlington
www.bostonherbalstudies.com

Shamanic Plant Journeying  
April 12, 6:30-9:30 p.m. 
4 Minebrook Rd., Lincoln, MA    
with Tommy Priester
www.bearmedicineherbs.com      

Herbs for Everyday Living: Spring Session
6 Weeks: April 13, 20, 27, May 4, 11, 18
Somerville, MA
with Steph Zabel
http://www.flowerfolkherbs.com

Herbal First Aid: Managing Pain
April 13
CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism
commonwealthherbs.com

Herbal Free Clinic
April 17
CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism
with Katja Swift and Ryn Midura
commonwealthherbs.com

Planting an Herbal Garden
with Natalie De Normandie
April 30, 1-4pm
Boston School of Herbal Studies
45 Trapelo Road, Lincoln
www.bostonherbalstudies.com

Making Herbal Elixirs
May 4
CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism
commonwealthherbs.com

Herbal Psychological First Aid
May 11
CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism
commonwealthherbs.com

The Art of Home Herbalism Practicum 
begins in May
with Brittany Nickerson of Thyme Herbal
http://www.thymeherbal.com

Herbal Apprenticeship Program
begins May 28
Boston School of Herbal Studies
www.bostonherbalstudies.com

To help you continue your herbal education throughout the next few months we've compiled a list of upcoming herb classes being offered by our Herbstalk teachers over the fall months. 

And what a list it is! Here you go...

Lyme Disease Practitioner Training
Sept. 9, Sept. 23, Oct. 7, Oct. 22, Nov. 4, Nov. 19; 6:30-9:30pm
4 Minebrook Rd. Lincoln, MA
MORE INFO 

From the Roots Up: A Course in Bioregional Herbalism
Fall Session: Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 1
Amherst/Northampton, MA Area
MORE INFO 

Back to School: Herbal Support for Memory and Focus
September 14th 2015
Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 252 Main St. Montpelier, VT
MORE INFO

Everyday Immunity with Herbs
September 16: 6:30 - 8pm
Davis Square, Somerville, MA
MORE INFO

Herbs for Pregnancy and Birthworkers
Wednesday, September 16th - 7:00pm
CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism
MORE INFO

Awakening the Spiritual Heart Intensive
Sept. 16, Oct. 14, Nov. 11, Dec. 2 
4 StonyBrook Rd., Arlington, MA
MORE INFO

Fall Wild Herb Day
Sept. 20, 3:00-7:00 p.m.
Littleton, MA (address provided upon registration)
MORE INFO 

Herbs for Pets
Wednesday, September 23rd - 7:00pm
CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism
MORE INFO

Book Signing/Reading:The Yin and Yang of Climate Crisis
September 23, 7PM 
Phoenix Books, Burlington, VT
MORE INFO 

Plant Walk and Herbal Tincturing Workshop
Sept. 24, 9:45-12:00
Littleton Community Farm
MORE INFO

Aromatherapy Certification Course
Sept. 26, Oct. 3, Nov. 7, Dec. 5; 10am-5pm
12 Pelham Terr., Arlington, MA
MORE INFO

Botanical Modulators for Female Endocrine Stress Relating to Infertility, Mood Disorder, and the Menopausal Transition
September 26th 9 am – 1 pm
Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 252 Main St. Montpelier, VT
MORE INFO

Kimchi and Variations
Sept. 29, 2:30-4:45
Free demonstration at the Farmers' Market in Westford, MA
MORE INFO

Herbal and Nourishing Broths
Wednesday, September 30th - 7:00pm
CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism
MORE INFO

Herbstalk Gardens' Harvest Gathering
October 4; 2 - 4pm
Southwest Corridor Garden, Jamaica Plain, MA
MORE INFO coming soon!

Creating Teas from Medicinal Herbs
Oct. 5; 1 - 3pm
Wellesley Botanic Gardens, Wellesley, MA
MORE INFO

Herbs for Everyday Living: Fall Series
Oct. 7, Oct. 14, Oct. 21, Oct. 28, Nov. 4; 6 - 8pm
The Armory, Somerville, MA
MORE INFO

Herbal Support for the Post Partum Mom
October 7th 2015 6-8 pm
Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 252 Main St. Montpelier, VT
MORE INFO

10 Days of Real Food: A Clean Eating Group Program
October 13th - October 22nd
Online
MORE INFO

Book Signing/Reading:The Yin and Yang of Climate Crisis
October 14, 6PM
Shelburne Farm, Shelburne, VT
MORE INFO

Making Your Own Herbal Bitters & Cordials
Oct 17th, 12-2:30pm
Greenfield, MA
MORE INFO

Herbal Gifts
Oct. 22; 7 - 8:30pm
Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Wellesley, MA
MORE INFO

Intro to Herbal Infusions: Teas, Tinctures, Oils, Wines, and Syrups
October 21st 2015 6-8 pm
Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 252 Main St. Montpelier, VT
MORE INFO

Herbal Gifts
Oct. 22; 7 - 8:30pm
Stevens-Coolidge Place, Andover, MA
MORE INFO

Talk on "Internal Climate Change" 
October 23, 4PM
Connecting for Change/Bioneers Conference, New Bedford, MA
MORE INFO 

Poses & Plants: A Yoga & Herbal Workshop
October 24
Coolidge Corner Yoga, Brookline, MA
MORE INFO

Stayin’ Juicy: DIY Herbal Lubes for Health and Happiness
Wednesday, October 28th 2015 6-8 pm
Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 252 Main St. Montpelier, VT
MORE INFO
 
Tammi Sweet: Stress, Relaxation, and the Heart
Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, 2015
CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism
MORE INFO

Quit Smoking with Herbs! 
Wednesday, November 4th 2015 6-8 pm
Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 252 Main St. Montpelier, VT
MORE INFO

Herbal Cordials and Wines
Nov. 5; 7 - 8:30pm
Mass. Hot Society, Wellesley, MA
MORE INFO
 
Herbal Ecology; Landscape As a Key to a Plant’s Character
November 5, 6:30-9:30 p.m. $25 (Webinar)
12 Pelham Terrace, Arlington, MA
MORE INFO

Herbs for City Dwellers: The WELL Summit
November 6-7
Boston, MA
MORE INFO

Herbs for Children and Picky Eaters
Monday, November 9th 2015 6-8 pm
Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 252 Main St. Montpelier, VT
MORE INFO
 
Herbal Approaches to Autoimmune Disorders
November 10th, 6:30-8pm
Northampton, MA
MORE INFO

Fun With Ferments: Learn The Basics of Lacto Fermentation
Wednesday, November 11th 2015 6-8 pm
Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 252 Main St. Montpelier, VT
MORE INFO

Mushrooms, Roots and Berries: ​Immune ­Stimulating Remedies for Winter
Monday, November 16th 2015 6-8 pm
Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 252 Main St. Montpelier, VT
MORE INFO

Wintergreen Holiday Herbal Market!
Nov. 28; 11am - 5pm
The Armory, Somerville, MA
MORE INFO

Herbed Up! Winter Wellness from the Kitchen
Monday, November 30th 2015 6-8 pm
Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, 252 Main St. Montpelier, VT
MORE INFO

We hope that the knowledge, inspiration and connections you made at last month's Herbstalk will keep you going strong throughout the summer months. Summer is one of the best times to keep learning about herbs while all the plants are blooming and flourishing. So get out there and harvest your herbs, learn how to identify new plants, or just enjoy all the botanical beauty!

To help you continue your herbal education throughout the next few months we've compiled a list of upcoming herb classes being offered by our Herbstalk teachers in July and August. Read on for the full details...

Permaculture for Herbalists
Wednesday, July 8th, 7-9pm
CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism
http://commonwealthherbs.com/permaculture-for-herbalists/  

Somerville Street Plants
Thursday, July 9th, 6:00 - 7:30pm
Somerville Bike Path, Davis Square
http://www.flowerfolkherbs.com/classes--events.html

Herbs for Everyday Living: A 6 Week Introductory Course / Session 1
Mondays, July 13th - August 17th, 6:00 - 8:00pm
The Armory, Somerville
http://www.flowerfolkherbs.com/herbs-for-everyday-living-series.html

Herbs for Everyday Living: A 6 Week Introductory Course / Session 2
Wednesdays, July 15th - August 19th, 6:00 - 8:00pm
Union Square, Somerville
http://www.flowerfolkherbs.com/herbs-for-everyday-living-series.html

Hall's Pond Herb Walk
Wednesday, July 15 5:30-6:30pm
Hall's Pond, Brookline
http://commonwealthherbs.com/halls-pond-herb-walk-brookline/

Practical Herbs for Diabetes
Wednesday, July 15th, 7-9pm
CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism
http://commonwealthherbs.com/herbal-remedies-for-diabetes-class/

Herbal Infusions
July 16th, 7:00 - 8:30pm
Massachusetts Horticultural Society, Wellesley
Details here

Adapt to Stress Using Herbs
July 18th, 10am - 12noon
City Natives, Mattapan, MA
http://www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/greater-boston/event-1882.html

The Art of Formulation & Infused Honeys & Syrups
July 18th
Old Ways Herbal, South Newfane, VT
oldwaysherbal.com
 
Four Season Tree Identification
July 19th, 1-4pm
Old Ways Herbal, South Newfane, VT
oldwaysherbal.com

From the Roots Up: Bioregional Herbalism Series
Summer Session: July 19th & Aug 9th
Amherst/Northampton, MA
www.milkandhoneyherbs.com

Wild Herb Week 1
July 20-23rd, M-Th. 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Littleton, MA (exact address provided on registration)
http://meridiansofhealth.net/wild-herb-week/  

Medicinal Plant Walk
July 21st
Lincoln, MA
http://bostonherbalstudies.com/bostonherbalstudies.com/Classes.html

Make An Herbal First Aid Kit
Wedneday, July 22nd, 7-9pm
CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism
http://commonwealthherbs.com/make-an-herbal-first-aid-kit/
 
Medicinal Herbs in the Vegetable Garden Intensive
August 1st, 10-4pm
Old Ways Herbal, South Newfane, VT
oldwaysherbal.com

Herbs for Health: A Garden Tour
August 15th, 4:00 - 5:30pm
The Stevens-Coolidge Place, North Andover
http://www.flowerfolkherbs.com/classes--events.html

Medicinal Oils & Salves (Home Medicine Maker Course)
August 15th, 11-3pm
Old Ways Herbal, South Newfane, VT
oldwaysherbal.com

Wild Herb Week 2
August 17-20th, M-Th. 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Littleton, MA  (exact address provided on registration)
http://meridiansofhealth.net/wild-herb-week/

Mint Family Plant Walk
August 27th, 6-7:30pm
Northampton, MA
www.milkandhoneyherbs.com

Although we are not yet to full autumn many of us are mentally and physically preparing for the changes that this transitional time of year brings. You may be returning back to school or changing up your routine in some way. For those of us who are herbalists, it is a time to store away and preserve the summer’s harvest of fresh herbs, and to say goodbye to the plants until next season. Now is also an especially wonderful time to harvest roots, tidy up your home apothecary, stock up on immune-supporting herbs, and in general, take some time to learn and expand your herbal knowledge.

Summer is one of the best times to keep learning about herbs since everything is blooming and flourishing. So get out there and harvest your herbs, learn how to identify new plants, or just enjoy all the botanical beauty!

To help you continue your herbal education throughout these summer months we’ve compiled a list of upcoming herb classes being offered by Herbstalk teachers in July and August. Read on for the full details:

In MASSACHUSETTS:

Herbs for Everyday Living
with Steph Zabel
starts July 30th: a 6 week series
Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA
Details HERE

Herbal Medicine as First Aid
with Katja Swift & Ryn Midura
Wednesday, July 9th, 2014
CommonWealth Center for Herbal Medicine, Brookline
Details HERE

An Introduction to Flower Essences
with Katja Swift & Ryn Midura
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014
CommonWealth Center for Herbal Medicine, Brookline
Details HERE


Wild Foods
with Brittany Wood Nickerson
Tuesday July 15, 22 & August 5, 12
Greenfield Community College, Greenfield MA
Details HERE


Urban Herbal Dog Walks on the Bike Path
with Nancy Anderson
July 26, Aug. 23, Sept. 27
Entrance to the Bike Path in Davis Sq., Somerville
Details HERE

Herbal Fermentation
with Gavin McCarthy
August 6th
Commonwealth Center for Herbal Medicine, Brookline
Details HERE

Flower Essence Making Workshop 
with Linda Patterson
August 10th
Harwich, MA
Details HERE

Tuesday Night Dinners: Summer Cooking Class
with Zoe Keller
July 15
Beacon Hill, Boston, MA
Details HERE

Formulating for Clients: Creating Constitutionally Balanced Tinctures & Teas
with Margi Flint
August 30 – 31
Marblehead, MA
Details HERE

In MAINE:

Ancient Art of Facial Diagnosis
with Melanie Flach
June 19th
Rockport, ME
Details HERE

Spiritual Bathing
with Melanie Flach
August 9
Rockport, ME
Details HERE

by Jenn Falk

“The entire Universe is concentrated in the garden. The garden allows us to become one with nature. And when we meditate we cannot separate ourselves from nature.”

I took this quote from a snippet that I saw in a little docu-piece online about Japanese gardens. Isn’t it lovely? It’s the essence of what Pepperand I will be getting at when we teach our special Yoga/Herbal-infused/Mindfulness class this year at Herbstalk! I’m super grateful to my dear friend, Steph, for welcoming us as the first ever yoga class to be taught at this event.

In reality what this class offers is a meditation on friendship. You see, once you start a mindfulness practice such as yoga or meditation, your lifestyle changes. It’s inevitable. We learn to become better friends with ourselves, and with other creatures and life on this planet. This can manifest in a variety of different ways. One amazing friendship that can be forged on this path of inner growth is each and every one of our relationships with plant life. You might begin to take in your surroundings more, noticing the changing seasons and with that the types, colors, and energy of plants around you. You might start to crave owning more houseplants and then truly pay attention to them. You might attract more friends who are gardeners, herbalists, nature explorers. What you put on or in your body changes as you put more reverence into the idea that we are a part of nature. I see it happen all the time! It’s a lovely thing to witness happen to friends and family who begin dedicating time to their yoga/mindfulness practice. We begin to transform our lifestyles and welcome the healing and open energy that can come from nature.

This is why Herbstalk is such an amazing creation for those of us here in an urban environment. We are able to learn from some of the best in their field about how to engage closer with the plant world. There will be all varieties of classes, teachers, and business owners to take it in from. Everything from learning how specific herbs can support your nervous system, to how plants can aid in your spiritual process, to creating and sustaining an herbal/natural beauty routine.

For me, discovering and staying open to the magic of plants and herbs has always been a feminine and spiritual experience. As teenagers, Steph and I would head out into the parks, climb trees, create our own rituals in our backyards…and this created healing that allowed us to forge a deep friendship — one that still remains my oldest and dearest to this day. I believe the fact that our friendship is still going strong is due to this weaving of our spirits with how we take care of ourselves through our belief in and our love for the natural world. What occurs when you pay attention to your own day-to-day mindfulness or healing process is a respect for and honoring of our own bodies, and thus with nature. You don’t have to become a plant expert/healer/herbalist extraordinaire, or a yoga teacher/wellness practitioner to reap these benefits or learn more.

All you have to do is stay willing to open up your senses. Possibly watch the lunar cycles, and enjoy each season. Try and see where your interests in plant-life comes out! It could be in consuming tea, using herbal tinctures or elixirs to boost your system in some way, planting a garden plot, or even just taking trips to local gardens for enjoyment. The options are endless in how slowing down through mindfulness and yoga can connect you deeper into what surrounds us via plant wisdom and medicine.

Pepper and I met this past year in Elena Brower’s Art of Attention teacher training, and immediately hit it off through (what else) learning about our love for plants/herbs/the natural world! Our class for Herbstalk will go deeper into this idea of weaving together how we discover wellness with our relationship to plant life. The 2-hour class will involve: meditation, some kundalini kriya, some yin postures, hatha flow, prolonged restorative shapes, sampling herbal elixir, flower essences, aromatherapy, and short discussion.

It is on Sunday morning, June 8th at 9:00am at Herbstalk at the Somerville Armory on Highland Ave.

We look forward to seeing you there!

“The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.”
-Hanna Rion

Submitted by Adam Stark.

Without further introduction, here’s the list (in alphabetical order by author last name)

• The Botanical Safety Handbook, 2nd edition by Zoe Gardner & Michael McGuffin, editors.  (Please note: I specified second edition!) The Expert Advisory council on this book is a who’s-who of American medical herbalism.  The scholarship is meticulous, drawing from deep wells of traditional understanding, clinical experience, biochemistry, and the formal scientific literature.  This is over 1,000 pages of solid BOOK, 15 years in the making.

• Out of the Earth by Simon Mills.  Out of print now, with the remaining copies getting up there in price.  This is my favorite book to start to delve into energetic concepts like the Five Elements, how taste effects physiology, expansive/contractive properties, and constitutional typing – at least to “scientific” Westerners like me.  For an overview of herbal conceptual framework, I cannot think of a better book.

• Plant Medicine in Practice: Using the Teachings of John Bastyr by Bill Mitchell.  A great materia medica from a great man, passing on to us conversationally what he learned from another great man that came before him.

• Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West by Michael Moore.  You gotta love Michael Moore.  I never met the man, but he’s always hulking around in the photos I see of him behind his giant, bushy beard like a giant, grumpy Santa Claus (he was 6’4”, and big-boned), cigarette in mouth, not a trace of smile on his lips.  He was also one of our finest herbalists.  And, I would argue, our very finest herbal writer.  This is the man who once defined borborygmus (in writing!) “the feeling of gerbils in wetsuits surfing goofy-foot across your transverse colon.”

• The Natural Pregnancy Book/Naturally Healthy Babies and Childrenby Aviva Romm.  If you want to bring herbs into someone’s home and someone’s heart, to start them on this path for life, start them with these two books.  Written in supple, confident prose, these books are as accessible as they are impressive.  These days, Aviva has an “M.D.” after her name, but her allegiance and heart is, and always will be, with the plants.  Aviva trained as a midwife, and was a founding member and president of the American Herbalists Guild.

• Herbal Vade Mecum by Gazmend Skenderi.  Skenderi is not a practitioner, but a scholar and consultant in natural products.  Vade Mecum is Latin for “go-with-me (book).”  This volume isn’t a textbook.  It won’t teach you everything you need to know.  But it packs 800 herbs into 450 pages.

• Adaptogens by David Winston and Steven Maimes.  Adaptogens are the stress-response herbs, the ginseng-class herbs, the deep restorative tonics.  And this is the definitive work on the topic – and the most important book on herbal treatment for stress, anxiety, and fatigue – by a noted Cherokee, Eclectic, and Chinese herbalist.

• Veterinary Herbal Medicine by Susan Wynne & Barbara Fougere.  If you’re going to drop $100 on a book about veterinary herbal medicine, make sure you get your money’s worth.

…and on-line:

• http://www.itmonline.org/herbs.htm is the Institutes of Traditional Medicine’s article index.  ITM still functions as a non-profit to promote the teaching and use of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Their medical director, Subhuti Dharmananda, is a great teacher, a true scholar, and occasional iconclast.  That this resource is free… all I can feel is gratitude.

• www.Pubmed.gov.  Yes, the National Institutes of Health online medical database is full of multisyllabic jargon, and occasional herb-skepticism.  It’s also the world’s largest repository of published medical literature.  And it’s your tax dollars at work.  Take advantage of them.

• http://www.SWSBM.com is the old Southwest School of Herbal Medicine website.  You want to find all 2,000 pages of an old Eclectic material medica, online, for free?  This is where you’re going to find it.  The website ain’t pretty…