Applications are now open for 2025!

WILD MEDICINE WAYS 2025

An in-person, hands-on bioregional herbalism course diving deep into the living language of plant medicine and ecology. In this 9-month intensive we will focus on building a stronger connection with plants and the land, cultivating ecological awareness, and joyfully exploring the world of herbalism and medicine-making in plant-devoted community.

Learning The Land

We gather each month at the same place, on the 500 acres in Pine Plains, NY where Foliage Botanics sits, stolen & settled land on unceded Shekomeko/Mahican territory, in an effort to familiarize ourselves with one place and the seasonality of the land as the seasons progress. On field botany days, we will venture to other spots nearby with interesting ecosystems for plant walks. Those locations will be chosen and shared around the time of the class, always nearby our home-base in Pine Plains.

The land here is immensely special and full of magic. There are wild native meadows, wetlands and riparian zones, lush hardwood forest, orchards and my own perennial herb garden. Together we will explore the many corners of this place, gather Birch from the hill top and Angelica along the edge of the Shekomeko creek, observing and witnessing and reveling in the natural beauty, always in reflection for how to engage with it all in reciprocal, right ways and how to take those threads with us into the plant and human communities beyond.

Anti-Oppressive Herbal Practices

Bioregionalism encompasses more than just working with herbs that grow in our bioregion—within this class, as we learn the plants we will also explore deep, meaningful and pertinent concepts that, I believe, are foundational to learning about herbal medicine today and relevant to the deeper philosophy around care that bioregionalism encompasses. Each month we will have readings to accompany our tangible learning and facilitated discussion to dig into the topics at hand. These range from questioning and dismantling systems of oppression and imperialism in both medical care and land access, cultural appropriation in the wellness world, the true purpose and meaning of healing and care work, explorations in community care based models of health, harm reduction, how to be an anti-capitalist and anti-racist and trans/queer-affirming herbalist, and explorations into our personal ancestries and ancestrally informed relationship-building to land and plants. It is my belief that engaging with these tough, beautiful, expansive topics alongside our plant & herbal learning will inspire a more values-rooted way of relating to the Earth and plants and will help us to collectively grow a more resilient, resistant, radical herbal community together.

Topics we will cover in this course:

• Botany & plant ID

• Ecology & land observation

• Ethical wild-crafting principles and philosophy

• Herbal ethics

• Medicine-making

• Herbal actions & energetics

• Wild foods

• Developing a broad bioregional materia medica & plant familiarity

• Invasive plant medicine

• Tree ID and medicine

• Building a home apothecary

• Herbal first aid

• Natural dye

• Formulation and considerations for giving herbs to others

• What it means to be an inclusive community care worker

• SO MUCH MORE!

Nuts & Bolts

Wild Medicine Ways meets one Sunday/month, March-November (no class in August) from 10am - 4pm + 4 field botany days throughout the season. The field days are spread out throughout the program on the Saturday before Sunday’s class in April, July, September, and October—these sessions are an opportunity for us to dig deeper into plant identification and botany, so that Sundays can be more specifically devoted to our medicine-making and class time. Field days are shorter and go from 10am - 2(ish) pm. (End times may run over, so plan accordingly for 15-30 minute leeway at the end of each day).

Class days meet every session at the farm in Pine Plains, NY where Foliage Botanics sits. Field days will meet at 4 different nearby off-farm locations that have diverse & unique plant-life for us to explore. April—Thompson Pond, spring ephemerals; July—Buttercup Sanctuary, wetland plants; September—Overmountain Conservation Area, goldenrods; October—Drowned Lands Swamp, trees.

There will also be 4 Garden + Medicine-Making days on Wednesday afternoons throughout the course. These dates are still TBD, but will be spread out throughout our 9 months together. Garden + Medicine-making days are optional, very casual days where we work in the garden, chat about herbs, students can ask me and each other questions and get the opportunity to make more medicine for the clinic apothecary. These sessions are an especially great opportunity for anyone who has missed a class to make up time, get missing handouts, and check in about what was missed. Think of them like Q + A and applied integration class days! You may come to all, one, or none of them regardless of classes attended or missed.

Every student will complete a creative project in this program, inspired by the plants, your ancestral explorations, and our time together, to be presented on our final day of class in November. We’ll discuss the ins and outs of the project on the first day of class! You’ll also get 1-2 opportunities to meet with me 1:1 to discuss your project and receive some guidance throughout the months.

There will also be a group Discord (and likely a What’s App too), which will serve as an online chat forum for us all to stay in touch between class sessions, share resources and photos with each other, collaborate and co-work, etc.

Total class time amounts to ~85 in-person hours of applied herbal and botanical learning!

Cost and Dates

2025 dates: 3/30, 4/26 + 4/27, 5/18, 6/22, 7/12 + 7/13, 9/13 + 9/14, 10/11 + 10/12, 11/9

Dates are subject to change, but with A LOT of notice. Inclement weather may also lead us to rearrange! If we have to miss a class due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, we may use August to make up.

The cost for the program in full is $2200 and includes all materials: binder of handouts, harvesting tools, medicine-making materials (students receive all medicine we make together at the end of the course!), dye supplies for our natural dye day, and botany books and implements. No extra materials are needed!

Payment plans are available for anyone who needs one at no added cost with a $400 deposit to hold your place. Payment plans are offered with both 6 month (6 payments of $300) & 12 month (12 payments of $150) options that will then begin in the spring. You may also decided to start your payment plan upon registration to get it over with early! Extended payment plans can be discussed for greater accessibility (these would be longer-term with smaller installments). I offer these payment plans out of a deep commitment to financial accessibility and a belief that no one should be penalized for not having the full tuition available upfront. By choosing the payment plan you commit to paying for the program in full, even if you miss a month, even if you choose to discontinue attending, with the understanding that your payments are broken up segments for the full 9-month program tuition, not payments for each individual class. If your payment plan extends beyond the final date of class, you are still required to continue paying it. Please only request a payment plan if you truly need one.

There are also 2 BIPOC scholarships at a 50% discount or greater. In my work as a white herbalist, I want to address the patterns of colonization and white supremacy in western herbalism as a whole, and to help bolster the many forms of resistance to the systems and structures of oppression we live under. I know that my access to this knowledge and to land has come at the expense of BIPOC communities and I want to, in small part, rectify this in my work as an herbalist. This includes trying to make this course more accessible to people of colour and, because our students tend to be majority white, I also just genuinely want a greater diversity of perspectives and experiences in our learning cohort. If you would like a BIPOC scholarship, please select this in your application!

If you are in need of an Accessibility Rate please thoroughly read our page on Accessibility & Sliding Scale then select this on your application and we will come up with a plan that works for us both! Equity in our classroom is of the utmost importance to me and I am always willing to do what I can to make room for everyone at our learning table.

Got a question? Want to know if this course is the right fit for you?

Email Hannah at foliagebotanics@gmail.com or book a 30 minute chat with me about the course!

Other important things to know:

This is an in-person and fully outdoor class! The group will be small (max 20 students), class will always be held outside and we will follow stringent COVID precautions if necessary (see details on COVID precautions below).

Expect that class will always be held outdoors—please come dressed for the weather and the ups and downs of the outdoor elements. I will always try to keep you abreast of the anticipated weather for the approaching day, but I am not a weatherman! It’s best to always come overprepared :) In the event of truly poor and uncomfortable weather, we will hold class inside or, in extreme circumstances, reschedule that month’s session.

This class will also be very mobile! We will be walking a lot to see the plants and change locations and may often be sitting on the ground outdoors. Nothing we will do is too rigorous, but some physical fitness is required. I understand that some people will be excluded from this program for this reason and encourage those who are less physically able to check out some of our other class offerings. That being said, accessibility is important to me, so please let me know any and all needs you might have!

Camping will be allowed the night prior and the night after class if needed (we also have 2 rustic accommodations available), but with limited facilities. Please be sure to let me know if this is something you may want to do!

Water & herbal tea will be provided for the class. Students are expected to bring their own lunch & snacks & water bottle.

PLANT WALK + WORKSHOP LIABILITY RELEASE AGREEMENTS + REFUND POLICY

About Our Pricing System

My pricing system is politicized in acknowledgment of the many systems of oppression that affect people’s financial and class standing. We call it “solidarity-forward pricing”! Worked into the cost of the program are the invisible, behind-the-scenes labour and expenses involved in running a year-long program—childcare, grounds and classroom maintenance (mowing, trail management, garden care), rent + utilities, class materials (harvesting tools, botany books + tools, medicine-making supplies, dye supplies), admin work, curriculum building & class prep, research & past/continued education expenses, etc.

We also factor in, in part, our BIPOC scholarships and accessibility rates for lower income students, so that we collectively create and contribute to a more equitable learning environment as a cohort together.

If you want to read more about this solidarity-forward structure and our commitment to equity in herbal medicine see our Accessibility & Sliding Scale page.

COVID-19 Precautions

Covid-19 continues and is ever-evolving and we will continue to monitor the situation (as well as any others that may arise) and adjust as needed. Class will be held mostly outside and under covered but open shelter (if the weather is really disastrous, we will reschedule). We highly recommend vaccination for all those eligible and medically able. If it becomes clear that we cannot meet due to a serious outbreak or exposure, we will adjust and either reschedule or meet online (or both!). We will be making medicine and working with wild foods together, but we will continue to be very cautious. I want everyone to feel safe in this class and for everyone to be considerate of this issue and of others’ needs at all times. If you feel certain that the pandemic is not real, flippant with your and others’ health, or are extremely anti-vax, this is likely not the right class for you. I feel devoted again this upcoming season to making this work and meeting in person each month, so let’s make it happen with as much care and devotion as we can!

Cancellation Policy

There are no refunds for this program. If you are on a payment plan and choose to discontinue the program, you are still required to pay the remaining balance in full and your payment plan will not be cancelled or adjusted.

A few more testimonials:

“Hannah is a wonderful educator! She is knowledgable and prepared to share, but the classes were easy-going and adapted to our needs. I always had fun in class connecting to the earth and the little community we formed.” -Alex D. ‘21

“The class was really wonderful—you have such a beautiful way of sharing your knowledge through these guided walks, food, medicine-making—I learned without realizing how much I was learning.” -Deborah F. ‘21

“Wild Medicine Ways was fantastic! I loved every moment… such a wonderful group of humans, spending time on a beautiful piece of land, learning/exploring together. Such a highlight of my year. I told friends that is was my “church” one day a month.” -Tracy M. ‘21

“Hannah is a wealth of botany knowledge and an excellent class guide. Hannah creates such a wonderful atmosphere of respect, community, and reverence for the earth and herbalism as a tradition. Learning through the seasons was a great treat.” -Sam S. ‘22

“Hannah is someone who clearly knows more than just plant and herbalism knowledge—she understands the importance of being kind to the earth and the historical and ecological impacts of the choices we make. Medicine making is give and take and that’s how she teaches!” -Amy S. ‘22

“Hannah’s Wild Medicine Ways course provided me the time and space to learn to trust my intuition when it came to safely practicing wild crafting techniques. Hannah provided thoughtful and empathetic answers to my questions and concerns and I always felt supported. The course also gave me a sense of community as I was new to the area. If you’re looking for an opportunity to discover how empowered you can be in taking care of yourself and your community, I can’t recommend this course enough!” -Katie C. ‘23

“You're an incredible teacher. You always held space for us in a down to earth way and I always admired the different ways that you encouraged us to keep learning--from welcoming all types of questions, to our projects and, most admiringly, the way you weren't afraid to admit when you din't know an answer, or asked others in the group what they thought. I loved learning from you and Wild Medicine Ways helped me deepen my connection and appreciation and love for the world around me...I cannot express enough my gratitude for this program and how much I will miss gathering with you, our group, and the land.” -Autumn F. ‘23

“What a nourishing eight months! In addition to the beautiful practice of making medicine in community, learning about botany and bioregional herbalism, and deepening appreciation for the abundance that exists all around us, I learned more about what it means to build "right relationship" with a plant. I learned the value of simply sitting with a plant, watching it move in the breeze, taking in its shapes and colors and smells, noticing its environment, and listening... all before even considering extracting something from the plant for my own benefit. Hannah is an incredibly patient and heart-centered teacher, and Wild Medicine Ways is such a gift.” -Kristen P. ‘23

FAQs

Q: What if I have to miss a class due to another obligation, sickness, travel, wedding, etc?

A: This is totally normal and fine! Usually everyone misses at least one class throughout the program due to the busy-nature of summer and so this is worked into the program. Occasionally you may miss something we will not do or see again as the land and seasons are fleeting, but worked into the structure are make-up opportunities!

Q: Is there a way to make up a class if I have to miss it?

A: Yes! I let all my students make up field time by attending one of my community plant walks in lieu. It’s most helpful to make it up with the corresponding plant walk that month, but any plant walk throughout the season will do. This is another reason why I have added the extra field botany days and the garden/medicine-making days—for more class time and direst make-up time. The garden + medicine-making days are specifically opportunities to find out what you may have missed, get handouts, ask questions, and commune with WMW peers. I promise that missing one or two classes doesn’t take too much away from your learning experience!

Q: What if my life or financial situation changes during the program and I am unable to pay or continue to participate?

A: Money is so tough and talking about our finances is tricky and can elicit a lot of discomfort and shame. I am working class and I really understand financial hardship and have experienced unexpected changes in my own financial situation. Because of this I am very understanding to the unexpected ups and downs of life and always open to adjusting payment plans and working with you and your needs. That being said, I am a low-income herbalist and this course is a huge part of my anticipated income for the year! Because of this I ask you to self-assess and budget appropriately for this program in advance as much as possible and to make sure you are fully committed before registering. If you have to drop out for unexpected reasons, you are still required to finish your payment plan and there is a no refund policy. Ultimately, transparency is key so please please contact me when difficulties arise and we can collaboratively make a plan moving forward that works for us both!

Q: I really want to participate in this program, but I am low income and just can’t afford it. What do I do?

A: There is room for you! My pricing system is politicized and accessibility rates for low-income students are factored into it. All I ask is that you read through our Accessibility & Sliding Scale page and then select your desire for an accessibility rate in your application. We’ll find a time to connect and discuss a possible plan that works for us both and enables you to be part of the program at a price that feels feasible.