PREREQUISITE:
Completion of BSHS Advanced Practitioner Program (BSHS 3rd level training)

Instructor: Tommy Priester
Date: Oct 11th, Nov 8th, Dec 13th, Jan 10th, Feb 7th, March 7th
Time: 1-4pm
Location: Lincoln, MA
Tuition: $450

For those of you who would like to continue to practice assessment skills in a supervised setting with guidance and feedback, this is the course for you!

This course meets one Sunday a month for 6 months. During these 3-hour sessions, students will perform consultations to assess body systems and identify areas of imbalance. There will be ongoing practice of pulse, tongue, sclera and facial diagnosis to assess where the body needs support. Comparing these methods of assessment reinforces the information the body is providing, allowing for confirmation of our understanding.

This clinic will be free for volunteers. More information can be found under “Free Clinic” in the website’s heading. Students are encouraged to invite friends and family to attend.

Description

The Boston School of Herbal Studies is delighted to offer their level I apprenticeship students the opportunity to study herbs at Sweet Autumn Farm (180 Prospect St. Carlisle, MA), a pristine organic herb farm that allows people to "pick their own herbs." This rare experience brings a deeper knowledge and understanding of the plants, plant identification and harvesting practices that are necessary for every herbalist. We feel fortunate that our students are able to follow the growth of the plants through their many forms, which provides a well rounded and complete education.

Our weekends are structured to combine cognitive learning with hands-on experience. Students identify and harvest plants and make a variety of herbal products.

Each weekend, we cover a different body system. Mornings, we focus on a particular organ system and the herbs that nourish and support it. Herbalism is also an education of the senses, and we teach students to identify the energies of herbs: warming, cooling, moistening or drying, among a number of factors.

Afternoons are an immersion into the plant world with plant walks and harvesting. Students learn to blend teas and to make tinctures, infused oils, salves, flower essences, liniments and much more. Students also learn about essential oils and experience Shamanic Plant Journeying.

This well-rounded education places a strong emphasis on community. During the apprenticeship, students connect with each other. The Apprenticeship offers opportunities for all kinds of learners to assimilate material.

Once students graduate from the program, they earn a certificate and most importantly, are transformed in how they view plants. This program changes lives and provides a perspective of gratitude that everyone experiences.

2027 Schedule
The Apprenticeship meets on Saturdays from 10:00 to 5:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 10:00 to 4:30 p.m. on the following dates:
April 17 & 18
May 15 & 16
June 19 & 20
July 17 & 18
August 14 & 15
September 11 &12
October 16 & 17

Areas of Study
Herbal Energetics and World Systems
The Digestive System
The Respiratory System
The Nervous System
The Immune System
The Circulatory System
The System of the Skin
The Muscular-Skeletal System
The Urinary System

Topics Covered
Plant identification and herb walks
Creating your own teas, tinctures and salves
Remedies for acute and chronic illnesses
Historical traditions in herbalism
Plant meditation
Intro to assessment skills
Seasonal tonics
Bibliographies
World systems
Online resources

Tuition
The full tuition for the 2027 Level I Apprenticeship is $1,895 including a material fee of $45. A $300 deposit is required to sign up. Tuition and deposit are non-refundable.
You may pay in full, or reserve your spot with a $300.00 deposit (non-refundable). If you would like to pay your balance in installments, reserve your spot now and we will email you a link where you can make your payments. Installment payments will include a 4.0% processing fee that is non-refundable.

For more information, please contact us at 781.281.8787 or email herbstudies@gmail.com.

Click Here to Pay in Full

Instructor: Linda Patterson, Clinical Herbalist, Aromatherapist, Palmistry Instructor
Dates: Oct 24th, Nov 21st, Dec 12th, Jan 16th 2027
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: Milton, MA
Fee: $550 plus $50 Materials Fee

Learn how essential oils work to heal the body, mind and spirit. This comprehensive course addresses the body systems, their common ailments and the essential oils most helpful for each condition. Three different methods of blending will be introduced with demonstrations of how to use essential oils in our everyday lives. There will be a particular focus on reducing stress. We will also be making our own natural cosmetics and learning how to use essential oils to trigger memory, mood and attraction. 

You may pay in full, or reserve your spot with a $312.00 deposit (non-refundable). If you would like to pay your balance in installments, reserve your spot now and we will email you a link where you can make your payments. Installment payments will include a 4.0% processing fee that is non-refundable.

Click here for Installment Plan payment.

Instructors: Michaël Friedman
Date: October 21st & 28th
Time: 7-8:30pm
Location: Live online
Fee: $85

Join The Boston School of Herbal Studies for a live online workshop with Michaël Friedman. Michaël, the author of the medical textbook Fundamentals of Naturopathic Endocrinology will be sharing his experience and expertise in thyroid health, metabolism and imbalances. He will be discussing stress, the adrenals, energy resilience, and adaptogenic herbs to support cortisol balance which is key for adrenal health.

These two evenings will be recorded and all participants will receive both the link for the recordings and the slides used in the presentation. 

Instructor: Brendan Kelly
Date: Saturday, November 7th & Sunday, November 8th
Time: Saturday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm; Sunday 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
Location: Lincoln, MA
Fee: $300

Using the lens of Chinese medicine, we will discuss the underlying causes of autoimmune disorders and the use of local western herbs to bring the body back into balance. You will learn strategies to address Irritable Bowel (IBS), Crohn’s disease, Celiac diseases, Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and Graves disease, among others. We will also look at nutrition, lifestyle and the connection between the mind, emotions and autoimmune conditions.

Brendan Kelly, a Doctorate in Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine and a master practitioner, explores how our self-understanding plays a role in our immune responses and how heat/inflammation is often a root cause for autoimmune issues. The excess heat experienced with autoimmune disorders mirrors the heat of climate change and cultural overstimulation. Brendan will address ways to bring balance to our health in a world that is out of balance.

He will also discuss how major concepts and traditions in Chinese Medicine can be used to help identify and heal autoimmune imbalances. These concepts include Yin/Yang, the Five Phases (or Five Elements), and the Eight Principles of foundational diagnostics, all of which help illuminate the root cause of disease.

Finally, participants will learn tongue diagnosis, how it is used to assess the body’s internal environment, and its importance in the treatment of autoimmune imbalances. Students will practice their new-found diagnostic tools on each other to cement this ancient art of diagnosis into their repertoire of knowledge. 

This workshop brings insight into autoimmune diseases, provides information about the herbs that benefit these challenges and offers practical methods for regaining balance.

Please register directly here: **EventBrite Registration Link**

Location: Cambridge Naturals: 23 White St, Cambridge, MA
Times: 7-8pm Feb 5th, May 7th, Aug 6th, Nov 5th
Cost: sliding scale of $15-$25 per class

Ready to take your tea game to a new level?

Cambridge Naturals and the Boston School of Herbal Studies are teaming up to bring you a new tea series, empowering you to blend teas for your specific needs. 

In this quarterly series, a professional herbalist from the Boston School of Herbal Studies, will guide attendees through a specific formulation, offering suggestions for substitutions to meet tailored needs. Each tea night will have a theme- join them all or pick the ones that resonate most with your needs and health goals. 

Feb. 5th- Immune-boosting tea with Kristina

May 7th- Respiratory support tea with Dominique Ross

Aug. 6th- Decompress/calming tea with Rachel Warnock 

Nov. 5th- Helping digestive tea with Tommy Priester 

During this one-hour event, you'll sip on a pre-prepared version of that night's tea blend while a Boston school herbalist describes what all the ingredients do, and how they relate to that night's theme. They'll teach you how to make the tea (infusion vs decoction) and talk through some potential ingredient substitutions to make the formulation more tailored to individual needs. Afterwards, there will be an optional 30-minute Q&A where you'll have the opportunity to shop with the herbalist, or get additional support in tea blending. 

There is a sliding scale exchange for this event: $15-$25, tea not included. If you enjoy the tea blend shared that evening it will be available for purchase by the ounce. Please plan for an additional ~$10 if you wish to purchase the tea blend from that evening. 

** EventBrite Registration Link **

Instructor: Linda Patterson, Clinical Herbalist, Palmistry Instructor, Aromatherapist
Date: Dec 5, 2026
Time: 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Location: Lincoln, MA
Fee: $65 ($10 fee for materials included - non-refundable)

Who doesn’t love homemade soap?

Homemade soap hasn’t been stripped of its emollient ingredients like commercial soaps, making it best for the skin! It also makes the best gift! Everyone loves receiving homemade soap! A Luxury most won’t splurge on. It’s practical, functional, and guaranteed not to end up in the closet!

Linda will teach you all the hacks and short cuts to making your own soap. She will cover how to work with lye safely, and share her decades of experience on the dos and don’ts of soap making, sparing you the mistakes she’s learned along the way.

During this demonstration participants will learn about the special handling and necessary care when working with goat's milk. Students will learn the challenges specific to goat’s milk and how to work with those challenges to make beautiful soap!

Linda will cover different types of molds and their limitations, how to get the best results from your colorants, the negative chemical reactions caused by fragrances, the curing process, troubleshooting, and more!

This workshop will provide all the information necessary to make soap safely and successfully. All participants receive a sample of soap made during the demonstration to take home and enjoy!

Linda Patterson is the director of The Boston School of Herbal Studies, and the owner of Herbs and Aromatics. She has been a soap maker for over 30 years and makes goat's milk, vegetable, and animal fat soaps. Linda uses a wide range of techniques to make her soap, and sets her students up for success by providing her many years of experience on what to do, and what to avoid. She teaches throughout New England for schools, conferences, and herbal shops.

This fun and exciting experience of ceremonial drumming, journeying, and guided meditation will deepen your connection to a different plant each month!

Experience how physical and spiritual energies of plants affect all levels of our being. Participants will be guided on a shamanic journey to meet animal guides and the spirit of the plant selected for that day. Students will create a flower essence from the plant selected for class and travel to the spirit of that plant. On this journey, students gain the plant’s spiritual teachings and the healing energies of its flower essence.

Through ceremonial drumming and guided meditation, we are able to connect with the wisdom of plants. The healing potential is infinite and extends beyond ourselves. These teachings heal our families, communities, and our sacred Earth Mother. This class deepens your relationship with plants and is amazingly inspirational!

"Every class I have held over the 18 years of leading these classes, I've witnessed 99% of the participants bring back specific information about the plant we journeyed to and about their own healing journeys," “This class will truly change your perspectives and show you how the Spirit realm is just waiting to teach you. All we have to do is connect.”  - Tommy Priester

Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email which will contain all the necessary information to join the journey. We meet on the second Tuesday of every month from 6:30pm-9:30pm. All are welcome; no prior experience needed.

Instructor: Linda Patterson, Clinical Herbalist, Palmistry Instructor, Aromatherapist
Dates: January 17th, 24th, 31st, & February 7th
Time: 1 pm - 4:30 pm
Location: TBD
Fee: $325 plus $30 Material fee

Join Linda as she instructs you on how to utilize palmistry as a tool for analytics! Once used as a diagnostic tool for physicians, the palms and hands give us insight into physical health and emotional well-being. Learning to decipher the differences between the hands and what they reveal to us allows us to decipher a plethora of things. Determine the strengths, weaknesses, & potential blockages within an individual through their hands! Due to the fact that hands can change it is a great way to get a current reflection on who we are now and the stresses we are under. This course will offer all the necessary information to interpret the meanings of the hands, palms, and lines.

Instructor: Tommy Priester, Clinical Herbalist
Date: January 23, 2027
Time: 1-4 PM
Location: Stone Church, 14 Bedford Rd in Lincoln, MA
Fee: $25

This workshop was created to support our underserved communities and our herbal community. During this workshop, students will learn how to formulate herbal teas for specific challenges while building community and making friends! We will discuss the properties of each herb, how the herbs work together, and what makes a successful tea. There is no prior experience required, all are welcome!

Students also experience first-hand large batch tea making, math formulation that ensures proper percentages of each herb, and the process of packaging herbal product on a large scale.

This amazing event is made possible by our generous collaborators. Thanks to Mountain Rose Herbs we have all the herbs we need to create multiple tea blends targeting insomnia, stress, digestion and more! Once teas are made, The Food Rescue Collaborative distributes our tea to the underserved communities of the Boston area and beyond!

This feel good event helps to build and support communities. A true expression of the spirit of herbalism!