* Now taking applications for our 2026 cohort! – Apply today! *
Our 2026 Intro to Herbal Medicine is a three-season, 108-hour weekend herbal intensive exploring health, resilience and the plant world. The program involves hands-on learning about medicine making, herbal knowledge and botany, to deepen our experience in the world and support resistance to systems of oppression.
Our curriculum focuses on foundational herbal skills — forming lively connections with the plants in our region; making your own medicines; caring for your body and mental health; and building an understanding of the energetic properties of herbs. We take our time to delve into the depths of these topics, internalize new skills and foster meaningful relationships.
2026 schedule
We will meet one weekend a month, March through November.
11am-5pm Saturdays and Sundays
Class weekends will be held: March 28-29, April 25-26, May 16-17, June 13-14,
July 11-12, August 22-23, September 26-27, October 17-18, November 7-8
Class locations will include Pittsburgh, our farm in Butler, PA, and other wild places in the region.
- Plant ID and plant walks
- Herb cultivation in our student garden
- Listening to plants, relationship building, and plant sits
- Folklore
- Phytochemistry
- Energetics
- Medicinal uses of plants
- Tinctures
- Oils
- Salves
- Syrups
- Treats & more!
- Start your Apothecary!
- Cultivating intuition
- Harm reduction
- Decolonization practices
- Trans-affirming herbalism
“What drew me to this program was the explicit mention and focus on social justice and learning about plant medicine through a decolonized lens. This is what grounded me in my plant medicine journey — it was healing for me, but it also provided me with tools to continue the healing work with my friends and family — while tying in this work to social justice. THANK YOU all for this gift <3”
Teachers
The Wild Cherries Herbal Studies Program is led by Michelle Soto, Jocelyn Kirkwood, and Vilde Chaya Fenster-Ehrlich, herbalists and growers who have been teaching and offering herbal care in our communities for almost 20 years.
Cost
Tuition is $1500. Students should plan for around $50 additional costs (give or take), including gas, books, and some medicine-making materials.
We offer some scholarship positions for people of color, indigenous people, and trans/non-binary folks. In our work as white herbalists, we want to address the patterns of colonization and white supremacy in our herbal practices, and to help bolster the many forms of resistance to the systems and structures of oppression we live under. This includes trying to make this course more accessible to people of color and trans folks.
We also offer a few work-trade positions, to allow folks to offset part of the cost of tuition. Payment plans are also available.
COVID Safety
As we make it through the pandemic, we take our class safety seriously and continue to revise our safety measures as appropriate. Through 2025, we’ve held most classes outdoors, with an option to connect via Zoom where possible. All participants rapid test before class; and masked in indoor spaces. We don’t know what measures we’ll take in 2026, but we will always be following the guidance of experts and be responsive to the needs of our students.
Questions?
Contact us for additional information!
contact@wildcherries.org • (615) 804-0064
