APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAMME
Apprenticeship in Herbal Medicine – Drimlabarra Herb Farm
Programme Outline 2011 / 2012
An apprenticeship opportunity with two of the UK’s leading herbal practitioners and educators.
A unique opportunity to learn about growing, identifying, harvesting, drying, processing and using herbs throughout one complete season within a small, unique group. We are recruiting for a maximum of 4 visiting apprentices and 2 live-in apprentices. if this would interest you then please contact us
This apprenticeship is seen as an opportunity for hands on and experiential learning in all the practical aspects of being a herbalist and stocking a dispensary. Learn how to find or grow herbs, process them and make the medicines then how to use them safely and effectively for improved health. This is an apprenticeship in self reliance.
This program is designed for
People who are passionate about natural medicine, plants and want to become more empowered by knowledge about self care.
People who want to rely less on the medical system and want to be able to help themselves, their friends and family with simple health challenges
People who want to know how to identify, grow, harvest and process their own herbal medicines – learning how to make and dispense herbal remedies – storing herbs, stock control, making liniments, tinctures, oils and more
People who value an experiential, hands-on, practical and traditional energetic approach to herbal medicine use and are less concerned with an academic or professional qualification.
What will you learn?
Botany and plant identification
Learn to recognize your food and medicines so that you can safely pick in the wild, supported by frequent herb walks.
- plant evolution and taxonomy
- botanical features of root, stem, leaf, flower and fruit
- using a plant key
- family characteristics.
Harvesting and processing herbs
- Careful harvesting ensures long term sustainability of the plant. Careful processing ensures a high quality medicine.
- Organic cultivation and sustainable/wild crafting
- harvesting and processing techniques for barks, roots, leaves, flowers and fruits
- drying, storing and processing herbs.
Making and dispensing herbal medicines
Tutorials and work shifts in the dispensary will allow a practical understanding of the use of herbs for medicine – formulating and prescribing for specific ailments.
Plants as chemists
Knowing how the plants exert their therapeutic actions allows us to better understand how to use them in clinical practice.
- overview of plant metabolism
- using the pharmacology of taste to discern energetics, therapeutic qualities and indications of herbs
- introduction to holistic phytochemistry – mucilage and polysaccharides, phenolics (tannins, salicylates, flavonoids, anthraquinones), bitters, volatile oils, saponins
Materia medica and clinical applications
Taught via the experiential pharmacology of taste as well as through discussions and question – answer sessions. Using the traditional energetic framework of constitutional types and temperaments, we will consider in detail how the herbs do their work energetically, how they might effect and safely treat different constitutional types and people’s tendency to disease processes linked to their constitutional type. This will include formulating strategies and treatment planning, dosing, contra-indications and safety concerns.
Pharmacy and medicine making
Make and take home a wide variety of remedies for different ailments and build your own first aid kit.
- water extractions – infusions, decoctions
- solvent extractions – oils, tinctures
- syrups
- emulsions and liniments
- steams
- plasters and poultices
- creams and ointments
- flower essences
- the herbal first aid kit
Plant attunement and plant appreciation
Using a seven step process to study plants first described by Goethe in the 1700’s.
1. Introduction to Goethe’s botany: consideration of ‘the Archetypal plant’ and the plant as a living, changing being.
2. Metamorphosis in the leaf realm – expansive phase followed by contractile phase before flowering. The 4 principle formative principles: linear elongation, planar spreading, indentation and shorting or raying.
3. Leaf, flower and fruit as related stages in plant development – transformation of the leaf organ into the flower and further to fruit and seed formation, with an associated second expansion of the petal, contraction of stamens and pistils and a third expansion in fruit and contraction as seed.
4. Demonstrating the above making visual leaf sequences by lining up leaves from a plant according to the order they appear on the stem.
5. Exploring differences and similarities of the above by looking at leaf sequences of the same species growing in different environments.
6. The pictorial expression of the plant through the flower and the higher formative principle affecting the leaf organs. The flower as the clearest expression of the character of a species or a family i.e. the ‘gesture’ of the plant.
7. Looking at common themes specific to different plant families: number association with respect to number of petals, compound leaf or number of leaves to complete a 360° spiral rotation around the stem e.g. 5 in Rose family.
8. Observing processes with respect to movement looking at the different levels: root, stem. Leaf. Flower. Fruit and Seed. Comparison to human morphology.
9. Seven stage process to interpret the gesture of a plant: exact sensory perception exact sensorial imagination, inspiration, intuition, imprinting, growing and reproduction.
10. Using different artistic media as expression of plant qualities e.g. drawing, painting, drama, sculpture, voice etc.
11. Use of range of physical media for making pharmacy preparations e.g. water, alcohol, glycerine, cream, oil, ointment, poultice, liniment, compress etc.
How is the programme structured?
What you get
Four weekend workshops between April and July 2012 worth £480
2 days of tutorials either side of the 4 weekends ie 8 days worth £800
6 x Monthly individual follow up consultation/tutorial via skype or telephone worth £200 (face to face with live-in)
Correspondence course worth £450 or exemption if a SSHM Correspondence course graduate
Administration back up worth £60
Plus
Monthly assigned reading and study guide
Future opportunity
Reduced fees for new 2012 Detoxification at Home Course
Reduced attendance fee (25%) at Gathering the Self course Aug 2012
If your initial Application meets our requirements, there will follow an in depth interview process either by personal visit or skype meeting.
Cost for the apprenticeship programme £1990
£500 non-refundable deposit on acceptance and then payment balance
EITHER in 2 installments:
£745 payment on Feb 6th 2012 and Balance of £745 payable on April 2nd 2012
OR we are open to payment by 6 monthly installments of £257 from November 2011 to April 2012
This method of payment allows for apprenticeship applicants who have not done the Correspondence Course previously to get started on this in advance of the apprenticeship programme as a foundation.
If you have already paid for and started the Correspondence Course, the Apprenticeship course cost is £1990-£450= £1540
Payable as £500 non-refundable deposit on acceptance and
EITHER £520 payment on Feb 6th 2012 and Balance of £520 payable on April 2nd 2012
OR 6 monthly installments of £175 from November 2011 to April 2012
Accommodation Tent & Full Board (W/ends & Tutorials) £400*
Caravan/cabin additional £80*
Live in Apprentices
Will receive and pay for as above.
Accommodation Caravan & Full Board 6 months Full board £3600*
*Can be part exchanged with work by agreement bartered at £6/hr
Weekend workshop topics for 2012
These can be taken separately – if you are interested in attending any or all of these please contact us
April 21-22nd
Foundations of herbal medicine – art and science in conversation with Nature
Introduction to Drimlabarra Herb Farm
Ethics of harvesting and conservation
Harvesting leaves for drying and other preparations
Dispensary guidelines
Making infusions, flower essenses, infused oils, tinctures etc
The language of plants – Intro to botany and Plant ID
History and Philosophy of practice – Energetics and constitutional types
Pharmacology of taste based on the 4 elements
Formulating, dispensing and dosing of herbal medicine & getting started using herbs
May 26-27th
Food as Medicine
Growing a herb/kitchen garden– feeding yourself & others
Living food and nutritional concepts
Veganism
Liver health and Bitters
Choleretics / Cholagagues and fat metabolism
Detox, tissue cleansing & Naturopathic considerations
Maintaining a healthy digestive tract flora
June 30th-1st July
Immune Health with Herbal Medicine
Herbal first aid
Pharmacology of taste in depth
Immune tonics & strategies for using them
Therapeutic/ Clinical strategies, formulating
Dosing guidelines
Diaphoretics and lymphatics
Herbal anti-infectives
Inflammation and the use of herbs to manage it – mucilage, saponins, volatile oils, essential fatty acids, tannins, flavonoids, – plant pharmacology and clinical applications
Clinical application of essential oils – biochemistry, actions, uses and cautions
Exercise as endorphin releaser
July 21-22nd
Finding balance in a busy life – using herbs for adrenal health, energy and stamina
Plant meditation practice
Stress and adaptogens
Alkaloids and neuro-active agents
Nervous system health – Stimulants and sedatives, Physiology, conditions, materia medica
Therapeutic/ Clinical strategies, formulating
Dosing guidelines
Toxicology and safety
dates workshops Timetable and rota