Terra Sylva School of Botanical Medicine

Terra Sylva School of Botanical Medicine The Terra Sylva School of Botanical Medicine provides training in Western herbal medicine from a hol

Terra Sylva School of Botanical Medicine emerged in response to the ongoing crisis we  inhabit. We (Jen, Janet, and Dave...
09/08/2026

Terra Sylva School of Botanical Medicine emerged in response to the ongoing crisis we  inhabit. We (Jen, Janet, and Dave) each found solace and purpose in the plants, and wanted to share that medicine with others. While each of us has our story about how we ended up on this path, we share some common interests. We love the plants and we love our communities. We have seen the profound impact of herbal medicine in our own lives and in the lives of others. For each of us, connecting to plants through our studies and practice has been a balm for our own individual health and provided a sense of purpose as we learned to support others with this knowledge and experience. Eventually, we chose to share this medicine through teaching. This work has become one of the most rewarding parts of our practice.
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Each year, graduates share that their experience at Terra Sylva has helped ground them and kept them steady within the ongoing crises and chaos of these times. Since we began, we have shared our experiences, moving through various natural disasters (wildfires, floods, droughts and storms), the ongoing pandemic, periods of heightened state repression and violence, and the general climate of chronic stress we all inhabit. We consistently hear that the container we create along with our students provides much needed structure in a time when it is all too easy to feel unmoored. We have been inspired and filled with gratitude by our graduates' words of appreciation. Scroll to read some of what they have to say. We are truly blessed to have such compassionate, intelligent, fierce, and courageous students!
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Admissions for the guided version of our Fundamentals of Community Herbalism course and our Advanced Community Herbalism courses is now open. We now have two new offerings - a hybrid version of Fundamentals course with monthly in-person classes and Foundations of Herbal Practice, a short course. More information on these offerings coming soon!

📚 FREE CLASS - Register now 📚 Herbal consultations are different than acupuncture or massage sessions, because with herb...
08/05/2026

📚 FREE CLASS - Register now 📚

Herbal consultations are different than acupuncture or massage sessions, because with herbalism the medicine really starts happening after the consultation—you go home with your herbs and your list of things to do, and then you have to do it, every day!

Taking herbs consistently and keeping up with a health plan can be challenging. But the obstacles are usually not insurmountable. As herbalists we can do our part through collaboration, flexibility, and the thoughtful design of a care plan. What does "meeting people where they're at" actually look like when you break it down?

Dave will be presenting a free class and discussion on this topic next Wednesday, August 12th, at 7pm Eastern time.

"Care Plans People Can Actually Do"
Registration is required in advance (see our bio). Come one, come all!

Another day in percolation paradise. You can catch up quick on your apothecary needs with percolation on your side. To g...
07/17/2026

Another day in percolation paradise. You can catch up quick on your apothecary needs with percolation on your side. To get started, check out Dave's comprehensive Terra Sylva percolation course. See our bio for the 🔗

07/14/2026

Dave talks about his upcoming class at the AHG Symposium: "Making Sense of Mast Cell and Histamine Presentations"

Friends and community of Western North Carolina, or anyone who wants to make the trek! Dave and Janet are leading a plan...
04/17/2026

Friends and community of Western North Carolina, or anyone who wants to make the trek! Dave and Janet are leading a plant walk on Saturday, May 2 from 1-4 pm at to ring in the spring. Join us as we honor the legacy of Joe Hollis, walk in one of the most beautiful gardens in the region, learn a wide variety of useful plants, ring in the spring and help us support the continued restoration of this life-giving resource. All proceeds go to finishing construction on the library/apothecary.

Pictured here 1. Janet and Dave on the stairs of their own library/apothecary inspired by the one that burned down at Mountain Gardens.  All other pictures from Mountain Gardens in past springs. Such a beautiful spot. You don't want to miss this. Oh, if you came to our plant walk at Mountain Gardens last fall, we will be talking about different plants this time, since different plants will be up. 

I picked a song by Les Filles de Illighadad to accompany these pictures because one the things I miss most about Joe being here is meeting him at shows. He loved many forms of music from the African continent and together we enjoyed the rise in interest in music from the Sahel region since it meant many opportunities to see these amazing perfomers live in Asheville. Joe was a wild and energetic dancer. He would bring tincture versions of classic Chinese formulas like Athlete's Endurance and pass them around. Absolute legend.

Who studies at Terra Sylva? We draw a network of community-minded students who want to learn socially-conscious herbalis...
04/14/2026

Who studies at Terra Sylva? We draw a network of community-minded students who want to learn socially-conscious herbalism, who want to learn to make high quality medicine, and who want to build a solid foundation for providing care and herbal education to their communities.
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We attract students with a wide range of herbal experience. Students who have recently developed an interest in herbalism study alongside experienced herbal clinicians. Medical professionals study with us to add a holistic lens to their practices. TCM practitioners study with us to add our socially engaged framework and our emphasis on accessible herbs to their work. Our students and alumni are serious about their herbal studies. We are consistently inspired by their dedication and commitment to the work!
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If you are considering joining our self-paced Fundamentals of Community Herbalism course, you have one more day to sign up during this enrollment period, while the course is on sale AND you have ample time to finish the curriculum before our 2027 Advanced Community Herbalism begins next spring.
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Today is the day!  After years of requests and a personal strong desire to create this course, I have finally put togeth...
04/04/2026

Today is the day!  After years of requests and a personal strong desire to create this course, I have finally put together all of my relevant classes on how to make high quality effective herbal formulas that people will actually take. A good formula can be life-changing and give vital support during difficult times! Check out our new course Mastering Herbal Formulation 🔗👆. Half off for all mutual aid workers and clinicians who offer accessible and/or sliding scale consultations.

It is relatively easy to learn to work with all kinds of lymphatic herbs, from the gentle to the high potency, low dose ...
04/03/2026

It is relatively easy to learn to work with all kinds of lymphatic herbs, from the gentle to the high potency, low dose lymphatics.

With gentle lymphatics like Red Clover, Violet, Chickweed and Cleavers, you can pick the herbs fresh, throw them in a blender with a little water and lemon juice, blend and drink. This is an excellent daily ritual to get your lymph moving in the spring.

You can also pick and dry any of these herbs to save for tea. The proportions don’t matter too much, just combine what you have. We like to add an aromatic, carminative herb or two into the blend to help bring warmth and movement to the tea. Try Spearmint, Peppermint, Chamomile, Sweet basil, or Tulsi. Pout 8 ounces of boiling water over one tablespoon of dried herb. Steep for 15-20 minutes. Drink 1-3 x a day.

Most of our medium potency lymphatics are roots and barks, so to make a tea, we need to decoct them. To combine these herbs, we need to assess their qualities and consider whether they are abundant locally. Of the medium potency lymphatics, Red root is quite astringent. Ocotillo is slightly acrid and is found in very few regions of Turtle Island. Echinacea is cool and pungent. Sweet birch, Alder, and Apple bark are slightly astringent and somewhat sweet. Sweet birch is a also aromatic and pungent; they have a wintergreen smell and taste (in fact this is the origin of most wintergreen flavor in foods and perfumery.)  Combine a higher proportion of milder tasting medium tasting herbs with a lower proportion of the stronger tasting ones. Your blend may still be too astringent! You can cut this astringency with Burdock root, a gentle lymphatic that is nutty and sweet in flavor. Try combining 4 parts Burdock root with 3 parts of a combination of the other herbs. You can add carminative spices like Cinnamon to add warmth and movement to the blend as well. Boil a handful of this blend in quart of water for 30 minutes.  Strain. Drink 4-6 ounces 1-3x a day. Refrigerate the remaining tea to drink at a later time.

You can combine medium and high potency lymphatic herbs to make a tincture or evaporated glycerite. These blends can be more effective than tea blends of the same herbs, 👇

-- - LEARN YOUR LYMPHATICS - - 🍀 While we may end up thinking about our lymphatic health more often in the winter, when ...
03/30/2026

-- - LEARN YOUR LYMPHATICS - -
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While we may end up thinking about our lymphatic health more often in the winter, when we want to support our immune systems, spring is a traditional time to support the lymphatic systems. Spring brings mineral rich herbs that help us get our lymph flowing again after what for some can be a more sedentary time of year.
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“Lymphatic” is an imperfect word used to describe this diverse class of herbs. It refers to the organ system they have an affinity with, but not what their action is in the body. In truth, the answer to the question “but what do they do?” is complicated. Some lymphatic herbs are rich in minerals. They help improve our bodies capacity for cleaning up after cellular waste. Some help improve the intelligence and efficacy of our white blood cells which helps support both clean up and immune response. Some support lymphatic flow. Though we might call them lymphatic decongestants, we are not entirely sure what their exact action is on the body. The lymphatic system, along with the herbs that support its function, is fascinating.
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You will see lymphatic herbs characterized as herbs for detox, which can make it sound like we only need them if we are in need of detoxification, but really, our bodies make waste in the course of their everyday function, from the cellular level up to the system-wide level. This does not mean we are dirty or full of toxins! We are complex organisms who use a number of pathways to clean up the waste made from simply having a body. The lymphatic system is an important part of the body's built-in cleaning system. Lymphatic herbs help facilitate that process.
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Lymphatic herbs vary greatly in potency.

Gentle lymphatics:  Violet, Burdock, Cleavers, Calendula, Red Clover

Medium potency lymphatics:  Echinacea, Red root, Alder, Apple bark, Ocotillo, Sweet birch

High potency, low dose lymphatics: Poke, Blue Flag, and Wild indigo
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Our next 💌 will cover the lymphatic system in more depth and discuss ways to make lymphatic formulas of various potency.
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PRO TIP: MANY PRODUCTS THAT ARE MARKETED AS DETOX SUPPORT ARE SCAMS.
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115 Blannahassett Island Rm 209
Marshall, NC
28753

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