The Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine near Asheville NC offers classes in the tradition of Roots Herbalism - the kind where your hands get dirty as you develop life-long relationships with plants. Our classroom is the outdoors - garden, forest, field, mountain, and stream. We hold no indoor classes except during inclement weather or insect challenges.
Learning about the plants in person, where they grow, engages the senses as we smell, touch, see, and often taste our green allies. This intimate and holistic approach helps us to integrate all we learn about plants as food and medicine. Blending spirituality and the study of life, we honor the traditions of our elders as well as useful knowledge gained through scientific exploration. Reverence for the sacredness of all life is part of our guiding philosophy and inspiration.
Our model of teaching involves experiential or hands-on learning. Rather than simply talking about a wild plant as food, we spend time together gathering wild edibles and preparing vital, delicious meals. We learn sustainable wildcrafting through the many hours spent on field trips ethically gathering wild medicinals and preparing tinctures, teas, and oils. Students will complete our program with a full natural medicine chest created by their own hands from fresh bioregional or organically grown herbs.
We do not limit our focus to medical herbalism, but instead offer a total plant experience through our study of Botany, Sustainable Wildcrafting, Plant Ecology, Plant Identification, Wild Foods, Organic Gardening, and Permaculture.
http://www.chestnutherbs.com