Past Courses & Events

HERB WALKS IN WILLITS // BETH RIEDEL

Come discover some of Mendocino County’s bounty on a guided tour of the wonders of “the ground beneath your feet.” Learn about our local edible and medicinal herbs and wild foods.

WHEN: 10AM TO NOON,  Saturdays:   March 17, April 7 // Sundays: May 13 (Mom+ Other for $35),  June 10

COST: $25  (2 for $40) CALL BETH FOR MEETING LOCATIONS AND TO REGISTER  707 459-1810


ALL ABOUT NETTLES WORKSHOP // JENNIFER KETRING & GILLIAN NYE

Spend an afternoon exploring the world of nettles. This prickly weed is one of our most valued herbal allies, used by herbalists around the world for centuries. The afternoon will begin by wildcrafting nettles along the coast and then we will journey to the farm for an in-depth look at all this plant has to offer. We will make fresh nettle pesto for enjoying with wood-fired pizza from the cob oven and nettle vinegar for taking home. Recipes and fresh nettles will also be shared.

Offered as part of the Mendocino County Almost Fringe Festival.

Limited room – no drop-ins as we won’t be prepared with materials.
Rain or shine – be sure to come with rain boots and a jacket!

WHEN:  April 29th, 1 – 4:30 pm

WHERE: Windy Hollow Farm, Point Arena

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER, VISIT THE FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE


BETTER BRAIN (A TWO PART COURSE) // KARIN UPHOFF

Better Brain, Part 1, April 30

Explore our amazing brain and its connection with the gut. Did you know up to 70% of our primary neurotransmitters like Serotonin start their life in our small intestine? Can you imagine how the brain also harbors helpful bacteria to keep things humming? Learn about herbs, foods and supplements that nourish neurotransmitters and balance brain chemistry.

Offered as part of the Mendocino County Almost Fringe Festival.

Better Brain, Part 2, May 21
Journey to the brain in our spinal cords and the wisdom of the body-mind.
Did you know your feet provide important information to your spine about how to move and your relationship to the environment? Did you realize that even minor impacts to the head and spine can effect thinking? Learn about herbs, foods and habits that support the brain-body connection and recovery of neural tissue.

WHEN:  April 30th (PART 1) & May 21 (PART 2),     7 – 9 pm

WHERE: Gathering Space in the Company Store, 303 North Main St. In Ft. Bragg, Tea will be served!

For more information, CLICK HERE


NATURAL SKIN CARE // BETH RIEDEL

The skin is how we present ourselves to the world and an early reminder from our body about imbalances. We’ll discuss how to look at it’s messages, it’s proper “feeding” and natural ways to care for it. Cost:  $ 50

WHEN:  May 8th, 6:30 – 9:30 pm

WHERE: CALL BETH FOR MEETING LOCATION AND TO REGISTER:  707 459-1810


CREATING & USING FLOWER ESSENCES // BETH RIEDEL

Discover the unique healing bond between plants and humans as you learn to create and  use your own flower essence. We’ll learn how to connect with the essences of different plants and about their healing properties.  We’ll create from scratch a flower essence and work actively with many more. Cost: $ 70. includes handouts, dosage & stock essence  (bring a bag lunch)

WHEN:  June 16, from 11 am – 3 pm

WHERE: CALL BETH FOR MEETING LOCATION AND TO REGISTER:  707 459-1810


LOCAL OFFERINGS CURRENTLY FULL AND UNDERWAY – CONTACT THE TEACHER FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FUTURE LONG-TERM COURSES OF STUDY

 


THE FOLK MEDICINE AND MAGIC OF OLD EUROPE // LIZ MIGLIORELLI

This 30 hour class will be dedicated to exploring the indigenous folk medicine of old Europe and the ways in which we can engage with this ancestral medicine on a daily basis. We will study folklore, herbal medicine, dream work, healing traditions and develop our own personal practices that deepen our connection to this ancestral medicine.

We will taste, drink and make medicines with plants as we engage with the natural world throughout the wheel of the year; session focuses on the medicines, traditions and celebrations of that particular season. This class also covers of magic as a radical act and healing ancestral trauma from looking at the burning times, the progression of capitalism & colonization.

WHEN: February 17 &  18, March 3 & 4, March 31 & April 1, May 5 & May 6

WHERE: Mendocino Coast

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FUTURE CLASSES, CLICK HERE


CANNABIS THERAPY CONSULTANT CERTIFICATION PROGRAM // WENDY READ

This program consists of three weekend workshops and a qualifying exam. Workshops are offered throughout the year and can also be taken individually in any order. Those seeking certification must complete three workshops and pass a qualifying exam.

  • The Biology of Cannabis Workshop offered March 10/11 and March 24/25
  • Making Medicine with Marijuana Workshop offered April 14/15 andApril 21/22
  • The Spirit of Cannabis Workshop offered May 5/6 and May 19/20

WHERE: The Caretaker’s Garden Healing Sanctuary, Boonville, CA

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FUTURE CLASSES, CLICK HERE


TO THE ROOT: AN HERBAL APPRENTICESHIP // LIZ MIGLIORELLI & KARIN UPHOFF

This a path for those who are interested in exploring the world of medicinal herbs, cultivating meaningful relationships with plants and healing ourselves and our communities. By honoring the nature of plants, the constant flux of living ecology, we inherently take part in self-transformation.

This is a participatory and engaging program that will provide a foundation in herbal material medicine, botanical identification, medicine-making, anatomy & physiology, nutrition, magic and more. Healing is multi-dimensional and omni-directional, and we will explore ways in which the plants not only affect our physical bodies, but our emotions and spirits as well. While this is not a clinical herbalist training program (although there may be one to come in the future), this program will be a deep taproot from which participants may nourish many facets of their wellbeing.

WHENThere are two different sessions, one with Saturday dates and one with Monday dates, beginning March 10th. For exact dates, click the link below.

WHERE: Mendocino Coast

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FUTURE CLASSES,  CLICK HERE


THE CULTIVATION OF CHINESE MEDICINAL PLANTS // PEG SCHAFER

A practical course on the cultivation and topics concerning Chinese medicinal plants. The goal of this seminar is to cultivate efficacious medicinal herbs as well as know the issues involved in the Chinese medicinal plant trade which together make a viable agricultural operation.

One of the goals of this program is to give a comprehensive overview so participants can achieve the basic tools to grow good quality Asian medicinal plants on a small or large scale just about anywhere.

Please note that the use of herbs will not be covered. Experienced or new growers wishing to diversify their operations and herbal practitioners and students interested in domestically grown Chinese botanicals are invited to attend.

WHEN: 2nd Sat from March-October (8 Sessions), 9-3PM

WHERE: The Chinese Medicinal Herb farm in Petaluma, CA

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FUTURE CLASSES, CLICK HERE OR CONTACT PEG SCHAFER AT pschafer@sonic.net


 

HERBAL MYSTERY SCHOOL: A YEAR OF PLANT INVOCATION //  LIZ MIGLIORELLI

In this eight-month series we will come together to deepen our relationships with the plant realm and get in touch with the invisible. This class focuses on energetic properties of the plants, which we will discover through direct plant sits, meditation and trance work, plant diets, dreamwork and art exploration. Students will engage with the elements, learn practices for grounding, forming and casting intention with plants while developing rich connection to their intuition. Each class will be focused on one specific plant that is seasonally appropriate to where we find ourselves in the wheel of the year.

This is a class for all levels of plant lovers. No previous experience is necessary, only a willingness to go deeper into the plant spirit realm is required!

WHEN:  March 25, April 22, May 13, June 24, July 15, September 23, October 28, November 11

WHERE: Mendocino Coast

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FUTURE CLASSES,  CLICK HERE  


HERBAL APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM // CRYSTAL RAE ALEMAN & MELISSA CASANOVA

This unique herbal studies program focuses on producing plant medicines from start to finish: from seed to plant to finished herbal product. We will be working hands-on on the farm growing herbs, harvesting, and processing plants to make high-quality fresh and dry plant medicines.

This program focuses on building a authentic hands on relationship with the plant spirit & medicine.  Throughout the course, students will have the opportunity to build their own home apothecary of tinctures, teas, oils, creams, salves, and other herbal products created on the farm.  They will also have the opportunity to propagate herb plants from which to build their own medicinal herb gardens.

WHEN: Begins March 31 – gather every last Saturday of the Month for 11 Months

WHERE: Suchernova Farm, Willits

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FUTURE CLASSES, CLICK HERE


HERBAL MEDICINE FROM THE GROUND UP // DONNA D’TERRA & VICKY SALCIDO-COBBE

This is a hand’s-on course of study for those who want to be skillful as herbal medicine growers and medicine makers. We will focus on growing, harvesting, and medicine making with herbs locally cultivated or plants sustainably harvested in the wild. In this course, we will rekindle the old ways, while developing the herbal skills of today.

Cultivation: How to choose herbs for your garden and your needs, creating and maintaining healthy soil and the soil web of life, propagation (seeds, cuttings, layering, divisions), companion planting and biodiversity, beneficial insects and integrated pest management, seed saving, local, sustainable, regenerative herbalism

Harvesting: When and how to harvest herbs, garbling, drying, and storing, “Honorable Harvest” in the wild

Medicine Making: Teas and decoctions, infused oils and salves, simplers and standard tinctures, flower essences, syrups, acetates (vinegar-based remedies) and oxymels, liniments and poultices, solvents: how to use and choose them, how chemical constituents in plants affect medicine making, storing finished remedies to maintain potency

WHEN: April 14, May 12, June 16, July 14, August 11

WHERE: Motherland Herb School and Botanical Sanctuary, ~10 Miles outside of the town of Willits

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FUTURE CLASSES, CLICK HERE