Seasonal Herbal Mentorship
Join Sasha Botanica and Dan de Lion of Return to Nature for a hands-on herbal mentorship that follows the rhythm of the growing season. This mentorship is designed to help you build a practical, working relationship with medicinal plants through direct experience, observation, and making.
We will gather for four sessions throughout the growing season—spring, early summer, late summer, and autumn. By the end of the season, you will have a solid foundation in herbal medicine, a deeper understanding of the body and the skills to begin creating your own home apothecary.
Attend individual sessions or join for the full year!
Spring: April 17–19
Early Summer: June 5–7
Late Summer: July 31–August 2
Autumn: October 2–4
All sessions will be held in High Falls, NY
Body Systems
Each session will focus on 2–3 body systems.
Learning the body in terms of systems helps you understand how different parts of the body function together. Instead of focusing on isolated symptoms, you begin to see patterns and relationships. Herbs have natural affinities for specific systems. Understanding these connections allows you to choose herbs more effectively and with greater clarity.
Materia Medica (10 Plants per Session)
Each session will cover 10 plants in depth. Materia medica refers to the study of medicinal plants—their actions, energetics, preparation methods, and traditional uses. Over the course of the mentorship, you will be introduced to 40 plants, all growing within the season in which we meet. We will work with these plants directly, building familiarity through observation, taste, and preparation.
Medicine Making
Each session includes hands-on medicine making. We will cover the basics of herbal preparation, including harvesting, drying, and storing herbs, tincture making, salve making, and simple formulation for teas and other remedies.
Each session will introduce a new skill that builds on the last. By the end of the program, you will have the tools and knowledge to begin stocking and creating your own home apothecary.
Food as Medicine
Working with plants as food is one of the most practical ways to integrate herbalism into everyday life. Rather than only working with herbs as teas or tinctures, we will explore how to incorporate seasonal plants into meals and daily routines. This allows you to work with them consistently, in forms that are both nourishing and accessible.
Each session will include simple, creative ways to work with the plants that are growing at that time of year.
What We’ll Cover:
Each session is held entirely outdoors over the full weekend, so please come prepared with appropriate gear for all weather conditions. Basic amenities are available on site, including an outdoor shower and compost toilets. Come ready to be outside and in the elements for the duration of the weekend.
Accommodations & Food
Light meals and herbal drinks will be provided by Sasha throughout the weekend. Please bring additional snacks for anything extra you may need between meals.
There are two outdoor kitchens with running water, compost toilets and an outdoor shower. Access to a clean pond and stream for swimming.
Heartsong Sanctuary offers a range of accommodations to suit different preferences. Visit Heartsongs Reservations page to view accomodation options.
Accommodations priced separately based on your preference. Please reach out to Sasha at info@sashabotanica.com to reserve your spot.
