Taína Vargas-Sosa
of Sankofa Anacoana Botanicals

Woman smiling holding freshly harvested ginger roots and green leafy plants in a garden or greenhouse setting.

This guided plant walk invites us to slow down and tap into our senses as we engage with the plants growing around us. Learn to safely identify and work with wild medicinal and edible plants to build resilience and deepen our relationship to the land.
Taína Vargas-Sosa (she, her, ella) is an Afro-Taino mother, artist, educator, wellness entrepreneur, and urban gardener. She is the founder of Sankofa Anacaona Botanicals, a small business that specializes in plant-based holistic wellness. Taína aims to educate and empower our communities to reclaim and expand cultural traditions of plant medicine. Her work is grounded in her in Afro-Indigenous Caribbean roots from Ayiti-Kiskeya (Dominican Republic). Currently, Taína splits her time between Boston and Western Mass (Indigenous territories of the Massachusetts, Pawtucket, Nipmuc, and Wampanoag people). Find her online at @sankofa.anacaona.botanicals

Susan Pincus
of Sawmill Herb Farm

Woman harvesting purple and yellow flowers in a garden

Growing medicinal herbs is about more than just producing big plants. The conditions in which herbs are grown directly influence their aroma, flavor, and medicinal strength. In this workshop, you’ll learn how soil, sunlight, spacing, harvest timing, and other cultivation choices affect the potency of common medicinal and culinary herbs. Drawing on 14 years of commercial herb farming experience, this class will share practical techniques to help home gardeners grow herbs that are both productive and truly medicinal.
Susan is the owner of Sawmill Herb Farm, where she has spent over a decade growing medicinal and culinary herbs. Her connection to plants began early through time in the woods and tending a backyard garden, experiences that shaped her lifelong relationship with the natural world. Susan trained as an herbalist and naturalist through programs with Thyme Herbal, Clearpath Herbals, Wolftree, and other land-based schools. She has taught and lectured at UMass Amherst, Smith College, and Amherst College. You can find Susan online at @sawmillherbfarm

Ryn Midura of CommonWealth Holistic Herbalism

A man with short dark hair and a beard, wearing a black shirt and a necklace, looking at the camera, standing in a room with green plants and wooden shelves in the background.

Accessibility in herbalism is not something extra or something nice-if-possible, it's a critical part of our work. The prices of the remedies we recommend can sometimes be a determining factor in whether our clients take them, or take them long enough to get results. In many cases we can identify a less expensive herb, or formula of herbs, which can do the job of a more costly one. In order to make an effective substitution, we first need to clarify the qualities, actions, affinities, and other aspects of the herb for which we seek alternatives. Only then can we identify a good substitute.
Ryn and Katja founded CommonWealth Holistic Herbalism [commonwealthherbs.com] in 2011 to provide education and training to herbalists at all levels, from home hobby to clinical consultation. In addition, Ryn is a preceptor for advanced practice pharmacy students at MCPHS University. He is more than a little obsessed with the berbere spice blend, and relies heavily on catnip and dandelion flower in difficult times.

Mo Katz-Christy

A woman sitting at a table holding a mug, smiling, surrounded by various jars and bottles, with a bookshelf and window in the background.

What’s all this fuss about fermented foods? Why are fermented foods essential for gut health, and why are they so expensive? In this class, you will learn how to use any old vegetables to make delicious and nutritious fermented foods that replenish the microbiome, regulate our immune system, and more! Leave with a jar of kraut that you can share with your household. $10 materials fee if you want to take a jar home.
Mo Katz-Christy (they/them) is a queer Ashkenazi Jewish clinical herbalist and educator in Somerville, MA on unceded Massachusett land. They approach herbalism by connecting folks to the knowledge they already have about their body and herbs through working with kitchen medicine, ancestral traditions, and mulberries falling on the sidewalk!
Mo teaches herb classes and programs at over 40 different sites in New England. They work one-on-one with clients, in Somerville and virtually, to address the root imbalances that are causing dysregulation and to promote long-term healing, focusing on gut health. You can find out more about their work at mokatzchristy.com.

Hannah Morano
of Sweet Birch Herbals

A woman with long brown wavy hair smiling outdoors near dark purple plants with large leaves.

Discover the art of crafting powerful herbal-infused oils for body care. In this hands-on workshop, Hannah Morano of Sweet Birch Herbals will walk you through her method for extracting herbs into oils for maximum potency. Topics include muscle and tissue repair, inflammation support, nervous system relaxation, cysts and fibroids, and wound recovery. Samples, recipes, and a live demonstration included.
Hannah Morano founded Sweet Birch Herbals, LLC in 2014. She is a community herbalist and holistic health guide devoted to providing the region with high-quality plant-based medicines that are locally grown and sustainably wildcrafted to ensure abundance for future generations. Hannah approaches her work with compassion and an open heart as she serves a wide range of clients and customers. She grows over 50 herbs on her farm in Ashfield, MA. Check out her herbal product line, visit her farm store and learn more about Hannah’s services at www.sweetbirchherbals.com or contact sweetbirchherbals@gmail.com.

Erika Parker-Smith
of Brass Chamber Herbs

Perimenopause can feel like your body changed the rules overnight — heat rising, sleep disappearing, moods swinging, libido shifting, grief surfacing from nowhere. In this class, we’ll speak plainly about what’s happening and explore the plants that can walk with us through it. We’ll look at herbal allies for hot flashes, anxiety, thinning hair, dryness, irritability, and nervous system overload, and talk about how to choose herbs based on your actual lived experience — not trends, not shame, not “just push through it.” This is practical, grounded herbalism for women who want steadiness, clarity, and support during a powerful life transition.
Erika Parker-Smith is an herbalist, educator, and threshold stewardess who works at the crossroads of hormones, grief, pleasure, and power. She teaches women how to navigate life transitions, especially midlife, with plants, nervous system awareness, and unflinching honesty. Her work blends traditional Western herbalism with spiritual and intimate herbal practice, creating space for regulation, clarity, creative spark, and strengthened discernment. She creates spaces where women can metabolize what is ending, reclaim what is awakening, and meet midlife with skill instead of silence.

Denise Rodriguez
of Eclipsic Herbs

“Balancing hormones” has become a catch all term for any kind of cycle related issue. But what this conversation tends to lack is an understanding of what balanced hormones means. What hormones are out of balance and why? In this class, we’ll talk about the foundational knowledge of what balanced hormones means and how to support our hormones with herbalism. For not only our menstrual health but our overall health too.
Denise is a clinical herbalist, cycle and sexual health educator. She is the owner of Eclipsic Herbs, where she teaches in-depth cycle tracking and personalized cycle health support. Denise's work focuses on bridging together body literacy and plant medicine. She believes that our cycle is not our shackle, it is our compass. Learn more at eclipsicherbs.com

Jesse Rose
(Schaghticoke Tribal Nation)
of Gathered Waters Medicine

Woman with curly dark hair and earrings holds a bowl close to her nose, appearing to smell its contents, sitting indoors against a light wooden wall with jars of herbs on a small wooden shelf beside her.

How we relate to Mother Earth, the Plant Kingdom, and the Tree Nation affects the Nebizon (medicine) we make, the food we grow, the paths we walk upon, and our shared life.
In this outdoor gathering, participants will be guided into an Indigenous-centered way of relating to the Plant and Tree Nations, not as resources to “use” or “what they are good for” but as Elders and living relatives. We will explore how we feel, think, create, and speak about herbal medicine through the lens of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, which is carried through lived relationship and responsibility across generations. We will explore what reciprocity can look like in herbal practice and be introduced to Indigenous harvest ethics rooted in respect and balance.
This will be an experiential offering opening with a prayer to the Seven Sacred Directions, the burning of Sweetgrass, and a brief guided meditation with the Native drum to guide us into a state of connection so the teachings can land more deeply in the heart.
Jesse Rose (she/they) walks with the wisdom of their Schaghticoke Tribal Nation, Italian, and Hungarian ancestors. A medicine woman, teacher, and practitioner of land-based healing, they are the founder of Gathered Waters Medicine, an offering rooted in Indigenous wisdom, plant Nebizon (medicine), and the remembrance of our sacred relationship with Mother Earth. Their work braids together herbalism, flower essence therapy, conscious movement, sound, and ceremony to support both personal and collective healing. Through Gathered Waters Medicine, Jesse Rose is cultivating an Indigenous-led nonprofit dedicated to land-based healing, cultural reclamation, land rematriation, and ecological stewardship.

Bear Crevier
of Bear and Owl Apothecary

Participants will be guided on an immersive plant walk focused on cultivating deep relationship with the medicinal and edible plants of Western Massachusetts. The walk will blend practical plant identification with herbal uses, seasonal awareness, and ethical wildcrafting practices. Emphasis will be placed on slowing down, engaging the senses, and learning to read the landscape as a living ecosystem rather than a collection of isolated species. Participants will explore traditional and contemporary herbal applications, plant energetics, and how plants support both physical and emotional well-being. This walk is suitable for beginners and experienced herbalists alike who wish to deepen their connection with plants through observation, presence, and respect.
Bear Crevier is an educator, public speaker, nonprofit worker, community leader, and military veteran. Bear has been teaching for more than 20 years in a variety of formats. Bear runs a nonprofit called Ancient Healing Paths with his wife and partner Aidale. You can regularly find Bear teaching plant and mushroom walks all throughout New England from April to November.

Jade Alicandro
of Milk & Honey Herbs

A woman in a light blue dress and wide-brimmed hat smiling in a field of pink coneflowers with mountains in the background on a sunny day.

A healthy and strong digestive system is the foundation of good health, however digestive issues and gut-based inflammation are rampant in our society. Luckily, there are numerous herbal remedies and approaches that can build digestive resilience and heal and seal the gut, all while lowering systemic inflammation in the body. We'll learn practical herbal preparations and effective, accessible herbs to support the digestive system and build vibrant health. Recipes will be demoed and handouts will be provided. -
Jade Alicandro has been practicing clinical and community herbalism in the Valley since 2012 through the container of Milk & Honey Herbs. Her herbal obsessions include bioregional herbalism, tree medicine, working with maligned weeds and displaced plant relatives, kitchen medicine and accessible herbalism. She has an active clinical practice and many educational offerings, including a 9-month apprenticeship in bioregional herbalism, a winter online course in kitchen herbalism, an online membership community and workshops and herb walks held through the year. Learn more at www.milkandhoneyherbs.com or @milkandhoneyherbs

Thomas Avery Garran
of Herb Whisperer

A smiling middle-aged man with gray hair, a beard, wearing black glasses and a gray jacket outdoors.

Based on his chapter in Love Them To Death: Turning Invasive Plants into Local Economic Opportunities, Thomas is offering a class on Medicinal Weeds of Chinese Origin that will provide information on ecological niche, identification, harvesting, preparation, and applications of some of our most abundant and not so abundant regional weeds. This class is set to open a new door to medicinal plants both obvious and not so obvious with traditional and modern applications.
Thomas Avery Garran, PhD, RH (AHG) has been studying herbal medicine since 1989. He first studied Western herbal medicine with Christopher Hobbs and David Hoffmann, among many others, before going on to study Chinese medicine with Michael Tierra, Holly Guzman, and many others. He holds a Masters in Chinese Medicine from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and a PhD in Materia Medica Studies from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing, China; he has authored, co-authored, and translated numerous peer-review papers and books on a wide range of topics including herbal medicine, ethnobotany, plant pharmacy, and agriculture. Thomas is a co-founder and president of Herb Whisperer, Inc., Executive Director of East West School of Herbalism, Adjunct Faculty at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and a Board Director of the American Herbalist Guild. In spite of all that, Thomas is most happy gardening, or spending any time at all, with his lovely wife Holly.

Julia Demillones-Moore
of Moonbeam Steams

A woman sitting outdoors on a cobblestone surface, wearing a brown shawl and green pants, with a wooden box beside her and a background of various colorful flowers and green foliage.

Perspectives from a Filipina American herbalist in the Filipinx diaspora, reconnecting with ancestral plant wisdom across oceans. In this class, I’ll share my own journey of reclaiming the plants and healing traditions of my ancestors. Together we’ll explore eight Filipino herbs as kitchen and medicinal preparations. We’ll also touch on traditional Filipino healing as a practice that tends to the spirit alongside the body, honoring kapwa: the Filipino concept of shared identity and interconnectedness, the understanding that we are all one another. You’ll leave with a deeper relationship to eight healing plants and a felt sense of why this medicine matters.
Julia is a certified steam practitioner, folk herbalist, and menstrual cycle educator passionate about empowering the next generation with body literacy and confidence. Through her Wise Gal Period Mentor program @wisegalperiodmentor, she offers holistic, inclusive, and empowering menstrual education for youth and their caregivers. Julia has supported over 30 families through her hands-on, community-rooted workshops, helping young girls and menstruators feel connected to their bodies, their cycles, and their inner power from the very beginning.

Alex Klein
of Puddingstone Herb School

A man with long hair smiling outdoors holding a large root vegetable with purple leaves and a small white antler-shaped object.

Are you ever out on a killer plant walk but then in the back of your mind you can't help but ask, "What about the trees?" Or was it that you were on a tree walk and you were like, "But what's all this frilly green stuff flopping around on the ground?" Don't fret--you'll be getting a little bit of everything with this walk: edible plants (and trees) and medicinal trees (and plants), as well as some discussion of local natural history and ecology.
Alex Klein is an intermediary between people and plants. He runs a humble practice as an herbalist, working with folks on a wide range of health conditions and practicing herbal first aid at outdoor events. Alex also teaches all sorts of classes on herbalism, botany, ecology, and wild food, including a monthly herbalism program called the Puddingstone School. His favorite color is blue.

Anne Wagner
of Blue Crow Botanicals

Woman outdoors in a field with dry grass and leafless trees, wearing a green jacket, black skirt, colorful leggings, and brown shoes, carrying a large woven basket on her back filled with sticks or branches.

A roundtable discussion of the intersections of Daodi and Bioregional Herbalism. Presenting the core concepts of Daodi, it's importance to TCM and the ways that it can inform how small farmers approach growing Chinese medicinal herbs in the United States.
Anne Wagner is the director of Blue Crow Botanicals. Blue Crow grows and processes as many of their own herbs and possible and currently has a grant project studying the growing of 6 Chinese medicinal herbs in the Northeast. Learn more about Anne at www.bluecrowbotanicals.com

Karen Wiseman
of Peaceful Harvest Mushrooms

A woman with curly hair, wearing glasses and a sleeveless orange top, smiling outdoors with a green, wooded background.

Health and emotional wellbeing don’t happen only in the mind — or even only in the nervous system. Each of us is an interconnected web of body systems, so it's inevitable that many different systems will influence our mental health. In this workshop, we'll explore the relationship between digestion, metabolism, stress hormones, and their effect on mood and mental health. Primarily we will discuss the transformative power of medicinal mushrooms as informed by the latest research including psilocybin mushrooms in depression, anxiety, and PTSD. We’ll also cover herbs to support emotional health and wellbeing along with effective approaches for combining herbs and mushrooms.
Karen Wiseman co-owns Peaceful Harvest Mushrooms, a family-owned certified organic, FDA inspected medicinal mushroom company, located in the green mountains of Vermont. She spent 30+ years in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries before transitioning to a more harmonious path in the world, homesteading with her husband and children, and using her knowledge of medicine in a more natural and soul-satisfying way. Karen is a practicing Clinical Herbalist with training from Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism and Wisdom of the Herbs School, and has a degree in Chemical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Karen is an ordained minister in Psancutary Church, a non-profit mushroom church, and is studying Shamanism at Indigenous Roots Institute. Karen strives to contribute to a strong and vibrant community of beautifully skilled human beings, existing together, in balance with each other, and the environment. Learn more about Karen at www.peacefulharvestmushrooms.com

Tony(a) Lemos
of Blazing Star Herb School

A woman with glasses, long dark hair, and earrings, standing in front of a green wooden background, holding a large sunflower.

n this experiential class, we explore walking not as a way to get somewhere, but as a devotional act , a practice that brings herbalists into intimate, reciprocal relationship with the living world. Through slow, intentional movement and guided sensory invitations, participants will learn to shift from “identifying plants” to encountering them: listening with the body, noticing subtle invitations, and attuning to the quiet forms of communication always unfolding around us.
We’ll explore how pace shapes perception, how attention ripples through the nervous system, and how simple rituals of presence can open us to deeper guidance from the more-than-human world. This is a practice that nourishes intuition, refines one’s herbal craft, and fosters a grounded sense of belonging to place.
Tonya Lemos is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator whose work lives at the intersection of art, ecology, and herbalism. Rooted in a lifelong relationship with plants—and shaped by her Mediterranean heritage—her practice explores the ways creativity, healing, and the more-than-human world continually inform one another.
For more than twenty-five years, Tonya has taught herbalism, holistic well-being, and plant-centered creative practice, integrating embodied learning with ecological awareness. As an educator, she emphasizes ethical wildcrafting, slow craft, and relational methodologies that honor land, lineage, and community. Her work is guided by the belief that art is a form of listening, and that healing is a collaborative act between humans and the Earth.

Arielle Bareket
of Golden Bones Apothecary

A woman smiling in a winter forest, wearing a hooded coat and standing next to a tree with snow on the ground.

Antidepressants are among the most commonly prescribed medications, and many clients seeking herbal support will also be taking them. What should clinical herbalists know to work safely and effectively in these cases? In this one-hour class, we’ll explore the most common antidepressants, their mechanisms, side effects, and safety considerations. We’ll discuss herbal allies, contraindications relevant to these medications, and the clinical herbalist’s scope of practice when working with clients taking antidepressants.
Arielle Bareket (she/her) is a community and clinical herbalist, Registered Nurse, and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner student (PMHNP) based in the Green Mountains of northern Vermont. Inspired by the natural world, she views humans as part of a larger interconnected whole and is passionate about integrating diverse tools to support healing and well-being.

Suzanne O'Gara
of Alchemy of Avalon

Woman wearing a red dress holds a basket of fresh herbs and greens outdoors in a sunny garden with trees and greenery in the background.

Join Herbalist and Avalon Priestess Suzanne O'Gara as we explore the magic and medicine of various herbs associated with the Fae Folk, and how to work with them during the Beltane season - a sacred pre-Christian Celtic fire festival that celebrates, life, love, fertility, and FAERIES! This class will include an elixir tasting at the end...with dancing and drumming encouraged!
Suzanne O'Gara, owner of Alchemy of Avalon tea and Director of the Herbs of Avalon course and retreat, is a Certified Herbalist, Priestess of Morgan LeFay, and practicing Witch, having studied under Joann Sanchez at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. She has been teaching classes in Herbalism and Witchcraft for more than 13 years, most notably for her own nine month online course, "Herbs of Avalon: Morgana's Materia Medica", as well as for the Morgan LeFay Mystery School, directed by Demelza Fox. Suzanne is honored to have been a presenter for the Western MA Herbal Symposium in 2024 and 2025, and has also guest taught for SCNM's Herbalists Without Borders chapter, the Ninefold Festival, the Water Priestess Confluence, the Unbound Priestess Summit, and more. She is an active member of the Sisterhood of Avalon, United Plant Savers, and is furthering her studies with Lisa Ganora's "Phytosapiens" course.

Iris Weaver
of Soul Gardens

A woman with brown hair and glasses on her head, wearing a sleeveless brown shirt, stands in a garden with colorful flowers, holding a bouquet of white flowers and smiling.

Plant identification and names can befrustrating and confusing! Botany feels intimidating, but helps you recognize and know your plants, in the wild or in the garden. Learn the basics of botany—structure and pattern--and how it makes plant i.d. so much easier. We will learn basics you can use in the garden or field, how to use a field guide, and discuss reliable resources. Handout included.
Iris Weaver is an herbalist and foraging instructor who leads plant walks on finding and using edible and medicinal plants in urban to rural settings, and teaches classes and hands-on workshops on making and using natural herbal skincare and herbal medicines. With a deep love of the plants, she grows and wildcrafts many of the plants she uses in her herbal products, and has been doing so for decades. Learn more at irisweaver.com

Jean Bergstrom and Clare Pearson
of Plant Spirit Medicine

Two women smiling outdoors in front of rocks and greenery, one wearing a purple quilted vest and the other in a navy vest.

Did you know that there are 5 seasons not 4?

Do you know that our own energy and plant energy is influenced by these seasons?
Come explore the interface between plants, seasons, humans and the cycle of life. And learn what role the plants have in bringing healing from their spirits to ours. You won’t be disappointed!
Clare Pearson and Jean Bergstrom have over 50 years of combined experience as Plant Spirit Medicine Healers. Their love of the plants, the medicine, and each other shines through when they teach. They are continually amazed by the generosity of the plants, the plants' willingness, and wisdom to work with people and guide them to arrive at the best version of themselves -- body, mind, and especially spirit. Equally, Clare and Jean have learned from and admired their clients who have trusted this medicine to bring them to better health. They are lovers of all things plants -- gardening, observing, herbalism, wildcrafting, plant art, nature, hiking, Plant Spirit Medicine and more. Learn more at clarepearson.net and www.herwildroots.com

Emma Percy
of Emma Percy Eco-Arts

A person with red hair, glasses, and earrings taking a selfie outdoors in a field during fall with trees showing autumn colors in the background.

Learn how to transform fibrous plants like nettle, milkweed, and cattail into beautiful handmade paper. We'll talk about what species and parts of a plant make good paper, how to process them and make paper simply at home, and a bit of the history and artistic possibilities of papermaking. Everyone will be able to make a few sheets of paper decorated with flowers and herbs to take home with them!

This class has a $5 class fee, paid to the teacher at time of class.
Emma Percy (they/them) is an eco-artist, herbalist, and community organizer based in the Upper Valley region of Vermont. They primarily work in fiber arts and book arts and have been teaching community workshops in these fields since 2015. Learn more online at www.emmapercy.com.

Sophia Snow, LMT

A woman with blonde hair smiling outdoors in a wooded area during daytime, wearing a brown and yellow jacket, a plaid scarf, and a black earring.

The study of herbalism gives us many tools to work with both acute and chronic pain, from gentle daily nourishment to powerful medicines in moments of crisis. This introductory workshop offers an overview of the myriad gifts our plant allies have to offer when dealing with the physical, mental, and emotional impact of pain, and offers a holistic lens on the ways we can tend our various bodily systems through discomfort. We will explore what plant medicine has to offer when used internally, topically, and on the energetic/spiritual level as well.
Sophia Snow arrived here from her home in Scotland 18 years ago. She completed her first herbal apprenticeship through Misty Meadows Herbal Center in Lee, NH in 2016 due to a strong desire to better understand and connect to this land, and went on to devote five years to the study of shamanic herbalism and earth-based ritual at the Wisdom School of Sophia here in Montague. She is a lifelong learner, massage therapist specializing in myofascial release, 2nd generation Scottish storyteller, folk musician, mother, and ordained priestess celebrating the Celtic Wheel of the Year. Learn more at sophiasnowlmt.com

Kim Geisler
on Transcending Roots

A woman kneeling on grass with yellow flowers, holding a butterfly net, and smiling, with a background of tall trees in a wooded area.

Your kitchen is more powerful than you think! In this workshop, discover how common herbs and ingredients right from your pantry, fridge, and spice cabinet can become natural remedies for everyday ailments. We’ll explore kitchen-based solutions for cold and flu relief, stress, headaches, first aid, digestive upsets, and more!
Together, we’ll get hands-on, crafting a garlic or onion honey and experimenting with other practical, easy-to-make remedies that support wellness from the heart of your home. Join us to unlock the healing potential hidden in your kitchen essentials!
Kimberly Geisler is the clinical and folk herbalist, medicine woman, and educator behind Transcending Roots Apothecary. For over two decades, she has devoted herself to the alchemy of plants—studying, protecting, and sharing their wisdom to support others on their healing journeys. In 2019, she opened a Philadelphia apothecary and community space, delivering grassroots herbal remedies door-to-door during the pandemic. After moving to the Berkshires in 2022, Kimberly began building a botanical sanctuary and education center. In 2024, the Philadelphia store closed, allowing Transcending Roots to evolve online and into the sanctuary lands of Western Massachusetts where she continues her work. Learn more at Transcendingroots.com

Classes & Teachers