Herbal Apprenticeships
At Wildwood Institute
Bringing The Plants To The People And The People To The Earth
Our Next Beginning Apprenticeship Class Starts May 21, 2022
Each apprenticeship class meets one weekend per month from May through April.
The Institute is located in a lovely wooded area just outside of Madison, Wisconsin.
Here, students enjoy herb walks and outdoor teaching in the Wildwood Gardens, indoor class in “the Treehouse,” and occasional treks to wild areas.

Spend A Year With The Plants
Do What Plant People Do…
…with hands-on education at every class.
Identify plants & 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 facts 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.




Do you have an interest in healing herbs? Imagine THRIVING as a new herbalist.
Many paths start here, including:
- Herbalism for yourself and family
- Building an herbal products business
Practicing as a Clinical Herbalist
Take charge of your own health and your own future!
I came here with bits of knowledge about herbs and the human body, bits about gardening and this and that, but this apprenticeship gave me a framework to fit it in, and filled in so many of the gaps. I now have tools and knowledge I use every day.
The Wildwood Method
At Wildwood Institute we teach from the Four Directions of Information,
with Nature at the center.

With our herbal curriculum:
- Learn the fundamentals of human body systems and nutrition.
- Experience an introduction to Plant Spirit Medicine.
- Access and use all of your senses: sight, touch, taste, smell, and intuition.
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.
-
- 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.
When I signed up I was so excited, but I had no idea I was going to learn so much. I would have had to research and study for years on my own in order to obtain this collection of information.
How to Begin
Step 1: Check class dates
Confirm whether you can attend the 12 weekends indicated on our schedule.
Step 2: Fill out application
We are still accepting applications. We suggest applying early, as we often have a wait-list!
Step 3: Pay application fee
After processing your $45 payment, we will get in touch with you to schedule an interview.


