Outdoor
Summer herb school
Join us this summer for a five week evening herbal course led by local herbalists, growers and students, Melissa Harvey and Mariam Mohamed.
Book your tickets below
Course dates: 5 Tuesday evenings, June 23rd - July 21st 2026 at 6-8.30pm.
About the Course:
Set entirely outdoors in our beautiful community herb garden, each session will introduce you to a number of healing plants, their uses, identification and how to incorporate them into your life. Practical remedy making sessions will teach you how to gather, harvest and make your own healing remedies with herbs tended to by the local community. Beginning at midsummer, this is a chance to dive into the vibrant world of herbalism when the plants are at their very best.
The course aims to introduce and deepen an understanding of herbs and their uses by spending time with them in the garden. Over the course you will get to know in detail five plant families, understanding their patterns, characteristics and traditional uses. This is an accessible way to be introduced to botany and plant identification. Alongside this, through sensory and intuitive herbal practices we will be deepening our relationship with the herbs in the garden, getting to know them through observation, taste, smell, drawings and more.
Each week we will learn basic herbal medicine making skills to take care of yourself and your loved ones. Herbs will be harvested fresh from the community garden and you will get to take recipes and remedies home with you.
Topics covered:
Herbal remedy making: teas, infusions, vinegars, oxymels, infused oils, balms, aromatic waters, flower essences
Food as medicine
Drying, harvesting and storing herbs
Basic botany and plant identification
Herbal energetics
Using herbs safely
Self-care skills
Intuitive and sensory plant connection practices
Herbs for skincare, digestive health, psycho-emotional health, first-aid and general wellbeing
Course outline:
Week 1 (Tuesday : Teas and infusions, harvesting and drying herbs, intro to plant identification and plant families, lamiaceae family
Week 2: Vinegars and oxymels, intro to herbal extractions, seasonal and plant energetics, rose family
Week 3: Food as medicine, alliums and apiaceae family, cooking and making a shared dinner together with herbs from the garden
Week 4: Infused oils, balms and ointments, asteraceae family (Mariam)
Week 5: Aromatic waters and flower essences, using a copper still, how herbs support our psycho-emotional wellbeing
UPCOMING DATES, TOPICS AND booking:
Sessions take place outdoors at our community herb garden. We have an outdoor sheltered fire area and sheltered workshop/kitchen space. Herbal tea will be provided and you are welcome to bring your own snacks or a packed dinner.
We will be opening the series with a special evening talk on women’s herbal health.
Introduction to Women’s Herbal Health Talk with Annie Gardner and Mariam Mohamed - Thursday May 21st, 6-7.30 pm
Ticket price: £10
In this talk Annie Gardner will be sharing from her own experience as a medical herbalist on how herbs can support women holistically. Mariam will be drawing on her anthropology and history background to share on the history and politics of female/reproductive health and bodies.There will also be an opportunity to hear more about the series of workshops of Herbs for Women’s Health.
Herbs for Women’s Health Series
Ticket price: £35 each or £145 for all the sessions, including the talk (saving you £40)
Bookings are currently open for booking the whole series and the intro talk as we want to prioritise spaces for those who want to attend all the sessions. Bookings for individual sessions will be open from May 11th, to be the first to know please add your name to our waitlist here.
Digestive Health - Thursday 18th June, 6-8.30pm
Learn about why digestion is considered so important in preventing illness and re-addressing balance in your system.
Introduction to the processes of digestion, absorption, assimilation, metabolism and elimination.
The role of these processes in hormone health
Meeting Dandelion & Chamomile through intuitive & sensory practices
Introduction to other herbs and actions for optimising digestion.
Herb walk and harvesting
Make a digestive tonic vinegar
Hormonal Health - Thursday 25th June, 6-8.30pm
Introduction to women’s hormones, adrenal system and common symptoms and the conditions that arise when they are out of balance
Learn what you can do to support hormone regulation.
Sensory tea tasting with Liquorice and meet Sage in the garden
Learn about other herbs which support hormone health
Womb and Reproductive Health - Thursday 2nd July, 6-8.30pm
An introduction to womb health and exploration of some of the issues that can arise at each stage of life from menarche to menopause.
Exploring tissue states, herbal energetics and how they interact to support fertility and uterine tone. We will look at how to address issues including excessive bleeding, menstrual pain, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, prolapse and stress incontinence
Meeting Ladies Mantle and Cramp Bark through intuitive and sensory practices
Learn about other herbs to promote womb health.
Herbal allies for sexual and breast health - Thursday 9th July, 6-8.30pm
We will explore factors associated with the common issues affecting women’s sexual health
Meeting Rose and calendula through sensory and intuitive practices
We will look at specific issues such as low libido, inflammation/irritation, different types of infections and vaginal dryness.
Herbal allies for treating issues related to sexual health and breast health
Nervous System Health Thursday 16th July, 6-8.30pm
Learn about the factors that impact our nervous system as well as how to address common issues such as anxiety, headaches, low mood, low libido, exhaustion and insomnia.
The role of stress on hormone balance
Meet Motherwort and Lemon Balm through sensory practices
Learn about other herbal allies for the nervous system
How to make herbal formulas
We will make an individualised herbal tincture with herbs for nervous system from the garden
Please note:
As we are a small social enterprise we are unable to offer refunds unless made within 24 hours. Occasionally if we are able to sell your ticket we can offer a refund or swap your place for a later date.
A note on accessibility:
We may occasionally walk off paths onto uneven ground. There is also a compost loo with steps. We will try our best to make the session comfortable for most, however if you have any particular needs please do email us beforehand at hello@radicalplantfolk.com and we will try our best to accommodate you.
About your facilitator
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Annie Gardner is a Totnes-based herbalist, postnatal doula, coach, educator, massage therapist, and sleep coach with over 25 years of experience. She is deeply passionate about supporting the health and wellbeing of women, babies, and children.
Annie is dedicated to helping women navigate hormonal challenges, gynaecological conditions, fertility, pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and the transitions of perimenopause and menopause. For families she brings years of experience treating babies and children with herbal remedies and teaching parents how to address common issues at home through workshops.
You can find out more about Annie and her herbal work on her website.
Testimonials from previous workshop participants
“I attended Annie’s workshop this morning and was excited and impressed by the amount of information, the friendly and relaxed atmosphere and Annie’s wide knowledge. The herbal teas were delicious and we even went home with our own pot of balm.
I would love to go to any of her workshops and can thoroughly recommend.”
Jane G.
“Really loved Annie’s workshop. Packed full of useful and practical tips, hands on making and suggestions for weaving herbalism into busy daily lives. Plus a lovely selection of teas and delicious flapjack to keep us going! Perfect.”
Helen J.
“It is such a beautiful thing to spend time connecting and sharing with a plant being and with myself. I am grateful for the gentle guidance that these workshops provide to help me do that. I always come away feeling much better, more relaxed and at peace.”
Anon
