Herbal Apprenticeships at Wildwood Institute
Time’s Running Out!
Apply For the May 2026 Apprenticeship Now!
Why Study at Wildwood Institute?
We are one of the only in-person herbal programs in the upper Midwest.
- About half of our Beginning class each year comes from 2 hours or more outside of Madison. Apprentices come from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, and upper Wisconsin.
- We have been offering this herbal apprenticeship program since 2003.
Learn with a group.
- A diverse cohort of apprentices who share your passion for nature will be there to enrich the journey, and celebrate the seasons of the year.
Our students apply their herbal skills for a lifetime.
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- Many of our graduates use the herbal training provided by Wildwood Institute to promote health and vitality for themselves and loved ones.
- Some choose to incorporate herbalism into their current occupations of nursing, pharmacy, nutrition, and other conventional healing professions.
- Some have obtained employment at holistic pharmacies and health food stores, while others have started their own herbal products businesses or clinical practices.
Our Expertise
Learn more about Kathleen Raven Wildwood, the Founder and Director of Wildwood Institute.
APPLY NOW!
Step 1: Fill Out Application
Now accepting applications. We suggest applying ASAP, as there’s often a waitlist!
Step 2: Pay Application Fee
We cannot process your application until the fee is paid.
The Wildwood Way
At Wildwood Institute, we teach from the Four Directions of Information, with Nature at the center.
Spend a Year With the Plants
Each apprenticeship class meets one weekend per month from May ’26 through April ’27.
The Institute is located in the lovely Driftless Area, just outside of Madison, WI.
Here, students enjoy herb walks and outdoor teaching in the Wildwood gardens, indoor class in “the Treehouse,” and occasional treks to wild areas.
What Apprentices Are Saying
With Our Herbal Curriculum
Learn the fundamentals of human body systems and nutrition.
Access and use all of your senses: sight, touch, taste, smell and intuition.
Connect deeply with plants on multiple levels.
APPLY NOW!
Step 1: Fill Out Application
Now accepting applications. We suggest applying ASAP, as there’s often a waitlist!
Step 2: Pay Application Fee
We cannot process your application until the fee is paid.
**Applications close at 11:59pm, April 10th, 2026.**
Do What Plant People Do…
…with hands-on education in every class.
Identify plants and learn to harvest responsibly.
Make and use your own tinctures, salves and more.
Build Your Resources
Create and use your own herbal apothecary and materia medica based on accurate information as opposed to rumors and trends.
Distinguish misinformation about herbs, nutrition and health from scientific fact and traditional herbal wisdom.
Empowered Education
Appropriate for many educational backgrounds and learning styles.
Twelve weekends of collegiate-level instruction.
Monthly herb reports, readings, tests and learning activities to do at home.
Still have questions? Check out our FAQs!