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Herbal Apprenticeship
“The physician treats, but nature heals.”
— Hippocrates
Step into the world of medicinal plants through hands-on learning, plant walks, and herbal preparations. Apprentices explore the science, tradition, and living relationship between plants, the human body, and the natural world, while building strong observation and writing skills through herbal journaling.
Leap into the world of herbalism through hands-on work, observation, and lively discussion. This apprenticeship invites teens to explore the ancient art and science of plant medicine while developing a deeper relationship with the natural world.
Throughout the fall session, apprentices will begin building a repertoire of both local and traditional medicinal plants. Together, we will learn to decode the language of plants through observational work, harvesting, herbal preparations, and guided lectures. Along the way, we will continually reflect on how the wisdom of plants mirrors our own human systems.
Through the study of anatomy and physiology, apprentices will explore the body’s organ systems, including the extracellular matrix, and how herbal medicines interact with and support the body. We will discuss common imbalances that can arise within each system and explore how traditional herbal frameworks account for the influences of the elements, seasonal rhythms, and lunar cycles.
Through botany and herbal pharmacology, students will examine the microcosm within plants themselveswhat gives each plant its unique properties, how plant constituents function, and how the environment shapes medicinal potency.
The study of lunar cycles and natural rhythms will also guide our learning, helping apprentices understand how herbalists historically observed nature to inform planting, harvesting, and preparation.
Whether you are simply curious about herbs or feel called toward deeper herbal studies, this apprenticeship offers a rich introduction that cultivates both practical skills and reverence for the living world.
Students will leave the program with a deeper understanding of medicinal plants, the human body, and the interconnected relationship between people and the natural world.
Please note: this apprenticeship includes a strong writing and journaling component.
Class Rythum
Each gathering follows a steady rhythm of observation, study, preparation, and reflection.
Thursday | 10:00am–3:00pm
Fall $975 13 weeks
Sept 17th-Dec 17th
(closed Nov 23rd-27th)
Spring $750 10 weeks
March 4th-May 27th
(closed March 29rd-April 2nd
Opening Hour
• Community check-in and orientation
• Observational walk on the land
• Discussion of the current moon phase and seasonal rhythms
• Plant investigation and identification
• Grounding meditation with the plant of focus
Second Hour
• Break
• Intuition-building exercises
• Introduction to pulse and tongue observation
• Herbal lecture and discussion of the plant of the week
• Herbal journal and book work
Midday Break
• Community lunch
Third Hour
• Hands-on herbal preparation and activity
• Somatic exploration with plant medicine or biodynamic work in the garden
• Closing circle and reflections
• Community clean-up
Portfolio Development for College
Throughout the apprenticeship, students will create a body of written and observational work that can contribute to a college or apprenticeship portfolio. Herbal journals, plant studies, research notes, and preparation records allow students to demonstrate skills in scientific observation, analytical writing, field research, and hands-on applied learning.
This documented work can serve as portfolio material for college applications, independent study programs, or future apprenticeships in fields such as botany, environmental science, herbal medicine, agriculture, and holistic health.
Subjects Explored in the Herbology Apprenticeship
Plant Sciences
Apprentices develop an understanding of medicinal plants through direct observation, ecological study, and botanical science.
Plant Identification and Field Recognition
• Medicinal Botany and Plant Families
• Observational Field Botany and Plant Study
• Soil Health and Medicinal Plant Cultivation
• Wildcrafting and Ethical Harvesting Practices
• Plant Ecology and Environmental Influences on Medicinal Plants
• Plant Constituents and Herbal Pharmacology
• Seasonal Rhythms and Plant Life Cycles
Human Body & Herbal Medicine
Apprentices study how herbal medicine interacts with the human body while learning foundational anatomy and traditional herbal frameworks.
Anatomy and Physiology for Herbalists
• Organ Systems and Their Herbal Supports
• The Extracellular Matrix and Connective Tissue Systems
• Herbal Energetics and Traditional Herbal Systems
• Understanding Common Imbalances in Body Systems
• Pulse and Tongue Observation Techniques
• Relationship Between Plants and Human Physiology
Apothecary & Traditional Practice
Apprentices develop hands-on skills in preparing herbal remedies and building a working herbal practice.
Herbal Materia Medica (Study of Medicinal Plants)
• Herbal Preparations: Teas, Infusions, and Decoctions
• Tincture and Herbal Oil Making
• Salves, Balms, and Topical Preparations
• Syrups and Traditional Herbal Remedies
• Lunar and Seasonal Rhythms in Herbalism
• Intuitive Plant Relationship and Observation
• Herbal Journaling and Field Documentation
• Building a Personal Herbal Reference Library
Apprenticeship Outcome
“For every illness, there is a plant somewhere in the world that holds the cure.”
— Traditional Herbal Wisdom
By the end of the Herbology Apprenticeship, teens will have developed a foundational understanding of medicinal plants and their relationship to both the human body and the living ecosystem around them.
Apprentices will be able to identify a variety of medicinal herbs, understand their primary properties, and confidently prepare several basic herbal remedies.
Through observation, journaling, and hands-on preparation, students will cultivate the skills of a beginning herbalist, learning to study plants with curiosity, work respectfully with the land, and understand how herbal traditions connect plant science, human physiology, and natural rhythms.
Most importantly, apprentices will leave with a deeper relationship to the natural world and a practical framework for continuing their study of herbal medicine.
Community Faclitator
Brianna Jeffcoat
Somatic Pre & Perinatal Birth Educator | Ecology of Freedom-Based Learning Facilitator | Somatic Herbalist | Village Parent Mentor | Mother
Brianna felt the calling of the Earth from a young age and spent her days looking for fairies, talking to plants and drawing the world around her. As she grew, so did her desire to connect with the creatures around her on a more intellectual plane. Studying in horticulture, alternative medicine, and art, the language that had been so present throughout her childhood but untranslatable to the people around her started to find common words.
Brianna's first pregnancy threw her into a world of rebirth, self-discovery, and redefining. This is when she started her training under her mom, now in her wise woman years, Jennifer Jeffcoat. Through the Awakened Method, all the pieces began to come together, and her healing journey unfurled into a beautiful spiral of reorganizing beliefs.
Now, after her second pregnancy and birth, her vision has aligned and crystallized into a deep reverence for the Goddess and the knowledge she holds to share with all her children. She hears her whispers and takes her teachings to heart.
Brianna's love for the feminine Earth and all that it encompasses had led her to focus on helping mothers, women, and children find their healing path. Her embodied herbalism approach speaks to the soul of the individual while also tending to the physical body.
