Why Our Herbaculture Interns Love This Program

Going Beyond the Books

Learning about herbalism often involves lots of reading and intense studying! Ask any herbalist, and they’ll surely be able to list off a whole bunch of herbalism books that they know inside-out. But there's a singular kind of knowledge that is gained through real-world exposure. As Spring 2023 Intern Anika Bundschuh explains, "I loved the hands-on field experience of the plant walks and the herbal preparations classes. I was looking for more tactile experiences, and these definitely met my goals!"

Our Herbaculture Internship program allows students to immerse themselves in nature by working on our Regenerative Organic Certified^® herb farms (the first in the world!) and by venturing into the nearby southern Oregon wilderness for guided plant walks.

Making Tinctures, Salves, & More

Both Summer 2024 Intern Morgan Wilson and Spring Intern 2023 Nadia Kamel expressed a love for the herbal preparation tools they had at their fingertips during this program, too. Morgan claimed, “My favorite part about this internship is the fact that we are given so many resources…classes teach us about [herbal preparations] or specific plants, and then we have the opportunity to put that education to the test [when] we make our own formulations!”

Nadia shared a similar sentiment, saying "I was able to experiment with new kinds of herbal preparations due to the ample supplies we were offered." Herbaculture Interns have access to many materials and herbs to make tinctures, oils, salves, glycerites, and more.

Feeling Tired In the Best Way

Working on our farms is a big part of this program. Interns agree that the physical labor of farmwork is challenging, but the satisfaction that comes from pushing through discomfort is sweet. “Living and working here is hard and rewarding,” says Morgan. “It’s hot, dry, and days can be long…but you always leave with a sense of contentment.”

“This program is not for the faint of heart; it is hard work to labor in the fields, attend, classes, and live with many others,” shares Spring 2023 Intern Lauren Calkins. But she wouldn’t trade her experience. “This program has changed my life, allowing me to fall in love with plants and see the beauty of living with others in a community.”

Expanding Your Herbal Community

Every season, we welcome our Herbaculture Interns fully into the Herb Pharm family. We love working beside them in the field and encouraging their growth. Our Herbaculture Interns also live together during the program in dormitory-style housing. They enjoy working, learning, making meals, and simply having fun together.

Nadia reflects that "Overall, I learned a lot about myself and about living in a community, its challenges, and its magic." Fall 2023 Intern Evelyn Tedrick found the farming to be character-building and educational, and she gained a newfound trust in herself. But integrating into an herbal community is where she experienced the most growth. "The group living was both enjoyable and challenging, and out of everything, I do feel like I learned the most from the living situation," she shares.

Confidence for What’s Next

This program is a launching pad for what’s next on our interns’ herbal journey. Morgan completed the program at the end of the summer. In the fall, she started taking higher education classes in herbalism with the hopes of becoming a clinical herbalist. She says, “I had started down this path before becoming an intern, but I didn’t have the confidence to fully embrace it. Now, I feel like I can confidently find herbs to help my family and make preparations to share with loved ones. Professionally…it showed me all the facets that exist within the field that can be explored.”