Learn how to identify, harvest, prepare, and use medicinal plants.
- Do you want to take the power of healing into your own hands?
- Are you curious how our ancestors successfully navigated healing in relationship with the living world?
- Do you want to learn to recognize and work with plant allies?
- Are you drawn to wildcrafting, but feel intimidated?
Then, this wildcrafting and medicine making, herbalist class is for you! This class will empower you to identify and utilize plants—both wild and cultivated—for healing and vitality.
Join our inspired and experienced team of herbalists, artisans, and ethnobotanists for this four day intensive. You’ll leave with a basket full of homemade medicines (made by you!). Plus, you’ll gain the knowledge of how to make more—from plants growing all around you.
My experience in the Wildcrafting and Medicine Making Intensive was beyond all expectations. I left with a wealth of knowledge from different perspectives and traditions that has already deeply changed and nurtured my relationship with the land where I live. The teachers created a space where mutual respect, curiosity, and support could thrive. I’m so excited to take more Wild Abundance courses!
– Ali, Writer, North Carolina
What to expect in this wildcrafting class and herbalist class:
We’ll cover all aspects of wildcrafting herbal medicines.
Starting with a wild plants walk, we’ll learn traditional uses of medicinal herbs, and how to make decoctions, infusions, herbal honeys, cordials, tinctures, oxymels, salves, and more.
We’ll cover plant identification, and the ethics and safety of harvesting, along with medicinal herb cultivation and wild foods cookery.
At the beautiful, lush Wild Abundance Sanford Way campus, we’ll explore both wild and cultivated medicinal herbs and wild edibles. Experienced and talented herbalist instructors will guide you in learning to make multiple medicines to fill your apothecary. When these knowledgeable teachers walk you through how to make herbal preparations, you’ll feel confident making your own after the class. Throughout the long weekend of wildcrafting, we’ll make and enjoy tasty herbal treats.
The fields and forest become your pharmacy when you learn wildcrafting and herbal medicine-making.
This herbalist class covers:
Plant Identification
How to get to know wild plants, even if you’ve never met them before, plus how to ID common medicinals and how NOT to confuse them with poisonous plants.
Ethical Wildcrafting Practices
How to harvest responsibly, maintaining healthy wild plant populations through wild tending.
Growing and Propagating Medicinal Herbs at Home
How to start and maintain your own herb garden.
Wild Foods Preparation and Cooking
How to confidently cook wild foods, turning them into delicious meals.
In this herbal workshop you will make and actually get to take home:
In this herbal workshop you will make and actually get to take home:Herbal Salves
Topical medicine for skin healing
Herbal Tinctures
Concentrated, shelf-stable plant extracts
Herbal Liqueurs and Cordials
Fun and scrumptious healing drinks
Oxymels
Tasty herbal tonics made with vinegar and honey
Integrating Herbalism and Wildcrafting into our Lives
Our students leave not only feeling equipped to wildcraft medicinal herbs themselves, but also inspired and motivated to incorporate these plant allies into their lives. It’s one thing to know how to identify wild plants, or to understand how to turn leaves into an herbal preparation; we take a step beyond this.
Our team of instructors—plant lovers who have been wildcrafting for years—actually have relationships with these herbs and use them on a regular basis.
Throughout this herbalist class they will share with you bigger reflections like: how they make time to get out into the woods to wildcraft; guidance for growing herbs even if you don’t have a garden; recipes for herbal delights that can be consumed daily and aren’t just for acute conditions; and much more.
We’re excited about plants (can you tell?), and we can’t wait to share our excitement with you.
During the class we’ll make several of these “everyday” herbal goodies and enjoy them together:
During the class we’ll make several of these “everyday” herbal goodies and enjoy them together:Infusions
Easy, tasty teas made from leaves and flowers steeped in hot water
Decoctions
Rich, flavorful teas made from leaves, barks, roots and berries, slow-simmered to perfection (think spiced chai, yum!)
Wildcrafted “Weed” Salad
A colorful and flavorful alternative to plain old lettuce that is higher in nutrients and healing properties
Delight in wildcrafting with the delicious, healing gifts given by the plants.
“[It was an] amazing weekend with so much information from really talented and generous teachers. It surpassed my expectations in so many ways: from the knowledge shared, to the kindness and practical experience that I can apply immediately to my everyday life. The plant walks, the stories, the open flame cooking, and medicine making were all engaging and practical … and as a long time practicing herbalist and teacher myself, I have a high bar!”
– Caroline, Doctor of Acupuncture & Chinese Herbal Medicine, New Jersey
“Becky is so down to earth, warm, and welcoming. This class has transformed how I experience nature and taught me a plethora of useful information on how to utilize local, foraged plants. I’m so excited to learn and experience more in future classes!”
– Lexie, Medical Laboratory Technologist, North Carolina
Instructors
Becky Beyer
Rebecca Beyer (she/her) is an Appalachian folk herbalist, huntress, and wild food forager dedicated to living simply on the Earth. She has taught and presented at universities, conferences and gatherings over the last nine years with the hope of showing people that living a seasonal life grounded in connection with the Old Ways is possible. ...
Brandon Ruiz
Brandon Ruiz (he/him) is a Community Herbalist and Urban Farmer based in Charlotte, NC. His farming project Yucayeke Farms focuses on providing equal and affordable access to herbal medicine and culturally-relevant foods to his community. He specializes in medicines of his native Puerto Rico, throughout the Caribbean and Appalachia.
Tyson Sampson
Tyson Sampson (they/them/he/him) is an Eastern Band Cherokee Indian (ᎠᏳᏫᏯ ᎨᏯᏔᎯᎤᏁᏉᎳᏗᏍᎩ). Tyson has been educating about harvesting and processing regional flora for 21 years. “As a kid I always thought we gathered food from the woods because we were poor. As an adult I realized we went to the forest because it brought joy to ...
Kearsley Tate Schweller
Kearsley (she/her) is the bioregional Chef, folk herbalist, & artist cooking up local flavors in Kearsley’s Kitchen. She shares her seasonally inspired meals and musings in the form of pop-up dinners, private catering, wildcrafted herbal elixirs, & seasonal cookbooks that detail her favorite recipes, herbal remedies, and rituals for connecting with each season. In 2018 ...Class Location
This class is held in Barnardsville, at the Wild Abundance Sanford Way Campus
Wild Abundance’s original home campus is on Sanford Way in Barnardsville, NC. It boasts many gorgeous and functional features, all crafted lovingly by ourselves and our community of students, friends, and neighbors. We’ve got a bountiful leaf-shaped organic permaculture garden; a food forest including delectable perennial beds; a log cabin built out of trees from our own growing forest with a light straw clay addition; a cob oven; an outdoor classroom/wood shop topped with solar panels, and a stunning wattle and daub outdoor kitchen and classroom featuring a handmade sun motif sculpted out of clay by the hands of our students. This campus is tucked cozily within a small neighborhood on a narrow gravel road. It’s a year-round home to our director, Natalie Bogwalker, and her family. It takes about 25 minutes to get here from Asheville.
Please note: our campuses are all unconventional, with rustic amenities and uneven ground. Read more about our campuses here.
Local Accommodations and Facilities
Wherever you’re coming from, you’re welcome to pitch a tent in one of our flat camping spots in the woods or field, or to tie a hammock in the forest. If you live locally, you may prefer to commute to Wild Abundance from Asheville (25-30 minute drive). If you choose to camp, please bring your own bedding and rainproof tent or tarp. In the early spring and late fall it can be cold at night, so please bring warm bedding if you’ll be here before May or after September. We have a lovely outdoor kitchen equipped with a stove and running water, an outdoor shower, and an outhouse available to campers. In extremely cold weather, the sink and shower may be out of operation due to water freezing.
If you prefer something with more creature comforts, we suggest you browse Airbnb for numerous options close to the campus. You can also check out local motels and B&Bs within a 10-15 minute drive to Wild Abundance. We’ll send a list of links to several options (with varying amenities and prices) in a welcome letter upon registration.
Registration Info
Pricing for Wildcrafting and Medicine Making Intensive
Regular Pricing: $750 – $1,500
Please pay what you can afford. The median price is suggested to help cover the full cost of hosting this class. Please select the low end of the sliding scale if you are low income. If your household income is over $115,000/year, please select the maximum fee. Please place yourself in this range where you deem appropriate, based on your income.
Course Date:
- Sep 21-24, 2023