Congratulations! You have been accepted into the 2025 Herbalist Training Program. Purchase this item to complete your registration for the in-person only program.
Our 2025 program will meet in person one weekend per month March through October: March 15-16, April 26-27, May 17-18, June 18-22*, July 19-20, August 16-17, September 13-14, and October 25-26.
Each day starts at 10 am and ends at approximately 5 pm. On some occasions we might stay after class for dinner and a possible campfire at the farm.
Saturday Classes
Our Saturdays will be held at Tryon Life Community Farm, 11640 SW Boones Ferry Rd, Portland, OR 97219.
This location has a limited number of parking spaces and carpooling with fellow students after the first weekend will be required. If you are driving, you will have to be willing to pick up at least one other student. If you are not driving, you have to be willing to coordinate and make it easy for whomever is giving you a lift.
The classroom yurt is comfortably heated and well lit. In our classes students and the instructor sit in a circle, some on chairs and others on pillows on the floor. Feel free to bring your favorite pillow or floor seat, although there will be some supplied.
Classes will include lecture, discussions, organoleptic medicine tasting, possible gardening, harvesting, medicine making and sometimes sharing songs.
Sunday Classes
Sunday hikes in will be held in various locations within about an hour of Portland. Carpooling to hikes is strongly encouraged. Our days in the field often include a few miles of easy to moderate hiking. We go out in all types of weather, so sometimes we spend the day in the rain and other days in bright sun. Be prepared for all types of weather with appropriate footwear, clothing, and an all-weather-embracing attitude. Each hike includes training in plant identification, ecology, medicine making, and materia medica. Harvesting may be possible on some of the hikes.
The Camping Trip - June 19-23
One of the great benefits of this program is the opportunity to camp together and spend extended time in the forest. We will spend 4 days and 4 nights in the field meeting plants, harvesting, medicine making, and enjoying each other’s company. More information about the trip, including location and supply lists, will be provided at the weekend classes.
Planning for Accommodations
For students attending from out of town, you will need to find accomodations for the night between our Saturday class and our Sunday hike. Camping at the farm is possible: contact Brenna at brenna@tryonfarm.org well in advance if you are interested in arranging a farm stay.
Homework and Certificate of Completion
Our program was created for the pure love of learning plant medicine. Attendance is the main requirement for receiving a certificate of completion. All students will complete some short and long term projects, but there is not a lot of homework. There are no exams, and no grades.
Required books
Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West, Michael Moore
Botany in a Day, Thomas Elpel
Plants of the Pacific Northwest, Pojar and MacKinnon
Handbook of Northwest Plants, Helen Gilkey, 2001 edition
Trees to Know in Oregon and Washington, Ed Jensen
Also recommended, but not required:
Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants, Scott Kloos
The Herbal Medicine Maker’s Handbook, James Green
Making Plant Medicine, Richo Cech
