The Roots of Response
A Weekend Intensive in Field Herbalism for Crisis, Collapse & Community Care
with Community herbalist Lupo Passero & Activist Leah Song
November 28 & 29 - ASHEVILLE, Nc
Thanksgiving weekend we will gather on lands that have long been tended by Indigenous peoples. As herbalists and community caregivers we inherit traditions of relationship with the living world that ask us to practice humility, gratitude, and reciprocity. Our intention is to honor those teachings not through sentiment, but through the way we care for our people and our planet.
In a world shaped by climate chaos, political unrest, and rising collective need, the ability to respond with grounded, plant-based care is more essential than ever.
This two-day, hands-on workshop is open to all, regardless of background, while offering herbalists, healers, and community caregivers the tools to show up skillfully in times of crisis, whether in the wake of a natural disaster, on the frontlines of protest, or within their own neighborhoods. Held over Thanksgiving weekend, we will also honor the practice of reciprocity by exploring what it means to give back to the plants, the land, and one another, remembering that gratitude is expressed through how we tend our communities.
Together, we’ll explore field-tested herbs for wound care, trauma, shock, and respiratory distress, create simple, effective remedies for emergencies, and learn how to build mobile kits for disaster relief and mutual aid efforts. We’ll also deepen our understanding of trauma-informed herbalism, energetic first aid, and the role of the herbalist and artist as second responders, embracing our sacred responsibility to care for others in times of crisis and collective change.
Rooted in the belief that medicine is for the people, this immersive weekend blends field herbalism, first response, and collective healing with the spirit of generosity, reciprocity, and service, cultivating the skills and relationships needed to help create a more resilient and deeply cared for world.
Roots of Response:
Herbal Medicine for Crisis, Collapse & Community
Two-Day Immersion Syllabus
Day One: Foundations of Field Herbalism
Morning Session: Orientation & Grounding
Welcome, circle, and land acknowledgment
The role of the herbalist and activist in crisis:
ethics, boundaries, and trauma-informed presence
What is field herbalism?
Distinctions between clinical, home, and crisis care
Group discussion: mutual aid, solidarity, and resilience in community health
Midday Session: Herbal First Aid for the Body
Wound care: cleaning, stopping bleeding, and preventing infection
Burns, sprains, and strains: immediate support and long-term healing herbs
Respiratory support in the field: coughs, fevers, and lung infections
Herbal safety: contraindications, red flags, and when to refer out
Afternoon Session: Medicine-Making in the Field
Portable apothecary kits: what to carry, what to improvise
Hands-on prep: poultices, compresses, teas, tinctures, steams
Improvised medicine-making with limited supplies
Case studies practice: applying skills to real-world scenarios
Day Two: Herbal Care for Spirit & Community
Morning Session: Nervous System & Emotional First Aid
Herbs for shock, panic, and overwhelm
Nervines and adaptogens for resilience
Supporting grief and trauma with plant allies
Role play: being present for someone in crisis
Midday Session: Herbalism in Action
Field protocols: assessment, documentation, and safety
Working alongside medics and community responders
Herbal care in protest situations
Legal and ethical considerations for street medicine
Afternoon Session: Art, Ritual & Collective Healing
The role of ritual, story, and creativity in crisis response
Wayfinding and commination through visuals
Medicine for the spirit: the spirit of song and altar work
Group art/ritual exercise as medicine for grief and resilience
Closing circle: weaving our learning back into community
By the end of this training, participants will:
Be able to provide basic herbal first aid in field and crisis settings
Understand which herbs to use and avoid when working with injured, sick, or traumatized individuals
Be prepared to create and carry a small, effective mobile apothecary
Have tools for tending not only the body, but the emotional and spiritual wounds of crisis
Feel confident working within the frameworks of mutual aid and community care
“I arrived hoping to learn a few herbal remedies and left understanding that herbal medicine is as much about relationship as it is about plants. Twin Star taught me how to recognize the healing growing all around us and how to meet moments of crisis with knowledge, presence, and care.”
— Andres M. TWIN STAR HERBAL GRADUATE
Why This Training Is Unique
Unlike other herbal trainings that focus on clinic or home practice, Roots of Response prepares you to meet people where they are, whether in the field, the forest, or the streets. Held over Thanksgiving weekend, this immersive experience invites us to reclaim the deeper spirit of gratitude through reciprocity, learning not only how to receive the gifts of the plants, but how to give back by tending the land and caring for one another. Blending practical first aid with mutual aid principles, we honor the plants as partners in resilience, remembering that in times of uncertainty, the medicine of the earth is both accessible and profoundly powerful.
We’ll gather Saturday and Sunday, November 28th and 29th, during the heart of the giving season, at Red Moon Herbs, Church of the Holy Basil, just outside Asheville, North Carolina. It is an honor to be welcomed by our herbal family at Red Moon, whose unwavering dedication to the Wise Woman Tradition and over three decades of crafting potent, local herbal medicines has nourished both people and place.
Together, we’ll spend each day from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. immersed in hands-on learning, plant connection, and the shared practice of tending ourselves, one another, and our communities.
We offer a limited number of spaces each year to create an intimate class experience.
*We reserve the right to reschedule classes in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
If any changes occur, students will be notified promptly.
where we will we meet
Meet Your instructors
Lupo Passero is a community herbalist and educator who has been teaching the foundations of herbalism and community care for over 25 years. Her teaching focuses on helping students become confident, capable herbalists through hands-on medicine making, wildcrafting, and direct relationship with plants.Drawing on nearly 30 years of experience in herbalism and natural health, Lupo is passionate about training herbalists who can care for themselves, their families, and their communities using practical, accessible plant medicine.
Leah Song is a musician, artist, and a ritualist, well known as the lead singer of the internationally celebrated ensemble Rising Appalachia, which she co-founded with her sister. Her work weaves together music, storytelling, and grassroots activism, uplifting traditions of folk medicine and community care. As a lifelong student of plants, Leah describes herself as a “back porch herbalist,” tending the edges where song, ritual, and the green world meet. She brings to this course her gift for creating spaces of healing through music, ceremony, and the everyday medicines of the people.
“Twin Star gave me the knowledge to be able to take care of myself-mind,body, and spirit in such a way that brings me back to the basics, back to the earth and her medicine. Everything I have learned has been an invaluable asset to who I am as a human and I am just so grateful to Lupo for making it such a multifaceted learning experience!”
— IIona B. TWIN STAR HERBAL GRADUATE
$555
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Frequently asked questions
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No, there are no prerequisites for enrolling in this program. This course is designed to welcome folks at all levels of experience, whether you are brand new to plant medicine or have already begun your studies. The more knowledge and personal experience you bring with you, the more you will get out of the program, but we begin at the roots, making sure everyone can grow together.
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Yes. Our Foundations of Herbalism certificate program is offered each year both in person and online.
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Students are expected to arrive on time and participate for the entirety of the weeknd.
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It acknowledges the emotional landscape of crisis.
Trauma-informed herbalism, energetic first aid, grounding, and presence are just as important as knowing which herb to reach for. For nearly two decades we have trained hundreds of students, grounding them in both practical medicine-making and deep relationship with the plants. This balance of intuition and science, ritual and practice, creates a living lineage of herbalism that continues to grow through each student who joins us.
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Becoming an herbalist is about more than learning plants. It’s about learning to listen, observe, and respond with care. This course builds a strong foundation in practical herbal medicine while teaching you how to apply that knowledge in service to your family, your community, and the living world. You’ll leave with hands-on skills, greater confidence, and a deeper understanding of what it means to practice herbalism with purpose.
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Yes! We’re committed to making herbal education accessible. A limited number of scholarships and flexible payment plans are available. Please inquire within by email twinstaroffice@gmail.com—we’re happy to work with you to make this path possible.