Herbal School Homepage

Northeast School of Botanical Medicine 2009-Field Trip-ColoradoNSBM Class 2009-San Juan NF, CO

Please Note

The School will not be running in 2012 (but will again in 2013). The last time I took a year off, there were many more applicants than spaces the year before. So if you are interested in attending, please let me know soon. It is highly recommended to visit the school while it is in session. This will you give you a first-hand account of whether it is a good program for you, and also interview time with me. Potential students can visit until early November.

As usual, there are many folks applying for the apprenticeship,so if you are interested please contact me soon. All potential apprentices must visit at least once, and soon would be good time. For anyone interested in the apprenticeship, please consider being a student instead for a number of reasons, but also because the odds are much better.

Thanks, 7Song

Welcome to the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine's website. Within, you will find current and relevant information about the herb school and its herbal education programs, a place to view and download a variety of handouts and photos about herbs and tangentially related subjects, and other areas where 7Song actively participates, such as the Ithaca Free Clinic.

Northeast School of Botanical MedicineNortheast School of Botanical Medicine-Ithaca, NY

Thank you for taking the time to search us out. Our goal is to help everyone find a herbal program that meets their needs, as well as offering tools (such as photos) to help anyone gain insights into the beauty and practical utility of herbal medicine.

For those interested in the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine Program 2010

There are still 3 spaces for students as of March 23, so please let me know if you are interested.  You do not need to come and apply in person, but it would be prudent and insightful if you do.

NSBM 2009-Late Autumn in an Ithacan FieldNSBM 2009-hidden in the Goldenrod

Upcoming Classes by 7Song

Traditions of Western Herbalism-September 17-19. This conference is in northern New Mexico at the Ghost Ranch, a place of stark beauty. I look forward to teaching partly because teachers were admonished to teach something they are excited about but don't often teach. I am teaching 3 classes. "Adventures in Wildcrafting" is based on my 25 years of gathering plants around the US. "How Herbalist's can Integrate with Integrity".is drawn partly from my work at the Ithaca Free Clinic. This class will focus on how herbalist's can practice in clinics and alongside doctors and other health care modalities.  I will also lead a plant walk to help folks learn the plants that inhabit this region.

Green Nations Gathering-September 24-26. This conference has been a tradition in the Northeast for close to 20 years. It is held in Rowe, MA, within the confines of a handsome copse of woodlands. I will be teaching "Introduction to Clinical Skills and Intake" to help beginning and intermediate herbalist learn to assess patients and design formulas and treatment. As per my usual M.O. I will lead a plant walk in the meadows and forest here.

American Herbalist Guild Symposium 'The New American Herbalism'-October 1-3 in Austin, Texas. This conference is generally geared for practicing herbalists to heighten their skills by having well-practiced herbalists teach subjects in which they have a lot of experience. And of course there is all the good Tex-Mex around Austin. I will be teaching "Herbalists and Herbal Medicine at Free Clinics". This class will cover my work at the Ithaca Free Clinic, as well as working abroad. It will give herbalist's practical tools to integrate with existing clinics or considerations for starting their own. I will also give a plant walk to see what is popping up around Austin in early October.

Restorative Medicine Conference-October 17-21, Moab, Utah. This conference is geared toward physicians (ND's, MD's) and other practicing clinicians. I will doing plant walks in this incredible landscape, and discussing uses of these xerophytes.


 

Jocelyn preparing Scutellaria lateriflora

Herb Student Apprenticeship Program 2011 (please read if interested)

I am currently interviewing students for 2011. As I am not teaching in 2012, there are more applicants than usual. 

As there is room for only 3 apprenticex please consider being a student. It's not such a bad thing and honestly there are advantages as well.  I write this as the odds are much greater for you to get in, if you really are interested in the program.

There are some specific skills that I look for i amongst apprentices. None of these are requirements, they just make my life easier. They include mad computer skill to help me with the myriad problems that arise from software and hardware frustrations (I use a PC and a Mac). Also folks with some solid experience in building and gardening. These are not a requirement, but I thought I'd let you know. Of course I am mainly looking for dedicated, trustworthy, fun-loving, clinical-oriented , hard working folks.

 

2010 Syllabi

The syllabi for both classes are posted in the handout section (bottom of this page).

Bee on a Rafinesquia neomexicana (Desert Chicory) in Organ Pipe NM

 Weekend Herbal Program (One weekend per month)

Students applying for this program do not need to come in for an interview, but it would be helpful for both you and the interview process if you did come in and sit in on a class during the school year. To apply, please call or email.

 A Note on Field Trips in the Weekend Program

There are no extended field trips except for 1 day excursions in the Weekend Program. I write this as many people have either been excited to go on them, or do not have the time. Due to time constraints, the longer field trips are only for the 3-day weekly class (which includes apprentices).

 

Photos

Box turtle shell, Payne's Prairie near Gainesville, FL

This website contains something that I have long been wanting to do. That is, there is an area to display the thousands of plant and other photos that I have been taking for years. Most of the plant photos were keyed-out (identified) by myself, so I hope they can be useful to help others in plant identification. There are just a small selection of photos available at the moment, as they take a long time to upload to the site, please check back as I continually add new photos. They are not copyrighted in any way, so use them freely (though I would appreciate recognition if you use them).  Besides plant photos, there are photos of people (mainly students), animals, insects, places, injuries and other objects of my fancy. I hope you find them useful.

 

Herbal Handouts

This section contains a number of handouts used in the classes, the school application, a health intake form and various other forms and informative material. There is a wide variety of topics here, so please browse and copy any that you may be helpful. The handout section is similar to the below herb articles area, the main difference is that the herb articles are not in pdf format and not necessarily used in classes. I suggest perusing both sections to find herbal information of personal interest.

 

Herb Articles

This section is where I have put up a number of articles relating to herbs, books, or any subject that did not make it to the handouts sections. There are a number of plant identification field guide reviews there, book reports on the plant guides I have used to identify plants in my travels. More articles will continually be placed here.

 

Herb Student Web Board

There is an area on the website for past and present herbal students' use to submit stories, photos, and other whimsies. If you would like to post a memento, anecdote or other device, please send it to 7Song. There is also a yahoo chat group for students to join to stay in touch. For more information on either of these, please see the Student Contact Info under the Students button above.

I would like to thank all the herb students and teachers who have passed through the school and through my life, which has enriched it considerably. Many of you have become friends and peers and I am grateful for your presences.

NSBM 2009 field trip-San Juan NF, CO