Spring Folk Herbalism Series
with Radical Plant Folk
Returning for a second year! Join us for a 5 week practical folk herbalism series, connecting to the plants of Spring and making remedies for your home apothecary.
About the course:
Dates: Sunday March 22nd, Sunday March 29th, Sunday April 12th, Sunday April 19th, Sunday May 3rd
Time: 10-1pm
Green shoots push through dark damp earth, sweet sap flows through wooden bodies, buds break open in vernal ecstasy as blossoms paint the landscape Lilac purple and Hawthorn pink. Here amongst the earthly beings waking from winter’s slumber we welcome Spring.
Join us from between the Spring Equinox to Beltane for a 5 week folk herbalism series. Beginning with Birch and ending with Hawthorn, we will journey with the plants of spring, taste and sip on their shoots and young leaves and delve into their folklore and mystery. By paying attention to the changing elements and their shapeshifting energetics, we will craft seasonal folk remedies together that will support our wellbeing through this unfolding season. Alongside crafting a home apothecary together, we will delve deep into spring herbalism, vernal folk stories from around the world and weave our own spells, drawings and plant presses into a spring herbarium.
Sessions will be led by community herbal educator and Radical Plant Folk co-founder Mariam Mohamed.
Sessions will include getting to know and meeting different spring herbs in and around the garden, tea ceremonies, learning how to sustainably harvest and identify the plants, learning to make a range of spring remedies to take home, readings and space for discussion and sharing.
The course will take place outside at our community herb garden at School Farm, Dartington. We will spend a lot of time outdoors amongst the plants and the elements. We have basic outdoor sheltered spaces to keep us dry, including an outdoor kitchen/workshop space where we will be doing a lot of making and a sheltered fire area.
Topics include:
Spring energetics
Plant identification
Sustainable foraging and the honourable harvest
Practical medicine making: tea blends, infused vinegars, infused oils, flower essences, herbal bath blends, food as medicine
Traditional herbal practices
Intuitive and sensory plant connection practices
Spring plantlore
Plant dreamwork and journaling
Course Outline:
Below gives a brief idea of what we will delve into each week. Things may slightly change depending on what is available in the season.
Week One: Awakening from winter’s slumber with spring herbs/ Spring energetics / Birch plant mythos/ Spring cleansing herbs
Observing patterns and elements in nature and how that corresponds to our internal bodies
Rising saps: Birch, the story of spring and opening circle
Herbal tea tasting and introduction to spring energetics
Spring purification/cleansing folk medicine practices
Making a herbal bath blend and body oil
Starting a herbarium
Week Two: Wild weeds medicine / Tending to our inner waters/ Spring tonics and bitters
Plant walk, intro to plant ID and the honourable harvest
Meeting the wild spring tonic herbs, traditions and folklore
Tending to our lymphatic system with spring herbs
The medicine of bitters
Infusing herbs into vinegar to make spring tonics and herbal bitters
Week Three: Green vitality/The art of herbal tea/ Nourishing and reviving body and soul with herbs
Tea medicine: how to make mineral rich infusions and decoctions
Herbal tea ceremony
How to dry herbs
Crafting a spring herbal tea blend
Making syrups and cordials
Week Four: Food as Medicine / Reawakening our digestive fire
Supporting our digestion with spring herbs
Exploring traditional and spring kitchen recipes from around the world
Cooking with wild greens and eating bitters
Preparing a shared lunch using herbs and foraged greens
Week Five: Flowers, fire and desire, Hawthorn magic and the story of Beltane
Hawthorn tea ceremony and mythos
Beltane stories and plantlore
Floral folklore walk
Story medicine and crafting a flower essence
Beltane closing circle
about your facilitator
Mariam mohamed
Mariam is a community herbalist, ethnobotanist, trainee medical herbalist, community gardener and founder of Radical Plant Folk. She is currently completing her clinical herbalism training with the Plant Medicine School, Exmoor. She has been studying herbalism for the last 8 years and has completed many hours of training and learning from herbalists all over the country.
She is passionate about bringing accessible herbalism into the community and has been teaching and facilitating workshops in the local community for the last 4.5 years.
A lover of plants, Mariam believes everyone should have access to the traditional knowledge of plant medicine.
What Previous participants have said
“Such a fantastic course which was much enjoyed. Thank you for designing it with such variety and generosity. I have more confidence to delve further into the world of edible plants and herbs. Looking forward to joining another course in the future.”
“It was thorough, immersive and full of warmth- thank you, thank you!”
“it was wonderful! please do other seasons”
“Practical methods to bring into my life and inspiration to carry on my journey with plants and herbs.”
“Enjoyed & learnt more than I thought - thanks 😊.”
Cost and booking:
Cost (including all materials):
Sliding scale: £160-190
Pay it forward: £190 (for those on full time reasonably paid work or have reasonable savings, may own home or property, can afford luxuries and travelling. This ticket price will support those who cannot afford the standard price)
Standard: £160 (this price ticket is incredibly reasonable for 5 3 hour workshops, and below market price. We aim to make this as affordable as we can. We are not making any money from this course.)
Concessionary places: We have a very limited number of concessionary places available for folks on low incomes and who cannot afford the full course costs, please get in touch if you are interested: hello@radicalplantfolk.com
A £50 deposit is required to secure your booking.
Payment plans are available so please get in touch.
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.
However you choose to book, thank you — your support helps the garden grow, and we can’t wait to welcome you.
Follow the link below to book your place. For any questions please email hello@radicalplantfolk.com