Welcome to

Herbal Apprenticeship

Program Near Boston

There is a certain kind of learning that only happens when you stop rushing.

For students near Boston, that can mean making the drive to Newfane, Vermont and spending a season at Old Ways Herbal instead of trying to learn herbalism through a weekend workshop.

The Herbal Apprenticeship Program Near Boston gives you time to stay with the work. You learn about plants where they grow. You harvest them when they’re ready. You make preparations with your own hands. Then you come back and do it again with the next plant.

By the end of the season, you’ve experienced much more than a list of herbs and their properties. You’ve watched the landscape change. You’ve had the chance to make something, use what you’ve learned, and ask questions along the way.

It’s not the fastest way to learn herbalism. We don’t think it should be.

Some things are better learned slowly, with dirt under your fingernails and a living plant in front of you.

The Experience of Learning Here

The farm changes with the season, and so does the work. What you’re learning in May isn’t quite the same as what you’ll be doing in August or October. Visiting throughout the season gives you time to notice those changes.

Old Ways Herbal has been teaching herbalism for more than twenty years. Juliette brings experience as a practicing herbalist and Family Nurse Practitioner, along with years of teaching, writing, and working with medicinal plants. Her teaching draws from traditional plant knowledge, biology, ecology, physiology, and practical experience.

For anyone considering an Herbal Apprenticeship near Boston, the trip to Vermont takes some planning. The drive is about two hours, but once you’re here, the setting becomes part of the learning.

That’s what makes an herbalism apprenticeship near Boston different from a short class. If you’re looking for an herbalist apprenticeship, you have the time to work with the plants rather than simply read about them.

Ways to Study with Old Ways Herbal School of Plant Medicine

Some students can spend the whole season at the farm. Others can’t. So, we have more than one way to study with us.

Traditional Apprentice Program

The Traditional Apprentice Program runs from May through October, with 135 to 150 or more hours of hands-on learning. There is also a July and August option. This is a personalized herbal apprenticeship near Boston. You’ll spend time in the Botanical Sanctuary, on the farm, and around Southern Vermont identifying plants, wildcrafting, growing and harvesting, and making medicine. Alongside the outdoor work, we talk about physiology, ecology, nutrition, health justice, clinical skills, and traditional and modern Western herbalism. We also have intensive discussions about holistic physiology, ecology, health justice, nutrition, clinical skills, and many other important topics in modern and traditional Western herbalism. The plants set the pace. What we’re doing in May isn’t the same as what we’re doing in September. The work follows the season, so what we are learning changes as the plants do.

Medicine Maker Apprentice

The Herbal Medicine Maker Apprenticeship near Boston is for students who want to spend more time making things with the plants. It offers plenty of time to work with the plants and the preparations they become. We make tinctures, salves, syrups, oils, oxymels, infused honeys, and other preparations. There are plant walks, too, along with discussions of Western herbalism that help put the medicine-making work into context. We gather in the forest classroom to make these preparations and explore the principles behind Western herbalism. You get time to practice rather than simply watch someone else do it on a screen. With enough practice, you can become comfortable with the process and develop your own way of working. The plant walks and in-depth discussions provide a strong foundation for developing your medicine-making skills.

Online Home Herbalist Apprentice

If you’re searching for a place to study intermediate and advanced concepts in herbal medicine making near Boston but can’t make the trip to Vermont, the Home Herbalist Apprenticeship gives you another way to study with us. Live classes and self-paced coursework follow the seasons and the same plants we’re working with here. You’ll be learning from home, but the work stays connected to what’s happening on the farm.

Getting Started

Once you’ve decided to apply, there are a few things to work out, especially if you’re coming from Boston. Old Ways Herbal keeps the process fairly simple, whether you plan to spend the season in Vermont or study from home.

Begin with an Application

Start with a short application about your background, your interests, and what you hope to learn. Old Ways Herbal also offers scholarships for BIPOC herbalists, work-trade opportunities, and interest-free payment plans for students who need them.

Plan How You’ll Study

Some students drive to the farm regularly and spend the day learning. Others come less often and stay nearby. If regular travel to Vermont isn’t possible, the Online Home Herbalist Apprenticeship gives you a way to continue your studies from home. For students specifically searching for an online Herbalism Apprenticeship, the online format follows the seasonal work happening at the farm. You can also choose an Herbal Apprenticeship online and work through the material without making the drive from Boston.

Finish the Season

The Traditional Herbal Apprenticeship ends with a culmination project and a certificate documenting your training hours, as well as a robust hand-made apothecary. Students who complete the online Home Herbalist Apprenticeship also receive a certificate, in addition to creating their custom apothecaries. Students in the Medicine Maker Apprenticeship receive a certificate by request. Former apprentices have taken what they learned into clinical practice, teaching, medicine companies, and their own homes and communities.

What Makes the Training Different

At Old Ways Herbal, the plants and the land are a big part of the experience. That means spending time outside, working with what is growing, and having the chance to come back to things more than once.

Two Decades of Teaching and Clinical Work

Juliette Abigail Carr brings several worlds together in her teaching. She is a Registered Herbalist through the American Herbalists Guild and a Family Nurse Practitioner, and she has taught at institutions across the US and Canada. Her classes draw on Western herbalism, biology, ecology, clinical experience, and traditional plant knowledge. The pieces aren't taught in isolation. A plant walk might lead into a conversation about physiology. Making a preparation might open up questions about how and why it is traditionally used. The setting matters, too. At the Botanical Sanctuary, students can work with the plants growing in the places where they will eventually be harvested and processed.

Harvest herbs at New England herb school

The Making Is Part of the Learning

Some people come to Old Ways Herbal because they want to get better at making herbal preparations. The Herbal Medicine Making Apprenticeship gives them plenty of opportunities to do exactly that. Tinctures, salves, syrups, oils, infused honeys, and other preparations become part of the work. You're handling the herbs, measuring ingredients, learning different methods, and figuring out what changes from one preparation to another. For students searching for an Herbal Remedy Making Class near Boston, this hands-on time is a big part of what makes the trip to Vermont worthwhile.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Where is Old Ways Herbal School of Plant Medicine located?

Old Ways Herbal is in Newfane, Vermont, 2 to 2.5 hours from Boston. Students from the Boston area regularly make the trip to spend time learning with medicinal plants on the farm and in the Botanical Sanctuary.

2. Is Old Ways Herbal an Herbal Medicine School near Boston?

Old Ways Herbal is located in Vermont rather than Massachusetts. For students searching for an Herbal Medicine School near Boston, the farm offers a chance to study herbalism in a hands-on setting without being too far from the city.

3. What do Herbal Medicine Classes near Boston include?

Herbal Medicine Classes near Boston will cover plant basic botany, gardening, formulation, herbal actions, herbal-specific indications, herbal energetics, safety, nutrition, food as medicine, and clinical assessment. The subjects and hands-on work vary with the program and season.

4. How does the Herbal Apprenticeship Program near Boston work?

The Herbal Apprenticeship Program near Boston follows the growing season, with the Traditional Apprentice Program running from May through October. Students spend 1 day per week plus 1 weekend per month here, which offers substantial time working with plants rather than trying to cover everything in a short workshop. The work continues through spring, summer, and fall, giving students the opportunity to return to plants as they grow and change throughout the season.

5. Do I need previous experience to join a program Old Ways Herbal?

No specific herbalism background is required. Students arrive with different experiences and interests. The important thing is being willing to learn, participate, and spend time doing the work. Beginners typically start with the Herbal Medicine Maker Apprenticeship, while intermediate and advanced students may start with the Online Home Herbalist Apprenticeship or the Traditional Apprenticeship.

There is also the Home Herbalist Apprenticeship, which is held during the late fall and winter through live online classes and self-study. This is the perfect season to get cozy with a cup of tea and focus on safe, effective herbal formulation based on holistic physiology, principles of Western herbalism, and matera medica.

6. What will I learn in the Herbal Medicine Maker Apprenticeship?

The Herbal Medicine Maker Apprenticeship includes hands-on preparation work such as tinctures, salves, syrups, oils, oxymels, and infused honeys. Students also spend time learning about the plants behind those preparations, principals of herbalism, and seasonal plant walks are important. The focus is not only on how to make each preparation, but also on understanding why each step matters.

7. Can I study herbalism online with Old Ways Herbal?

Yes. Students who cannot regularly travel to Vermont can choose online study. The online programs connect students with seasonal material and the plants being studied at Old Ways Herbal. The online Herbal Medicine Maker Apprenticeship follows the seasonal arc through recorded lessons and self-paced group discussions. There is also a Home Herbalist Apprenticeship held during the late fall and winter through live online classes and self-study, covering intermediate and advanced concepts in formulation, materia medica, physiology, and more.

8. How is an apprenticeship different from a short herbalism class?

A short class gives you an introduction. An apprenticeship gives you a full season to work with the plants, from identifying and harvesting them to making medicine.

9. Does Old Ways Herbal offer financial assistance?

Yes. Old Ways Herbal offers BIPOC scholarships, work-trade, and interest-free payment plans. You can ask about available options if tuition is a concern.

10. What happens when I finish the apprenticeship?

You'll complete a culmination project and receive a certificate with your training hours. Some apprentices continue into teaching or clinical work, while others bring the skills home.

Come Learn with Us

Herbalism takes time. You learn about a plant, work with it, come back to it, and slowly start to understand more than you could from a single class.

That is what we try to make possible at Old Ways Herbal. Whether you join us at the farm or study through the online herbal Training Program, you’ll have a place to keep building your knowledge and your relationship with the plants.