Bioregional Herbalism & Medicine Making

A course to take you from curious to confidant in the realms of

Bioregional Herbalism and Medicine Making.

We are thrilled to launch Bioregional Herbalism & Medicine Making as a professionally recorded, self-paced online course on March 1st 2021.
Students seeking personalized guidance on the path might consider Geraldine's new Herbal Mentorship program as they go through the online course.
More info below & stay tuned for the launching of the course website on March 1st!

Tea Tasting Membership

Are you interested in learning how to use your senses to understand information about an herb’s therapeutic qualities? Do you want to speak from your own experience with an herb instead of repeating what you have read or heard other people say? Join the Suntrap Tea Tasting club.

In the Suntrap Tea Tasting club, Geraldine facilitates a monthly blind tea tasting. We study one herb at a time, so we can devote all of our attention to the complexities, tastes, and actions of the single herb. The blind tea tasting takes you beyond an herb’s common and latin names and all the associations we bring to those names. The blind tea tasting gives you an opportunity to see the herb for who it is. Skilled herbalists can determine an herbs quality and sometimes actions by relying on their palate - blind tea tastings help to hone this skill.

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Geraldine will send out a satchel of mystery tea with brewing instructions approximately one week before each class. The class meets via zoom.

You can sign up for one class at a time or commit to a year of tea tastings. More info below.

Gardening 101

A Self Paced Guide For Growing & Caring For Plants

A gardening class for everyone! No prior experience necessary - all you need is a desire to grow something useful, edible, beautiful, or for the birds. Whether you live in an apartment in the city, have a small suburban lawn, or live in a rural landscape - you can take notes from this class and apply them to growing flourishing plants in any scenario. Watch the intro video by clicking the photo below.

Just Outside Your Door:

Transformational Herbs for Transition Times

A free monthly webinar with ASL interpretation, co-hosted by Geraldine of Suntrap Botanical & Petra of Fruition Seeds.

Join us for an hour long webinar once in a month in which we share our passion for medicinal plants, both cultivated and wild. We explore the history & health benefits of herbs common in the Northeast US as well as how to grow, make medicine & save seed of each herb.

Register by clicking the photo below!

About the facilitator, Geraldine.

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Geraldine is the herbalist behind all things Suntrap Botanical! She lives to experiment in the apothecary lab, coax color from botanicals, write and read herbal theory, and share lessons from all of the above with her students.

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Geraldine has been studying herbalism for over a decade. The past 5 years have been completely devoted to the practice. She has taught classes on herbal medicine making and theory at Yale University, Bard College, conferences, retreats, food coops, lifestyle stores, many farms, even a music festival. After every class she receives feedback that her style is organized, thorough, and students feel like they have expanded their understanding of the subject matter. Geraldine believes that each class is an opportunity to empower her students and demystify the world of plant and mushroom medicine.

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Geraldine brought her courses to the online realm in May 2020 and she hasn't looked back. Turns out teaching online can be fun, serious, whimsical, and intimate - if you are open to it. Read student testimonials below.

Student Testimonials:

"Geraldine’s online course was the perfect introduction to caring for plants. Her instruction was thorough and accessible and her personality seems so kind and genuine. I find myself incorporating her tips into everything from caring for houseplants to drafting & implementing a vision for my home garden. I also appreciate her grounded perspective on being in relationship with plants and delighting in the simple pleasures of growing and tending to them. I hope to learn more from her bounty of wisdom over time & look forward to supporting her work and being nourished by her creations."  

-Ingrid B about "Gardening 101"

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“I was lucky to be a part of the first blind tea tasting, where I met nettle for the first time! Geraldine has such a warm, healing energy about her, one that transcends any computer screen! It was such an intimate, interactive zoom experience and Geraldine made sure to engage with each one of us. She held space for us to to recount any fleeting memories that the herb brought up for us, and to explore how the herb affected each of our senses! I truly haven’t been able to stop thinking about Nettle since!”

-Analise R about "Tea Tasting"

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Geraldine’s approach is grounded both in knowledge and deep respect for traditional folk herbalism AND rigorous clinical experience. She is both an herbalist AND regenerative farmer, and is a dedicated steward of land and native plants. Her offerings are inclusive, intentionally and widely accessible, with strong anti-oppression ethos woven throughout - not to mention, she possesses the special magic of being able to impart critical information in a way that is light, fun, and absolutely infectious. 

The class itself is perfect for folks like me, who don’t plan to treat other people, but have been befriending plants and making medicines for several years without any training or foundation - and is also accessible to total beginners. The content of the class is crucial to anyone wanting to glean hands-on skills in the basics of making quality, strong herbal medicines rooted in localism, stewardship, tending relationship, and decolonization. 

-Annie R about "Bioregional Herbalism & Medicine Making"

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I started the class in the Northwest, lush with wild herbs and berries and ended it on the East Coast, with many different type of plants to choose from. I felt I had the best of both worlds as I hunted for herbs and flowers from both locations. It was great learning how to make herbal mixtures, tinctures, teas and concoctions. This class really gave us freedom to try out different combinations and learn from personal experience. Seeing Geraldine's enthusiasm and passion for bioregional medicines and watching her create them in person was the greatest gift of all!  Grateful for her endless knowledge.

-Ginny M about "Bioregional Herbalism & Medicine Making"

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My experience in Geraldine’s Bioregional Herbalism Course was so invaluable! The modules were well-paced, organized and spread out so that I was able to digest the information, experiment and play without feeling pressured or as if I was lacking knowledge in the processes. Geraldine was also extremely accessible for answering any and all of my questions or concerns; and she was very thorough in her responses and clarifications on any inquires I made. I am now able to use, and reference her beautiful guide booklet for, all of the recipes, infusions and overall herbal medicine-making knowledge that Geraldine so graciously shared, into my daily life! I am even in the process of making herbal infusions as Christmas gifts for loved ones, and I’ve never been so excited to give people gifts the way I am about these plant medicines! I am so thankful and appreciative of Geraldine for offering such a wonderful, informational, and love-filled course, and I DEFINITELY recommend it to anyone wanting a gentle, but extensive, introduction into herbalism, or just for anyone wanting to gain further knowledge from someone who is visibly passionate about Bioregional Herbalism and herbal medicine-making. 

-Aynye A about "Bioregional Herbalism & Medicine Making"

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When I signed up for Geraldine’s bioregional herbalism & medicine making course I was a little nervous and apprehensive because I'm a complete beginner in this world of herbalism. I’ve had a lifelong love and fascination with plants but only recently have felt a strong urge to understand and deepen my relationship to the things that grow and live around me, but I feel this course has given me such an amazing foundation to grow from. Geraldine is a truly wonderful teacher and presents the information in a way that is accessible, and her love for what she teaches is felt 100%, and makes learning it a complete joy. I feel like I know the basics now, and have a good starting point in knowing the best way to extract different properties for different plants and roots, how to make the most potent tinctures and oils possible, and a deeper, intensified adoration and respect for the land around me. This class has been one of the brightest spots of 2020 for me, and i will be forever grateful for this offering.
-Alyssa W about "Bioregional Herbalism & Medicine Making"

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Taking the Bioregional Herbalism class was the major step I needed in order to put my passion into action. I have loved herbalism for some years but only practiced identifying plants and making teas and tinctures. Through this class, my dream of having an at home apothecary full of jars of herbs was actualized. I loved learning about the different ways in which herbs can be used, including salves, steams, and syrups. Throughout each module I formed a relationship to a specific herb and experienced its healing effects. I learned more than I could have hoped for and feel confident as a budding herbalist. This spring, I will be harvesting weeds every week and will be able to offer medicinal concoctions for my friends, thanks to Geraldine and Suntrap! 

-Trik about "Bioregional Herbalism & Medicine Making"

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I am so glad that I took this course during this time. It opened up my eyes to a world right in front of me, that is much more accessible than I had previously thought. Geraldine is such a kind teacher. She practices with clear-eyed ethics and integrity. I feel so fortunate to have begun this practice with Geraldine as my guide. 

-Grace K about "Bioregional Herbalism & Medicine Making"

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I yearned to become a student to herbalism and the Bioregional Herbalism & Medicine Making course allowed me to embody that role of student. Geraldine has the professionalism of an expert but has the most delightful charm that the two-hour virtual class was the highlight of each month. The BHMM booklet given to us at the start of the course encouraged me to sit with our plant friends. Even after the first class, I entered the woods with fresh eyes and a better understanding of who I was meeting. I built confidence knowing that I had a powerful group of Herbalists to turn to with any questions I came across. As the course went on, experimentation became more and more fun as I felt more comfortable. I learned about healing herbs and created medicine from them, which I am very proud of. Everything someone can ask for who is looking to immerse themselves into the world of herbs!

-Elise M about "Bioregional Herbalism & Medicine Making"

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I learned so much in class with Geraldine; it was a beautiful way to learn about herbs in my bioregion. I appreciated the combination of information about herbs and information about medicine making. Geraldine made the course material accessible and fun to engage with. I enjoyed the “assignments” that we had to do. I left the course feeling inspired and creative, and have been crafting my own herbal creations ever since. 

-Lara E about "Bioregional Herbalism & Medicine Making"

More to come!