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Welcome!

Please keep checking back to see new and exciting website updates during the coming weeks.

We are a non-profit organization dedicated to providing healthcare resources grounded in Nature. Our work brings clinical herbalism to community practice through the weaving of science, spirit and grassroots activism. We provide one of the nation’s most extensive clinical training opportunities in herbal medicine, rooted in deep connection with the plants and place.
We invite you to visit one of our sliding-scale community clinics staffed by professional herbalists and supervised clinical interns, learn more about self-care with herbs through our community classes, or pursue in-depth study in one of our comprehensive herbalist training programs.

Help advance the role of herbal medicine in healing the unsustainable industrial healthcare system and in promoting the wellbeing and self-reliance of your community.
Email lisa@vtherbcenter.org to donate or click here to become a member today!

Our mission is to:

• educate and empower individuals to use traditional remedies as viable options in caring for themselves and their families;
• emphasize partnership with a clinical herbalist or other practitioner as an important adjunct to self-care;
• provide high-quality education for aspiring family and clinical herbalists;
• offer financially accessible health consultations to the community, creating an opportunity for collaborative practice among experienced herbalists, as well as a forum for education of clinical students;
• integrate and collaborate with other modalities and advance the role of the herbalist as an integral part of an effective healthcare model;
• renew deep connection with nature, encouraging a culture of ecological awareness, respect and interrelationship.

VCIH is a small, diverse community of individuals, bringing a variety of experiences, beliefs and practices to our roles as practitioners, teachers, staff, board members, general members and students. We represent many faiths, economic circumstances, sexual orientations and political leanings, among a myriad of other differences and commonalities. We are, however united in our love for the plants and our belief in their capacity to heal. We feel our diversity makes us strong and enhances our ability to serve our multi-faceted community. We welcome you to join us!

We do not discriminate in accepting students to our school, or clients to our clinic. Please click here to read our non-discrimination policy.

We are members of United Plant Savers (Partner in Education), and a school officially registered with the American Herbalists Guild.

News:

New exciting way to support VCIH: Buy your bulk organic herbs from Mountain Rose!
15% of every purchase is donated to VCIH when you begin your shopping from our partners page or by clicking the logo below.

VCIH Journal is out. Selections of work from students of our 3 year Clinical Training Program: research reviews, botanical monograph, recipes and photos! Integrative Herbalism Free, open access.

Community Herb Workshops
Pre-registration required. Contact 224-7100 or info@vtherbcenter.org

Wellness for Kids and Parents with Shona MacDougall, VCIH Clinical Herbalist
Wednesday March 14th, 6-8 pm
Learn which herbs, foods and supplements can rev up your immune system and keep your whole family healthy as we transition from winter to spring. Take home herbal preparations.
$15 members/$18 non-members (includes materials fee)

Herbal Support for the Musculoskeletal System with Rebecca Dalgin, VCIH Graduate
Wednesday March 21st, 6-8 pm
This class will explore long-term tonics that support the structure and function of
the musculoskeletal system and review herbal support for acute or chronic injury in these
areas. We will sample various preparations and make a topical formula to take home.
$15 members/$18 non-members (includes materials fee)

Techniques and tips for Successful Plant Propagation with Joann Darling, Gardens of Seven Gables
Wednesday March 28th, 6-8 pm
From seed starting and root cuttings to layering and plant propagation, learn best practices for: staring perennials and annuals from seed; dividing perennials in the spring; choosing soils,
growing mediums, and rooting solutions. $10 members/$12 non-members

Herbal Medicine Making with Betzy Bancroft, VCIH Core Faculty
Monday April 2nd, 6-8 pm
Extracting the goodness of herbs into liquids like water or alcohol can be a simple process.
Betzy will demonstrate how to make teas, infused oils and tinctures, and discuss administration and dose. We'll also cover how these simple preparations can be used to make other remedies like salves and fomentations. $10 members/$12 non-members

Secrets of Our Cycle: two-part series with Abigail Houghton, VCIH Graduate
Mondays April 9th and 16th, 6-8 pm
Part I: Cnnect fertility with hormone and tissue fluctuations. Learn about queen
anne’s lace and begin to understand her connection with fertility and fertility control.
Part II: Discuss a variety of plants that support the wellness of our unique bodies and cycles
by toning, initiating stimulation, reducing spasms, and balancing hormones. Learn about
raspberry, crampbark, vitex and others. Bring journals, an open mind, an open heart, and your curiosity as we explore, discover, and share the secrets of our cycle.
$10 members/$12 non-members per class

Beating the Sugar Blues with Marie Frohlich and Lisa Masé, Harmonized Cookery
Wednesday April 18th, 6-7:30 pm
Understand the wonderful world of sweeteners, their composition, and the myriads of uses for them. From rice syrup and raw honey to herbal glycerites and root powders, you will gain clarity about the sources of the sugars we ingest, their importance in our health, and how you can use them to thrive. Cost $10 members/$12 non-members

European herbalist Julia Graves, author of The Language of Plants, will visit VCIH to teach a weekend of workshops in June. Email or call 802.224.7100 for details and to register.

Traditional European Cupping, Foundation/Level I Sunday June 3rd, 9am-5pm and Saturday, June 9th, 9am-5pm $200 for both days; $180 early bird discount; $160 VCIH members/students

Once an integral part of what was a holistic system of traditional European medicine, cupping is at once highly effective and relatively easy to do. A household staple home remedy for common colds, coughs and back aches into the 20th century all over Europe and in other traditional societies, it is now quickly being lost as a skill. This class is a wonderful opportunity to revive our roots.

Why learn cupping? Cupping is an ancient healing art that stimulates the body's natural healing response through its effects on the extracellular matrix. It is versatile and can accomplish a range of results, from lymphatic drainage to deep tissue release. By creating suction, cupping is used to soften tight muscles and tone attachments, loosen adhesions and lift connective tissue, bring hydration and blood flow to body tissues, and drain excess fluids and toxins by opening lymphatic pathways. The sensation of cupping is warm and relaxing. For body workers, it eases the stress on the hands as it prepares the hardened tissues to receive at a deeper level.

Day One covers the history of cupping and gives a brief overview of cupping in different traditions world wide. It covers the cupping methods and different forms of glasses and their use. We will learn how and why cupping works, study relevant anatomy and physiology, and two of the most widely applicable and relevant settings of glasses. The day focuses on working on the entire back, and discusses the organ reflex zones. Included will be indications and contraindications. Be prepared to pair up to cup and be cupped, since it is only by experiencing cupping on our own body that we can fully understand its effect. Taking Cupping One has proved very useful and instructive for TCM practitioners, adding greatly to their cupping training. Be sure to have someone willing to have you practice on them lined up after the first day.

On Day two, we review all questions that arose from cupping practice and review the setting technique learned so far. This requires all students to have cupped at least one or more people. This is essential, since we do not become aware of what we did not understand, until we find ourselves having to do it by ourselves. Day two teachings include practice with sliding cups and a brief introduction to gua sha, a special Chinese technique. We also learn and practice special settings such as for the joints, as well as the use of moxa.

Please dress in comfortable clothes and bring a cotton bed sheet or large towel, a woolen blanket, and a bottle of massage oil, preferably Weleda or other arnica massage oil, a lighter, and preferably at least 8 to 12 cupping glasses (info available from VCIH upon registration about ordering these; not included in the class cost).

The Shamanic, Magical and Herbal Roots of European Traditional Medicine Monday, June 4th, 6-8pm; $20/$15 VCIH members/students

The native peoples of Europe have a history of natural healing that is at the very least 30,000 years old. Little known to most, it has survived to the year 2012 in an unbroken lineage. Bonesetters, firepullers, herbalists and shamans still practice, and leave us with a rich heritage of holistic healing. Especially in the remote rural areas within the farming communities, one just needs to scratch the surface to find a wealth of this ancient knowledge alive and well. JuliaGraves was raised by her herbalist mother in Germany. She also trained with an 85 year old naturopathic lady doctor in her youth. Julia presents European traditional healing and herbalism with a wealth of fascinating, unexpected stories and examples. A unique chance to discover your roots!

Healing Sexual Trauma Monday June 4th, 9am-12pm; $40/$25 VCIH members/students

Helping others heal or healing oneself from sexual abuse is a challenge. In the present day where the proportions of this epidemic become more obvious, it is a skill needed by everyone in the healing and caring professions. Still misunderstood and more of a taboo than this sexually liberated society would like to admit, sexually traumatized people rarely find qualified help. Herbalists, bodyworkers, and other healing professionals whose questions and touch can awaken suppressed tissue memories, or fertility specialists who have to deal with the ensuing psychological blocks, are especially in need of understanding sexual abuse and its consequences. In this presentation, psychotherapist, bodyworker and herbalist Julia Graves presents the psychological dynamics of sexual abuse, the incest family, energetic and health consequences, the resulting challenges in the therapeutic relationship, how to heal and help heal, and much much more.

The Joyful Dance of Nature - The Medicinal Properties of Herbs in Light of their Botanical Families Sunday June 10th, 10am-5pm; $100/$80 VCIH members/students

Nature displays before us a dizzying array of colors and shapes in plant life. For those fluent in the ancient language of doctrine of signatures, this communicates a patterns of healing properties. While botanical families share the same underlying archetype, the single plants are like variations over that musical theme. In this fascinating presentation, herbalist Julia Graves leads us through the metamorphoses of medicinal plants within the context of their botanical families. Understanding the major healing themes and how a shift in shape changes what a plant heals can help us quickly choose the right herb for the whole person.

Once we understand Nature and how she orchestrates the healing qualities in plants, we start to see how these correspond to the person and the disease. The plants' colors, shapes and other characteristics signify specific energetic configurations that can be matched to the energetic configuration of person and disease. The proportions of how the elements are combined in the plant help us recognise how these interact with the elements in people. It is due to this correspondence of the plant and the person in ill health that profound shifts and healing can occur. Learning to read the plants and clients in this way makes for a creative, insightful herbalist.

Announcing a Learning Partnership between VCIH and Goddard College’s Health Arts and Sciences: Bridging Nature, Culture and Healing Program
Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism (VCIH) and the Health Arts and Sciences: Bridging Nature, Culture and Healing (HAS) program of Goddard College are pleased to announce a new learning partnership. Combining study in Vermont and in student’s home communities, this joint learning opportunity will enable VCIH students who seek a fully accredited college degree to apply their learning (and transfer credits at the undergraduate level) to their personalized program of study in Health Arts and Sciences.

To learn more, please click this link.

By drawing upon the practitioner training available from VCIH, in conjunction with the ongoing inquiry and broader scholarship facilitated in HAS, students will become practitioner-scholars of Western herbal medicine and expand their focus beyond herbal medicine within the HAS program. Upon graduation, students can choose to work as clinicians, consultants, educators or in numerous other fields, or they may pursue additional study.

To learn more about the Health Arts and Sciences Program at Goddard College, you may contact Jamie Kline at Jamie.Kline@goddard.edu or visit www.goddard.edu or call 800.906.8312.

3-Year Clinical Herbalist training program 

Reading and materials list for this year's classes available. Click here.

Click here for a course catalog.(.pdf format, requires Adobe Reader)

Click here for a complete calendar of all 3 years.

Our curriculum begins with basic, grounded work with key medicinal plants, and progresses into advanced herbal studies and supervised clinical work. Click here for more information.

Click here to apply. Application deadline for 2013 is November 1st, 2012. Prospective students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible in order to allow time for interveiws and financial aid requests. Thank you.