Nathaniel Whitmore's
HERBAL APPRENTICESHIP
Herbal Educational Weekend Retreat Series in Glen Spey, NY
HERBAL APPRENTICESHIP
Herbal Educational Weekend Retreat Series in Glen Spey, NY
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The Herbal Apprenticeship consists of once-a-month weekends (May - October) in Glen Spey, NY that will cover the medicinal uses of herbs in the traditions of Chinese medicine and Native American medicine with a focus on local wild herbs. Alongside botany walks and medicine making opportunities, classes will focus on local herbs as they were used by Lenape and other Native tribes and how local herbs are used in Chinese herbal medicine. Clinical assessment is an additional focus, including abdomen, tongue, and pulse diagnosis.
(Formerly, the Catskill Herbal Apprenticeship, we dropped "Catskill" when we moved the program from Big Indian, NY to Glen Spey, NY.)
2020 Weekends:
May 29th - 31st
June 26th - 28th
July 17th - 19th
August 28th - 30th
September 18th - 20th
October 9th - 11th
(Friday evenings through Sunday afternoons.)
NATIVE AMERICAN ETHNOBOTANY, CHINESE MEDICINE DIAGNOSTICS, LOCAL MATERIA MEDICA, MEDICINE MAKING, PLANT WALKS...
WILD HERBS, INVASIVE HERBS, NATIVE HERBS, CHINESE HERBS...
PULSE DIAGNOSIS, TONGUE DIAGNOSIS, HARA (ABDOMEN) DIAGNOSIS, FACIAL DIAGNOSIS, MERIDIAN DIAGNOSIS...
The apprenticeship focuses on traditional uses of the materia medica (medicinal herbs) with classes on Native American ethnobotany and traditional Chinese medicine. Familiarity with the herbs will be developed during identification and harvesting walks, as well as through opportunities to make herbal preparations with a variety of fresh local herbs. Materia medica is a primary focus of the apprenticeship, as herbs are the focus of herbalism and the weekends in the forest provide the ideal atmosphere to deepen awareness of herbs and expand familiarity towards improvement in clinical abilities. Because continued education of the seemingly infinite materia medica is a necessity for the herbalist, the classes are intended to be opportunities to learn about local herbs in new light, particularly common local herbs, invasive weeds, and unique medicinals that are little-known to modern American herbalists.
The apprenticeship is designed to serve as an introduction for those who wish to learn herbal medicine, as well as an intensive focus on materia medica and diagnosis for those who are already students or practitioners of herbal medicine. The two primary arms of herbal medicine are materia medica and diagnostics. One cannot form herbal medicine without the other. They work hand in hand. However, many herbalists have deficiencies in their understanding of one or both of these two fundamental subjects. The apprenticeship is an opportunity for herbalists to deepen their understanding of the plants they work with and their assessment skills. For the beginner, the apprenticeship wastes no time in introducing the heart of herbalism. There are two tracts of classes, one for the beginner and one for advanced students. There are also classes for everyone. The beginner and advanced classes alternate with medicine making sessions. It is up to the student to decide if they which classes and medicine making sessions they want to take. (See schedule, found through "Files" link above, or the menu tab.)
Clinical assessment skills and knowhow are major areas of study in the Catskill Apprenticeship. Diagnostic skills like pulse assessment, tongue assessment, and hara (abdominal) assessment take time and experience, so the apprenticeship offers classes to study the material with hands-on practice. Diagnosis classes include discussion of herbal indications and the materia medica classes refer to diagnostic indications. So the two subjects are woven together for a truly holistic approach.
Additionally, tai chi chuan classes are offered in the mornings in order to expose students of herbalism to a more complete understanding of the range of Chinese medicine. The meridians of Chinese medicine are also a focus of the apprenticeship, being introduced during the tai chi classes and with classes on the meridians (and pressure points) and the practice of moxibustion. These four studies, materia medica, diagnosis, meridians, and chi kung offer a comprehensive study of Chinese herbal medicine for the clinical herbalist or clinical herbalist to be, uniquely holistic among herbal programs in the inclusion of the meridian theory from Chinese medicine. While Chinese medicine schools often include acupuncture and herbal studies, most American schools omit study of the meridians even if there is some focus on Chinese medicine. This has created a major deficiency in Americans' understanding of Chinese medicine.
The apprenticeship focuses on Native American herbalism. While “ethnobotany” can have an association with history, these classes are offered in the spirit of “living herbalism” and with the understanding that Native people have had a mastery of herbal medicine and that Native American herbalism is very much alive today with much to offer. Since ancient times herbal medicine has revolved around humankind’s relationship with the environment and the plants growing there. More than ever in known history it can be said that people have grown away from the natural environment and the local plants. The herbal apprenticeship is an opportunity for herbalists to connect more deeply with the green beings around us to understand how medicinal herbs can help us heal. We turn to Native American herbal knowledge, wisdom, and lore to better understand the medicinal herbs of these native lands, including the little that has been recorded.
A certificate of attendance will be awarded to participants. For those who attend the full program, a certificate of completing the 108 hours will be given. A transcript of classes taken will be included with the certificate. Those who attend for only part of the program can request a custom certificate and transcript that reflect the classes taken.
Camping is available on site. It is encouraged to camp for the full experience and to avoid spending time traveling off property to other accommodations. However, there is lodging available nearby. We recommend The Starling at Pond Eddy (https://www.thestarlingpondeddy.com/), which has offered a 20% discount to apprenticeship students. Most meals will be provided, made from local ingredients in a health-promoting way. Campfire cooking and tending is encouraged, both for the practical necessity of keeping the fire going and providing food, and for the opportunity to learn of yang energy and commune with the ancient traditions that centered around fire (What better way to learn of the the symbol of water and fire as yin and yang than to see the natural rivers and circle around the fire?). Additional help will be requested on occasion, but mostly it is just expected to observe common courtesy in the sharing of a retreat space.
The exception to provided meals is Friday night's pot luck. Since everyone will just be arriving, we ask participants to bring a dish to share. Provided meals are almost entirely vegan. If you wish to have meat, simply bring some along and cook it over the fire (we do have propane burners as well, if need be). We provide a selection of tea and herbal beverages are always available. If you wish to have coffee, simply bring some along. You can bring your own device to make it, or use what we have available (glass percolator, French press, or a pot for "cowboy coffee"). You might want to bring snacks in case you need something besides leftovers between meals. Provided food is largely Japanese style. If you are not familiar with soba and sesame salt and other such things, this will be a nice introduction to some Japanese health food. We will be using certain herbal ingredients to introduce them and methods of cooking with them. Conditions allowing, we will also eat whatever wild mushrooms we can find!
Medicine making sessions will include a guided workshop, such as tincture making or the crafting of some other form of herbal preparation, for those desiring instruction or just simply wanting to enjoy the group experience of making herbal medicine. The time is also set aside to give participants the chance to make whatever they wish from herbs they harvest or from our shared harvest. Each weekend we will have a selection of freshly harvested medicinal herbs from the garden and the wild. Herb walks and free time also provide opportunities for gathering.
(Formerly, the Catskill Herbal Apprenticeship, we dropped "Catskill" when we moved the program from Big Indian, NY to Glen Spey, NY.)
2020 Weekends:
May 29th - 31st
June 26th - 28th
July 17th - 19th
August 28th - 30th
September 18th - 20th
October 9th - 11th
(Friday evenings through Sunday afternoons.)
NATIVE AMERICAN ETHNOBOTANY, CHINESE MEDICINE DIAGNOSTICS, LOCAL MATERIA MEDICA, MEDICINE MAKING, PLANT WALKS...
WILD HERBS, INVASIVE HERBS, NATIVE HERBS, CHINESE HERBS...
PULSE DIAGNOSIS, TONGUE DIAGNOSIS, HARA (ABDOMEN) DIAGNOSIS, FACIAL DIAGNOSIS, MERIDIAN DIAGNOSIS...
The apprenticeship focuses on traditional uses of the materia medica (medicinal herbs) with classes on Native American ethnobotany and traditional Chinese medicine. Familiarity with the herbs will be developed during identification and harvesting walks, as well as through opportunities to make herbal preparations with a variety of fresh local herbs. Materia medica is a primary focus of the apprenticeship, as herbs are the focus of herbalism and the weekends in the forest provide the ideal atmosphere to deepen awareness of herbs and expand familiarity towards improvement in clinical abilities. Because continued education of the seemingly infinite materia medica is a necessity for the herbalist, the classes are intended to be opportunities to learn about local herbs in new light, particularly common local herbs, invasive weeds, and unique medicinals that are little-known to modern American herbalists.
The apprenticeship is designed to serve as an introduction for those who wish to learn herbal medicine, as well as an intensive focus on materia medica and diagnosis for those who are already students or practitioners of herbal medicine. The two primary arms of herbal medicine are materia medica and diagnostics. One cannot form herbal medicine without the other. They work hand in hand. However, many herbalists have deficiencies in their understanding of one or both of these two fundamental subjects. The apprenticeship is an opportunity for herbalists to deepen their understanding of the plants they work with and their assessment skills. For the beginner, the apprenticeship wastes no time in introducing the heart of herbalism. There are two tracts of classes, one for the beginner and one for advanced students. There are also classes for everyone. The beginner and advanced classes alternate with medicine making sessions. It is up to the student to decide if they which classes and medicine making sessions they want to take. (See schedule, found through "Files" link above, or the menu tab.)
Clinical assessment skills and knowhow are major areas of study in the Catskill Apprenticeship. Diagnostic skills like pulse assessment, tongue assessment, and hara (abdominal) assessment take time and experience, so the apprenticeship offers classes to study the material with hands-on practice. Diagnosis classes include discussion of herbal indications and the materia medica classes refer to diagnostic indications. So the two subjects are woven together for a truly holistic approach.
Additionally, tai chi chuan classes are offered in the mornings in order to expose students of herbalism to a more complete understanding of the range of Chinese medicine. The meridians of Chinese medicine are also a focus of the apprenticeship, being introduced during the tai chi classes and with classes on the meridians (and pressure points) and the practice of moxibustion. These four studies, materia medica, diagnosis, meridians, and chi kung offer a comprehensive study of Chinese herbal medicine for the clinical herbalist or clinical herbalist to be, uniquely holistic among herbal programs in the inclusion of the meridian theory from Chinese medicine. While Chinese medicine schools often include acupuncture and herbal studies, most American schools omit study of the meridians even if there is some focus on Chinese medicine. This has created a major deficiency in Americans' understanding of Chinese medicine.
The apprenticeship focuses on Native American herbalism. While “ethnobotany” can have an association with history, these classes are offered in the spirit of “living herbalism” and with the understanding that Native people have had a mastery of herbal medicine and that Native American herbalism is very much alive today with much to offer. Since ancient times herbal medicine has revolved around humankind’s relationship with the environment and the plants growing there. More than ever in known history it can be said that people have grown away from the natural environment and the local plants. The herbal apprenticeship is an opportunity for herbalists to connect more deeply with the green beings around us to understand how medicinal herbs can help us heal. We turn to Native American herbal knowledge, wisdom, and lore to better understand the medicinal herbs of these native lands, including the little that has been recorded.
A certificate of attendance will be awarded to participants. For those who attend the full program, a certificate of completing the 108 hours will be given. A transcript of classes taken will be included with the certificate. Those who attend for only part of the program can request a custom certificate and transcript that reflect the classes taken.
Camping is available on site. It is encouraged to camp for the full experience and to avoid spending time traveling off property to other accommodations. However, there is lodging available nearby. We recommend The Starling at Pond Eddy (https://www.thestarlingpondeddy.com/), which has offered a 20% discount to apprenticeship students. Most meals will be provided, made from local ingredients in a health-promoting way. Campfire cooking and tending is encouraged, both for the practical necessity of keeping the fire going and providing food, and for the opportunity to learn of yang energy and commune with the ancient traditions that centered around fire (What better way to learn of the the symbol of water and fire as yin and yang than to see the natural rivers and circle around the fire?). Additional help will be requested on occasion, but mostly it is just expected to observe common courtesy in the sharing of a retreat space.
The exception to provided meals is Friday night's pot luck. Since everyone will just be arriving, we ask participants to bring a dish to share. Provided meals are almost entirely vegan. If you wish to have meat, simply bring some along and cook it over the fire (we do have propane burners as well, if need be). We provide a selection of tea and herbal beverages are always available. If you wish to have coffee, simply bring some along. You can bring your own device to make it, or use what we have available (glass percolator, French press, or a pot for "cowboy coffee"). You might want to bring snacks in case you need something besides leftovers between meals. Provided food is largely Japanese style. If you are not familiar with soba and sesame salt and other such things, this will be a nice introduction to some Japanese health food. We will be using certain herbal ingredients to introduce them and methods of cooking with them. Conditions allowing, we will also eat whatever wild mushrooms we can find!
Medicine making sessions will include a guided workshop, such as tincture making or the crafting of some other form of herbal preparation, for those desiring instruction or just simply wanting to enjoy the group experience of making herbal medicine. The time is also set aside to give participants the chance to make whatever they wish from herbs they harvest or from our shared harvest. Each weekend we will have a selection of freshly harvested medicinal herbs from the garden and the wild. Herb walks and free time also provide opportunities for gathering.
For pictures on Instagram check out #catskillherbalapprenticeship. You can also simply try #herbalapprenticeship, but obviously I am not the only one who used that.
You might also find some pictures on Facebook, though they have mostly been shared through our apprenticeship group. I will be posting some images from 2019 on this webpage as well as on Facebook and Instagram (and I guess LinkedIn) as I promote the 2020 program.
You might also find some pictures on Facebook, though they have mostly been shared through our apprenticeship group. I will be posting some images from 2019 on this webpage as well as on Facebook and Instagram (and I guess LinkedIn) as I promote the 2020 program.
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Recommended Reading / Reference List: Planetary Herbology by Michael Tierra The Energetics of Western Herbs by Peter Holmes Western Herbs According to Traditional Chinese Medicine by Tomas Garran Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica by Dan Bensky Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology by Chen and Chen Native American Medicinal Plants by Daniel E. Moerman Folk Medicine of the Delaware and Related Algonkian Tribes by Gladys Tantaguidgeon Iroquois Medical Botany by James W. Herrick Plants of the Cherokee by William H. Banks |
