Wildcrafted Apothecary:
A Foraging & Herbal Product Apprenticeship 

120-Hour Advanced Herbalist Certificate Program

Co-Taught by Community Herbalist & Apothecary Specialist Lupo Passero, Herbalist Jeannie Dunn of Red Moon Herbs
and Community Herbalist and Appalachian Forager Melissa Fryar.

The Wildcrafted Apothecary is a fully immersive, in person course rooted in the landscapes of Appalachia. Guided by experienced herbalists with deep regional knowledge, the majority of class time is spent outdoors, ethically working with native, naturalized, and invasive plants and fungi across the seasons. Students learn to work directly with the extraordinary biodiversity of this region, developing responsible harvesting practices and meaningful relationships with Appalachian medicinal plants.

The medicines gathered from the land are then transformed into teas, salves, tinctures, and other herbal preparations. Students gain hands on experience in plant and fungi identification, processing for medicine making or drying, and creating effective, potent and professionally formulated herbal products that are properly labeled and ready to be sold or shared.

Throughout the course, participants collaboratively create one Community Supported Apothecary share featuring six to eight herbal remedies made entirely from plants they have wildcrafted. These shares are distributed as herbal mutual aid to community members in need, and each student receives one completed share to take home.

What you can expect

“Wild Crafting Apothecary was one of my favorite courses I’ve taken with Twin Star, every month I looked forward to our outdoor foraging adventures! It felt like a vacation, and a much needed break from life’s mundane routines. The entire course was extremely wholesome, educational, & exciting! It was fun & empowering to work as a team to create an amazing offering for the community & to give back to such an important cause. As an aspiring entrepreneur, it answered all my questions about how to create & formulate products up to legal standards as well as the in’s & outs of marketing!”

- Marisa 2022 Graduate & Clinical Herbalist

What You wIll receive

  • Learn how to ethically forage and identify medicinal herbs and mushrooms across the Appalachian landscape. Discover how to build respectful relationships with the plants and ecosystems that sustain us.

  • Gain hands-on skills in preparing teas, tinctures, salves, and other botanical products using wild, naturalized, and invasive plants. Each medicine-making session deepens your understanding of how to turn raw materials into powerful healing allies.

  • Build your home apothecary while mastering proper drying, processing, and medicine-making techniques. The collaborative learning environment encourages creativity, confidence, and connection.

  • Develop the skills to formulate, label, and market your own herbal products from start to finish. You’ll be empowered to bring your vision to life with professional, shelf-ready offerings. You’ll leave with a solid foundation in the art, science and ritual of herbal medicine-making.

  • Receive a 120-hour certificate in wildcrafted herbal product making, taught by two experienced herbalists with over 50 years of combined expertise. You’ll leave with a solid foundation in both the art and science of herbal medicine-making.

  • Take your herbal business to the next level by understanding how to enter the marketplace and create products aligned with your community and clients. Whether you’re starting a business or expanding an existing one, or just want to create a home apothecary, you’ll gain the tools to do it right.

Enroll Now

  • You’re yearning for a deeper, more rooted and relational practice as a Community Herbalist and Wildcrafter

  • You have a deep repesct for Herbal Mutual Aid and a desire to support your community and herbal practice with locally foraged plants

  • You’ve completed a foundational herbal program, or our Level 1: Foundations of Herbalism program and are ready for the next step

  • You’re interested in working in apothecary/community herbal settings and want practical experience to support that path

  • You’re considering continuing on to clinical herbal training and want a strong, rooted foundation and prerequisite

  • You’re ready to show up fully, engage deeply, and do the good herbal work

Who is this for

Enroll Now

What you will learn

Wildcrafting & Ethical Harvesting

Learn how to identify, sustainably harvest, and work in sacred reciprocity with native, naturalized, and invasive plants and fungi of the Appalachian bioregion. You’ll develop a deep relationship with the land while practicing respectful, hands-on foraging skills.

Herbal Product Formulation & Medicine Making

Gain practical experience creating teas, tinctures, salves, and more—crafted from wild plants and mushrooms you gather yourself. You’ll learn how to formulate, label, and preserve remedies with integrity and purpose.

Herbal product Foundations & Market Readiness

Explore the fundamentals of creating, marketing, branding, and selling your herbal creations with the Community Supported Apothecary program. Leave with the confidence and knowledge to launch or elevate your herbal products or business.

Additionally, students in this program collaborate on a collective herbal project shaped by the passions and ideas of the group. For example, in 2022, our Wildcrafted Apothecary class—comprised of female-identifying individuals—came together during the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Responding to this moment of injustice, they co-created the Womb Warriors kit, a locally foraged and professionally crafted herbal remedy collection designed to empower, support those in need, and raise awareness. Each year, our classes have the opportunity to contribute meaningful herbal offerings that give back to the community and amplify collective strength through healing and resilience.

  • Taught by two seasoned herbalists with over 50 years of combined experience in wildcrafting and product creation

  • Focused on hands-on, field-based learning with plants and fungi gathered from the Appalachian landscape

  • Emphasis on ethical foraging, reciprocal relationship with the land, and deep ecological awareness

  • Learn to create and co-formulate teas, tinctures, salves, and more using wild-foraged ingredients

  • Small group size for intimate mentorship, peer collaboration, and personalized guidance

  • Certificate of completion for 120 hours of immersive study in wildcrafting and herbal product making

  • Support in developing your own home apothecary and confidence to take your herbal offerings to market

What makes our
Program unique?

“The Wildcrafting Apothecary course was a life-changing experience for me. Working alongside a great group of herbalists, foraging wild plants, processing herbs, formulating products, and marketing the final herbal kit–I learned so many valuable life skills throughout this journey, and I had such an amazing time. Thank you Twin Star team!

- Xan 2022 Wildcrafted Apothecary Graduate

Meet Your Teachers

  • Melissa Fryar is an Asheville born Appalachian herbalist who was lucky enough to be born in her favorite plant and foraging land. She has studied with some amazing herbal elders including Rosemary Gladstar and Deborah Francis, and more importantly, from her grannies and the plants and trees themselves. Her passions include:  food as medicine, folk and regional plants, a sweet old hound dog named Bocephus, and her family. She hopes to be a student for the rest of her life. Melissa has taught regionally for several herb schools and at various conferences throughout the area.

  • Lupo Passero is a Community Herbalist with over 25 years experience in the field of herbalism and natural health. Lupo has worked closely throughout the years within the natural products industry serving as a staff herbalist in a variety of local health food and herbal stores and has served as an educator and as a consultant for over 20 years for some of the best retailers, producers and manufacturers of herbal medicine in the country.  Trained as a Clinical Herbalist in Asheville North Carolina in 2003, Lupo has been working closely with folks of all ages and backgrounds, helping them to create healing herbal regimes for better heath and wellness as well as to help support specific ailments. In 2016 Lupo opened Twin Star Community Apothecary, a full service local apothecary, combining her expertise of natural products and her deep wisdom of herbal medicine. She has created hundreds of time tested and well loved herbal products over the years and is is always happy to help create a custom tea blend, flower essence or personalized herbal remedy and enjoys supporting all individuals innate ability to heal themselves with simple and effective plant potions.

when will we meet

Our program runs from April - October in our Twin Star South location in Asheville, NC.

We will meet in-person on the fourth Friday (May will be 3rd Friday) of each month April through October with our final class on the third Friday in November from 9:30 am to 5 pm. *Full Days, In-Person 9:30 am to 5 pm: April 17th, May 22nd, June 26th, July 24th, August 21st, September 25th, October 23rd & November 20th 2026.

All classes will be led and supervised by Community Herbalists Melissa Fryar and Lupo Passero, and will meet in or around the Asheville area, with special location destinations throughout the Appalachian mountains. Carpooling together to locations will be encouraged.


*We reserve the right to reschedule classes in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
If any changes occur, students will be notified promptly.

$2,000

Plus a non-refundable deposit of $250, required to reserve your spot, at the time of registration.

After your deposit is received, you will receive an email with instructions to set up the remainder of your payment plan, or to choose to pay-in-full and save.

Investment

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Unsure if this Program is A Fit For You? Book A Call!

We are always available to help you decide which one of our programs is a good fit for you on your journey. Just use the button below to schedule a call. We look forward to connecting with you.

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Frequently asked questions

  • Completion of a foundational herbal studies program or equivalent experience is required before enrolling in this 200-hour Community Herbalist Certificate, which also serves as the prerequisite for our Practicing Herbalist Clinical Program.

    If you have taken our Foundations of Herbalism program, that counts as fulfillment.

  • Yes, all classes are held in person.

  • Students are expected to attend each class and complete all homework to receive the certificate of completion.

    We allow one absence for our in person classes.

  • This program stands apart by combining hands-on wildcrafting with herbal product creation rooted in place-based learning. Unlike typical herbalism courses that rely on purchased ingredients, students forage local plants and mushrooms, practicing ethical harvesting while building a deep connection to the Appalachian landscape. Through co-creating a Community Apothecary Share, participants gain real-world experience in formulation, labeling, and marketing—blending traditional skills with practical business insight for a truly holistic, grounded education.

  • This course will give you the practical skills, hands-on experience, and confidence needed to step into the role of a community herbalist. With 120 hours of comprehensive herbal education, you’ll learn how to identify and ethically harvest local plants and mushrooms, create effective herbal remedies, and build a home apothecary from the ground up. By co-formulating and marketing real products through the Community Apothecary Share, you’ll gain experience in both the medicine-making and outreach aspects of herbalism—empowering you to support your community with locally sourced, sustainable herbal care.

  • 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.