Rich Mandelbaum
Where Phytochemistry Meets Gaia: Merging Science and Tradition in Herbalism
Location: Transcending Roots Apothecary, Becket, MA
Sliding scale fee: $70.00 – $100.00
Saturday, June 21, 2025 at 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM EDT
Register here.
Sometimes as herbalists we can compartmentalize our approach to plant medicine: a science-based approach, or a tradition / Earth-based approach. But we live in one single reality, and these are just different languages to describe that reality. The real wonder begins where they complement and synergize with each other.
We’ll spend the day celebrating the summer solstice weaving together traditional plant medicine, Gaia, and phytochemistry. Phytochemistry can sometimes feel like an abstract topic, a subject to be learned from books, divorced from our direct experience of the plants. But we’ll take phytochemistry into the field and forest and use sight, smell, and taste to discuss major classes of constituents, learn why plants produce them, how they provide nutrients and medicine, and what this means for us as herbalists and beings on the planet. We’ll deconstruct the artificial wall between science-based and energetic or traditional approaches to herbalism, reframing them as two contrasting languages describing a single Gaia.
The day will be outside, under cover if needed depending on the weather, and walking for an herb walk at some point during the day. If you have ever wondered why the sky is blue – and what that has to do with the biochemistry of medicinal plants – this is the workshop for you!
Herb walks! For registration and class fee information, please go to this page of Rich’s website
- Sat May 10, Walnut Mountain Park, Liberty (Sullivan Co.) NY – a beautiful local park to explore with a nice representation of our local, native forest ecosystem. This walk involves a bit of uphill climb – nothing too steep or rigorous, but if you prefer or need a flatter walk, this may not be the right choice. 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Thursday June 19 Solstice Evening Paddle at the Basha Kill, Wurtsboro NY – it’s becoming an annual tradition; we’ll celebrate the summer solstice on the water of this local treasure of protected wetlands and getting to know our local aquatic plants. The sun and earth do the same thing every solstice, so why shouldn’t we? This is a public event, hosted by the Mamakating Environmental Education Center and will be free with a small requested donation to MEEC. BYOB: bring your own (non-motorized) boat! Exact launch time TBD (probably 5:30-6:00 PM-ish) Mark your calendar; registration will be directly with MEEC and I will share that once they post it.
- Sunday June 29, High Point State Park, NJ – one of my favorite places to explore in the area. We’ll visit an unusual cedar swamp where we’ll see carnivorous pitcher plants and some species typically found much further north. We’ll also visit a Lenape stone site, and end the day enjoying the sweeping view from the top of the mountain. There is a campsite here for those who might want to make a weekend of it. 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Sunday July 27, Winding Hills Park, Montgomery (Orange Co.) NY – a pretty park with a mix of forest and lake shore to explore in Orange County, NY. There is a campsite here for those who might want to make a weekend of it. 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday August 2, Central Park, NYC – Yup, that big green rectangle in the heart of Manhattan. There is a tremendous diversity of plant life, both native and non-native, to see, and we’ll spend the day exploring. 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Sunday August 17, Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge, Sussex NJ – A beautiful refuge of fields, forest, and wetlands along the Wallkill, a tributary of the Mahicannituck (Hudson) River, in northern NJ along the NY border. 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Saturday September 6, Esopus Meadows Preserve, Esopus, NY – a lovely piece of protected forest on the shores of the Mahicannituck (Hudson) River. There is some uneven walking involved. 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM