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Where Phytochemistry Meets Gaia: Merging Science and Tradition in Herbalism - with Richard Mandelbaum
July 18th @ 10 am - Where Phytochemistry Meets Gaia: Merging Science and Tradition in Herbalism
with Richard Mandelbaum of ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism
About This Class
Sometimes as herbalists we can compartmentalize our approach to plant medicine: a science-based approach, or a tradition / Earth-based approach. But we live in one single reality, and these are just different languages to describe that reality. The real wonder begins where they complement and synergize with each other.
We’ll spend the day weaving together traditional plant medicine, Gaia, and phytochemistry. Phytochemistry can sometimes feel like an abstract topic, a subject to be learned from books, divorced from our direct experience of the plants. But we’ll take phytochemistry into the field and forest and use sight, smell, and taste to discuss major classes of constituents, learn why plants produce them, how they provide nutrients and medicine, and what this means for us as herbalists and beings on the planet. We’ll deconstruct the artificial wall between science-based and energetic or traditional approaches to herbalism, reframing them as two contrasting languages describing a single Gaia.
The day will be outside, under cover if needed depending on the weather, and walking for an herb walk at some point during the day. If you have ever wondered why the sky is blue - and what that has to do with the biochemistry of medicinal plants - this is the workshop for you!
About Class Pricing:As always, we believe that Herbal Medicine is Peoples Medicine, and it is central to our mission to make education and remedies accessible and affordable. We continue our sliding scale model for class registration to honor the work, time and energy invested by our dedicated teachers, while also trying to make the classes more widely available to our community. Our pricing is an honor based system, we ask registrants consider the immeasurable worth of the teacher's knowledge shared and context of the class, and also choose the tier they can honestly afford. Your honesty and cooperation in this system allows us to continue to be able to provide affordable education to the community. If you need a scholarship to be able to attend, please reach out to us. If you are able to pay a higher amount, we will reserve 100% of it for scholarships for people who need it.
Saturday July 18th, 2025
10:00 AM -5:00 PM (lunch break mid-day, please bring your own meal or a dish to share!)
Those registered for Where Phytochemistry Meets Gaia are invited to extend an immersive weekend experience by joining our Seasonal Immersion Day on July 17th.
As part of this extended journey, Use code PLANTIMMERSION at checkout for $25 off your Seasonal Immersion Day registration. You’ll also have the option to camp on the land overnight from July 17th into July 18th.
Location:
Transcending Roots Apothecary & Gardens, Becket, MA (details provided upon registration)
About Rich:
Richard Mandelbaum RH is a clinical herbalist with a private practice, offering personalized health consultations, online and in person in the southern Catskills, NY. Richard has been an avid student of our native flora for close to forty years, and in addition to seeing clients he teaches classes in clinical herbal medicine, field botany, and phytochemistry. He is a co-founder and core instructor at the ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism and is on the faculty at David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies and the Won Institute of Graduate Studies. He has been a Registered Herbalist since 2003 and was a member of the American Herbalists Guild board of directors from 2012 to 2018. Richard lives with his wife Gabrielle and his daughter Rose in their straw bale home in Forestburgh, NY. You can learn more about Richard, including articles, podcast interviews, etc. at https://www.richardmandelbaum.
July 18th @ 10 am - Where Phytochemistry Meets Gaia: Merging Science and Tradition in Herbalism
with Richard Mandelbaum of ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism
About This Class
Sometimes as herbalists we can compartmentalize our approach to plant medicine: a science-based approach, or a tradition / Earth-based approach. But we live in one single reality, and these are just different languages to describe that reality. The real wonder begins where they complement and synergize with each other.
We’ll spend the day weaving together traditional plant medicine, Gaia, and phytochemistry. Phytochemistry can sometimes feel like an abstract topic, a subject to be learned from books, divorced from our direct experience of the plants. But we’ll take phytochemistry into the field and forest and use sight, smell, and taste to discuss major classes of constituents, learn why plants produce them, how they provide nutrients and medicine, and what this means for us as herbalists and beings on the planet. We’ll deconstruct the artificial wall between science-based and energetic or traditional approaches to herbalism, reframing them as two contrasting languages describing a single Gaia.
The day will be outside, under cover if needed depending on the weather, and walking for an herb walk at some point during the day. If you have ever wondered why the sky is blue - and what that has to do with the biochemistry of medicinal plants - this is the workshop for you!
About Class Pricing:As always, we believe that Herbal Medicine is Peoples Medicine, and it is central to our mission to make education and remedies accessible and affordable. We continue our sliding scale model for class registration to honor the work, time and energy invested by our dedicated teachers, while also trying to make the classes more widely available to our community. Our pricing is an honor based system, we ask registrants consider the immeasurable worth of the teacher's knowledge shared and context of the class, and also choose the tier they can honestly afford. Your honesty and cooperation in this system allows us to continue to be able to provide affordable education to the community. If you need a scholarship to be able to attend, please reach out to us. If you are able to pay a higher amount, we will reserve 100% of it for scholarships for people who need it.
Saturday July 18th, 2025
10:00 AM -5:00 PM (lunch break mid-day, please bring your own meal or a dish to share!)
Those registered for Where Phytochemistry Meets Gaia are invited to extend an immersive weekend experience by joining our Seasonal Immersion Day on July 17th.
As part of this extended journey, Use code PLANTIMMERSION at checkout for $25 off your Seasonal Immersion Day registration. You’ll also have the option to camp on the land overnight from July 17th into July 18th.
Location:
Transcending Roots Apothecary & Gardens, Becket, MA (details provided upon registration)
About Rich:
Richard Mandelbaum RH is a clinical herbalist with a private practice, offering personalized health consultations, online and in person in the southern Catskills, NY. Richard has been an avid student of our native flora for close to forty years, and in addition to seeing clients he teaches classes in clinical herbal medicine, field botany, and phytochemistry. He is a co-founder and core instructor at the ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism and is on the faculty at David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies and the Won Institute of Graduate Studies. He has been a Registered Herbalist since 2003 and was a member of the American Herbalists Guild board of directors from 2012 to 2018. Richard lives with his wife Gabrielle and his daughter Rose in their straw bale home in Forestburgh, NY. You can learn more about Richard, including articles, podcast interviews, etc. at https://www.richardmandelbaum.