An essential component of an herbalist’s “toolkit,” materia medica is a compendium of knowledge of a large number of healing plants. Traditionally, herbalists and medicine people have had a working knowledge of 150-500 medicinal herbs, wisdom passed down through the millennia of oral and written history. These Materia Medica courses honor the spirit of this ancient tradition, passing on the ever-evolving knowledge to interested students. Classes offer clear, concise and thorough information on medicinal herbs, enough data for a sound working knowledge of what a plant can do from the viewpoints of several herbal traditions. Class is open to newcomers, enthusiasts, and to those with an herbal background wishing to deepen their understanding of herbalism and expand their materia medica repertoire.

During each class, we will investigate 5 herbs of either the Western or Chinese herbal traditions. Areas covered include:

• Plant names: including scientific names (genus and species), common names, aliases, botanical family
  
• Parts used and Gathering Times
  
• Tastes and Energetics: includes first-hand experience tasting herbs discussed
  
• Description and Location
  
• Chemical Constituents
  
• Medicinal Uses: including Western, Chinese, and Indigenous traditions
  
• Cautions and Contraindications
  
• Preparations and Dosages, including teas (infusions/decoctions), extracts (alcohol and glycerin), oils, and more
  
• Triune Classification and Red Flag Symptoms
  
• Miscellaneous Information: name origins, edibility, cosmetic and other uses, traditional/folkloric uses, magical uses.

Students sample herbal medicines (when available) as extracts and/or teas to gain first-hand experience of the plants’ tastes and energetics. Students also get to choose one herb (1-ounce bottle, retail value $10-$15) discussed that evening for further investigation.

Students wishing to take intermediate and advanced courses in Clearpath School of Herbal Medicine must first complete at least 4 units of Materia Medica

Example of a Materia Medica sheet

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"
In-depth exploration of 175-200 medicinal herbs from around the world, with emphasis on Western Native and Introduced Plants, and Chinese Herbs"

It is said that long ago the Two-legged Nation (humans) forgot the One Language shared by all of Creation. We now live in a time where we have grown perilously separate – to the detriment of all life – from the rest of Creation. Most Earth-based cultures have considered our world, and everything in it, to be alive and conscious. We humans are the youngest and most naive of all the creatures. There is an essential wisdom to be learned from our elders, the animals, the plants, and the Elements, who are patiently waiting to be remembered and recognized.

Steeped in First Nation (Native American) tradition, this three-part, experiential, in-the-field course helps us return to the fold of the One Language by way of the Green Nation of plants. Over the course of three class sessions of increasing subtlety, theoretical knowledge and intellectual curiosity eventually give way to intuition and direct experience as we engage Nature on its own terms. By course’s end, participants will have gained a set of tools that will have expanded and deepened their native intelligence and intuition so that they can better communicate – and commune – with Nature and all of their fellow beings.

We will first engage the One Language through our physical senses, meeting the Green Nation in its own realm, learning how plants speak to us through their preferred habitats, form, color, taste and aroma. We will learn to identify plants, and to read what they are telling us about their qualities and their uses as food or medicine. Participants will learn valuable exercises and tools for experiencing nature in a deeper way.

With our heightened awareness from the physical study of plants, we will now connect with plants at a deeper level, seeing them as the sentient beings they are, and not as the unconscious life forms modern culture would have us believe they are. We will encounter plants as living, breathing personalities. We will learn about plant societies, plant tribes and sacred plant elders. This wiser understanding of the plant world will reveal how we can make and use medicines that work more profoundly on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels – deepening the healing available to ourselves, our families and our communities.

In this class, we enter fully into the realm of the Subtle, or Intuitive, Language. Indigenous cultures speak of the One Language shared by all life, elements, and energies. The One Language is present all around us and within us, but we have forgotten how to access it. This class investigates methods and tools – gifts each of us already possesses – that reconnect us with the One Language. Emphasis will be placed on direct “communing,” or “attuning” with the plants that call to us, to which we are drawn, and we will learn how to approach these plants in respectful, sacred ways. Participants are asked to bring notebooks, pens, colored pencils, even musical instruments, for plants speak to us and through us in many ways.

In all three classes participants will learn ways to continue to open their minds and hearts and deepen their re-connection with plants, Nature, and the One Language. We all have the potential and capacity to re-learn this connected way of being with our true home. It does, however, require practice, patience and persistence. Nature is always there, waiting for us, singing to us, but we must at least walk through the doorway.

Come prepared with comfortable shoes and clothing for light hiking (take into account inclement weather, sun screen, bug protection, adequate water and snacks).

Wildcrafting and medicine making are essential and soul gratifying aspects of an herbalist's trade and passion. It is a cross-cultural human practice that is older than history. Conscientious wildcrafting is the ethical gathering of plants not purposefully sowed in one's garden. We herbalists claim that medicines derived from plants that grow wild (or escape from the garden to make it on their own) are stronger and more vital than their cultivated cousins. Conscientious wildcrafters adhere strongly to a set of ethical rules drawn from First Nation teachings and contemporary herbalists, placing the welfare of the plant population's health and welfare above all else. Intention, honor and respect for the medicines and foods provided by nature are the hallmarks of ethical herbalists and wildcrafters throughout the world. Medicines made in the same fashion are of a higher virtue, containing not only the vital energy of the plant, but also the mindful intentions of the gatherer and medicine making. These workshops are full days, not only because it is fun and spirit enriching, but also because the plants deserve that level of respect and commitment.

Although these workshops emphasize wildcrafted plants, time is sometimes spent gathering and processing cultivated plants as well, as this is also a vital part of an herbalist's trade. And as it is so often happens, wild medicinals that we often call weeds are growing side by side with cultivated plants or in the paths between the garden beds. Workshops may lead us deep into field and forest, or right out our back doors.

Workshop format:

Morning Session: Wildcrafting (2.5 hours)

• Conscientious Wildcrafting (the politics of ethical plant gathering, drawn from First Nation teachings)
  
• Herbs and Lunar Calendar (practical information for part of plant picked)
  
• Medicine, food, and other uses (historical, modern scientific, traditional folkloric) of herbs gathered
  
• Plant Identification (of plants picked as well as others observed during workshop)

Lunch: 1 hour (bring food and beverage) and casual, relevant conversation

Afternoon Session: Medicine Making (2.5 hours)

• Hands-on folkloric tincture making and/or oil making (includes garbling)
  
• Information for making scientific tinctures
  
• Advice for proper drying and storage of plants not tinctured for use as tea
  In depth medicinal information of herbs gathered (uses, dosage, cautions)

Materials Supplied: hand-outs, tools, materials for tinctures and infusions

What to Bring:

• 2-4 small (8-16 oz.) wide-mouth jars with secure lids for preparations to be taken home
  
• Garden gloves (if you have favorite garden tools or knife, bring them along)
  
• Several bags for storage of plants to be dried and taken home
  
• Be prepared for sun exposure, weather changes, bugs, damp ground
  Notebook

These seasonal habitat walks celebrate the natural wonder and beauty of western New England, and are a favorite of many who take Clearpath School of Herbal Medicine courses and classes. These walks are usually co-led by myself and Steve Linscott -- herbalist, naturalist, lifelong New England native, and a devout explorer and enthusiast of the outdoors. No matter how much we humans may have insulated ourselves from nature, we are still part of it, and our body, mind, heart and spirit crave to be in it. Walking in the woods, across a meadow, or along the edges of a bog, we are reminded of what really matters. The natural world speaks to our souls, to a deep longing in our blood and bones, and fills our hearts and minds with a renewed sense of wonder and peace. We remember how to “be,” how to slow down to the speed and rhythms of nature. It allows our senses to deepen, widen, and soften, and it invites us to both surrender to and engage with Gaia and the “wildness” that is still and always within us.

More than just plant identification, these mild-to-moderate hikes are filled with information about plants, animals, ecosystems, natural history, folklore, traditional stories and personal anecdotes, and an openness to whatever surprises may come our way. The walks also include sensory awareness skill development, time to share, and time to be quiet.

We keep things fresh by not adhering to a strict and set format, preferring to visit different ecosystems at different times of the year, and discovering and exploring new places. One year we may visit a bog in the spring, another time in the summer. We do, however, make it a point to visit hardwood forests in the autumn, so that we may be awed by one of New England's wonders – Fall Foliage. We also do not shun ecosystems that have been affected by or border humans. The greatest diversity is often found along “edges,” and though some of us may think that we have been separated from nature, nature herself knows otherwise. It is interesting and important to recognize and understand how nature reclaims land once used and abused by human impact.

What to Bring:

• good hiking footwear and hat (sun may be strong, rain may appear)
  
• day packs
  
• sun and bug protection
  
• clothes appropriate to the season and adaptable to changing weather patterns
  
• food and beverage for lunch and snacks
  
• notebook

Steve Linscott Biography: For over a decade, Steve has studied with many of the most respected herbalists of our time. His knowledge of physical, emotional and spiritual healing draws on such diverse sources as Native American, Chinese, Eclectic, European and Tibetan traditions. These studies, combined with a deep connection to the natural world from having spent his life out in the fields and forests of New England and elsewhere, give him a unique perspective on the connections between people an the many other beings we share this earth with.

Herbal medicine making is an indispensable and rewarding facet of an herbalist's practice and trade. For many people, making preparations becomes a lifelong passion. Indeed, many of the familiar products made by major herbal-based product companies filling the shelves in stores near you started out as small kitchen-based hobbies of “green” herbal enthusiasts who “caught the bug” after attending workshops just like these. Making herbal preparations is as old as civilization, and it is not a skill reserved solely for chemists and pharmacists. Anyone can make herbal preparations that are potent and practical, using tools, appliances and ingredients readily available in the kitchen and obtainable from stores and nature. Medicines made by our own hands have a power all their own, infused with our unique touch, our care, love and pride. Herbal medicines are vital additions to our cupboard, medicine cabinet and growing apothecary. They can be much-appreciated gifts – of healing, joy, and beauty – for others, as well as an integral part of a professional herbalist's income.

This workshop focuses on water-based herbal preparations and hydrotherapy. Along with eating fresh herbs, water-based preparations are the oldest and most popular form of administering herbal remedies in the world. We begin by celebrating water itself, which, after awareness and breathing, is the most effective medicine known to humans. We will explore hands-on how to make effective herbal remedies based in water, from simple infusions and decoctions to steam inhalation therapy, compresses, poultices, eye-cups, hand and foot baths. We will touch upon other forms of hydrotherapy, including netti pots, sitz baths, medicinal showers, wet saunas, and herbal enemas. Science, history, folklore, and personal anecdote will be shared throughout. The class includes clear medicinal information about the herbs used, as well as practical information about how and when each preparation is most appropriate for use. Acadia Herbals stocks dried herbs and essential oils of the highest quality, as well as jars and other materials. Come prepared to drink a lot of tea and get a little wet.

Bring food and drink for a lunch break (to-go food also available nearby in restaurants and cafes, and some snacks available at Acadia Herbals).

Cost: $50

This workshop focuses on oil-based herbal preparations, exploring hands-on how to make medicinal oils and salves from a variety of plants. We begin by exploring the medicinal properties of oils themselves, and how they have been used throughout the ages for healing, vitality and beauty. We will then explore how different herb-infused oils can be healing foods and/or topical medicines, depending on the plants and oils used. Discover how simple it is to turn oils into salves. Learn what herbs work best for oil preparations, which oils work best as solvents, when it is appropriate to use heat, and how to extend the shelf-life of finished products. The class includes clear medicinal information about the herbs and oils used, as well as practical information about how and when each preparation is most appropriate for use. There will be medicinal oils and salves to take home, a retail value upward to $25. Most materials provided. Jars designed specifically for storing and preserving finished oils and salves are available for sale at Acadia Herbals.

What to Bring:

• 2-4 small wide-mouth mason jars (8-12 oz) and/or baby food jars with lids.
  
• Food and drink for a lunch break (to-go food also available nearby in restaurants and cafes, and some snacks available at Acadia Herbals).

Cost: $65

This workshop focuses on simple tincture making using the maceration method of extraction. Although distilled alcohol extractions are a more recent development in human history as compared to water-based and oil-based preparations, it has become a cornerstone of the contemporary herbalist's pharmacy. Potent, long lasting, and convenient, tinctures can be combined to make complex formulas that would be much harder to prepare if attempted on top of the stove with water. We begin by exploring the medicinal uses of the solvents themselves, including distilled alcohol, wine, vinegar, and glycerin. We will then make simple herbal extracts in both the folkloric and scientific tradition (what’s available in most health stores) using dried herbs and fresh herbs (dependent on season). Learn which kinds of herbs require low or high concentrations of alcohol and why, when it is important to add other solvents such as glycerin or vinegar, and how to care for and eventually press out the maceration. The class includes clear medicinal information about the herbs used, as well as practical information about when and how much of each preparation is most appropriate. There will herbal macerations to take home, a retail value up to $200 or more. Most materials provided. Wide mouth jars with lids are available for sale Acadia Herbals.

What to Bring:

• 2-4 wide mouth mason jars (8-16oz), or empty, glass nut butter jars
  
• Food and drink for a lunch break (to-go food also available nearby in restaurants and cafes, and some snacks available at Acadia Herbals).

Cost: $75

This advanced tincture-making workshop revisits alcohol-based herbal preparations. It explores hands-on how to make high-quality medicinal extracts that require extra steps to draw out the vital components and to re-direct the energetics of the herbal medicine toward a desired goal. Depending on the herb used, various cooking techniques are used prior to macerating the herb in alcohol. Learn what herbs require this special attention, including clear medicinal information about the herbs used, as well as practical information about how and when each preparation is most appropriate for use. There will herbal macerations to take home, a retail value up to $200 or more. Most materials provided. Wide mouth jars with lids are available for sale Acadia Herbals.

What to Bring:

• 2-4 wide mouth mason jars (8-16oz), or empty, glass nut butter jars
  
• Food and drink for a lunch break (to-go food also available nearby in restaurants and cafes, and some snacks available at Acadia Herbals).

Cost: $75

This workshop focuses on medicines that we take into our bodies not through the mouth but through the nose. We begin with a discussion of aromatherapy, and how scents and the sense of smell exert a powerful influence on the the mind, memory, emotions and nervous system. We then explore this directly and experientially through our noses, utilizing herbal-based scents available at Acadia Herbals, discovering for ourselves which aromas are calming, uplifting, stimulating, clarifying, and more. preparing herbal incenses. We will design, make and share dry incense blends, as well as make smudge sticks from freshly harvested plants (dependent on season), incense cones, and potpourri. The class includes clear medicinal information about the herbs used, as well as practical information about when it is most appropriate to use them. Materials provided by Acadia Herbals and Clearpath Herbals.

Cost: $65