Learn Herbalism, Foraging and First Aid

Hands-on learning for herbal, first aid, and other healing techniques is invaluable. Building muscle memory is fun and allows you to make mistakes and build skills. Most workshops from the Trillium Center include online materials to complement the in-person experiences, so participants can experience information in different ways. Sign up for a course below, I’ll be touch to confirm your attendance.

Now a one-day in-person training with online materials to increase accessibility!

Community Medic Training

June 27 -OR- July 25, 11-4 PM

Galactic Oasis, Lakewood, OH

This course is now open for enrollment! The online portion will be made available shortly after you sign up.

Originally this training was designed with three in-person days, but it is really hard for people to make three workshops. So it’s been redesigned with two online portions featuring written materials and videos, and quizzes (that you can take multiple times.) When all parts are complete, participants will receive a certificate and a patch.

The online portion must be completed before the in-person portion. I’m offering two dates for the in-person portion. I will contact you after you sign up with your payment below to confirm whether you want to come on June 27 or July 25.

An online course complements the hands-on Community Medic Training, which will be available for one year to those who complete all three in-person trainings.

Part 1 – Online

• Becoming a Community Medic
• Legal Aspects
• Ground Rules + Guiding Principles
• A Short History
• Physical Preparation
• Mental Preparation
• Scene Survey
• Streetside Manner
• Controversial Treatments for Street Medics

Part 2 – Online

• Initial Assessment: The ABCs
• Basic Psychological First Aid
• Recognizing Sudden Illnesses
  • Stroke
  • Heart Attack
  • Seizures
  • Diabetes
  • Weather Related Illness
  • Fainting
  • Abdominal Illnesses

Part 3 – In-Person

• Basic First Aid
  • Head Trauma
  • Abrasions, Lacerations & Other Wounds
  • From Bruises to Breaks
  • Burns
  • Chemical Exposures
• Secondary Assessment
• Basic Health & Safety for Large Gatherings
• Working with Emergency Medical Services & Public Safety

This training is being offered on a sliding-scale basis. That means that the trainer and the host are incurring costs to make this happen but we don’t want to exclude anyone based on income. If you can’t make a donation, please get in touch. The suggested donation for the community medic training is $40-100. Please donate extra if you are able.

Herbal First Aid: Start Your Kit

August 1, 11 AM-3 PM

Location: 2350 Indianola Ave, Columbus, Ohio

September 26, 11 AM-3 PM

Location: Galactic Oasis, Lakewood, Ohio

This workshop will be repeated in NE Ohio this fall.

Herbalism emerges as a healing technique in daily life and in disasters. This experience is designed to give you an introduction to the ways in which herbalism empowers people to heal themselves and build community resilience.

Resilience is vital during difficult times. Increase your resilience with first aid skills using common wild plants. Plants used in herbal first aid are often growing right at our feet. Even in cityscapes. In this hands-on workshop, learn how to identify or grow common plants used for first aid, practice herbal techniques, and take home a starter kit.

Plant specimens will be displayed and described so that you can see how to accurately identify the plants on your own. Get a short introduction to hydrotherapy techniques used in herbal first aid. Practice making herbal salves, poultices, compresses, washes, sprays, and soaks. Take home a handmade herbal salve*, an herbal blend for soaks, poultices, and compresses, an herbal first aid spray, a red bag for your herbs, and a printed guide to using herbs for first aid.

The cost per person of $77 includes:

• herbal first aid technique workshop
• 3 herbal products to take home
• guide regenerative foraging – pdf
• guide to herbal safety – pdf
• guide to using common herbs in first aid – pdf
• refreshments

Presented by Leah Wolfe, community herbalist and health educator from the Trillium Center. Leah is a practitioner and teacher of herbalism and hydrotherapy. She offers retreats, workshops, guided walks, and comprehensive courses in community herbalism. To prepare for this event, pack a lunch, note taking devices, a magnifying glass or app, and anything else you’ll need to be comfortable during the workshop. Some refreshments will be provided. The sign up link will allow you to make the payment, then you’ll receive an email to confirm the location you prefer.

Plant Walk Schedule

• July 26, near Cleveland, Ohio
• August 2, near Columbus, Ohio
• October 4, near Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Join the plant walking group! You will get emails when an plant walk is scheduled. But first, I need some info from you so I know when and where herb walks are wanted, whether you’ll travel, or if you prefer to stay closer to home. Once you are part of the group I’ll send you the exact location for each walk. To get on the list, I need you to give me a little bit of info, so please fill out the short form by clicking the button below.

Summer Foraging Workshop

August 22, 1-4 PM

Location: TBD, NE Ohio

Hands-on education in foraging is vital to learning plant identification, foraging techniques, knowing where to look, and processing wild plants into food and healing preparations. Join Leah Wolfe, herbalist, forager and homesteader to learning foraging and medicine making techniques to make your own herbal remedies. Leah began foraging as a child making (not eating) mud pies with spearmint.

This is a hands-on foraging workshop out in the fields and forest for wild plants to use for food, healing, and crafting. Learn identification and ethical gathering techniques with ideas on how to prepare the plants you collect.

Location: exact location depends on what’s blooming. Class will be rescheduled in the event of inclement weather.

Includes 3-hour workshop including foraging and processing techniques with plant material to take home, plus to ensure safety and skill development, the workshop includes downloadable guides for ethical foraging and herbal safety. Online materials available for 30 days from class date. Cost: $45

Emergent Herbalism and Community in Disaster Situations

October 2-3, 2026

Green Roots Convergence, Chagrin Falls, Ohio

When disaster strikes, government response is often slow leaving victims without help for days. Preparing community members to coordinate a decentralized and plant-based response and recovery is vital. This workshop is presented in 3 parts: Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. Topics include putting together disaster kits, learning about important plant medicines (including a plant walk), logistics and communication ideas, basic clinic set up, thoughts on how to work with the community to rebuild, and suggestions for further education. You will be expected to put what you learn into active discussion, planning, and logistics for a plausible disaster situation. Sliding-scale fee is offered up to $175 for two-days of intensive training.

Save the date! Registration will open soon.

An online version of this training will happen in January. Stay tuned!

Community Distillation for Herbalism and First Aid

Date and Location: TBD

Learn about different extraction methods to make herbal essences (hydrosols) and essential oils with little more than a handful of barks, leaves, and needles from plants that grow in the region. When the community pools effort, the outcome is shared resources. This workshop is an opportunity to practice a new skill while creating a community distillation project.

Distillation is an ancient practice that can be done in multiple ways. Leah will demonstrate how to do distillations at home with common kitchen equipment while also demonstrating the use of copper alembic distiller. This experience also comes with online materials, available for 30 days so that you can preview and review information to help you develop skills to safely choose herbs that fit your constitution and elemental patterns, plus a guide to ethical foraging.

Interested in attending or hosting this event? Get in touch.