International Herb Symposium 2025

I met the amazing Rosemary Gladstar!

I just left the closing ceremony of the 17th International Herb Symposium, and boy am I pumped up with energy!  It was an amazing three days where I learned sooooo much, made a ton of new friends, and won an award for my tea!!!!!

IHS is presented by United Plant Savers, an amazing organization dedicated to the preservation of “at risk” medicinal plants.  In fact, many from the IHS will be taking the 2 ½ hour drive tomorrow for a hosted tour of the UPS Botanical Plant Sanctuary in Rutland, Ohio.

The Symposium is a bi-annual event, bringing together herbalists, teachers, farmers, product makers, and all types of people who love plants (have to call out here – I’m including mushrooms in this category even though they aren’t plants).  Traditionally held at Wheaton College, in Norton, Massachusetts, it was held this year in Cincinnati, Ohio – only a couple hour drive (ish) from the Appalachian Herb Company.

The reason for the switch this year was due to the theme of the conference:  Reflecting on the contributions of the Eclectics to what is Herbalism today.  The Eclectics were an amazing group of healers in the United States from about 1820 until around 1940, when the last Eclectic schools closed.  Cincinnati was the epicenter of Eclectic medicine, and also became the home of the Lloyd Library, preserving Eclectic writings as well as those of the Lloyd Brothers, perhaps the most revered pharmacists of the last two centuries.  Theres a lot more – so if you are interested in learning more, I’ve added a recommended book you can reference, or just google “Eclectic Medicine”.

I’ve “gone” to the Symposium twice before, but virtually, joining online for the sessions.  I can tell you after my first in-person conference, you get WAY more out of being there in person!  Being able to talk to other herbalists in a casual setting, seeing herbalist teachers whose books you’ve been referencing for years, and getting a chance to see and test different herbal products was amazing!

I was all fan-boy this weekend, I have to admit.  Herbalists that I have admired for years I was able to talk to one on one (and get their autograph on the well worn copies of their books) included:  Kat Maier, David Winston, Erika Galantin, Matthew Wood, Christopher Hobbs, Mimi Prunella Hernandez to name just a few.  And the founder of the IHS, of course, Rosemary Gladstar!  Being in-person and able to ask questions really is a huge advantage. It makes the learning more of an experience and definitely cements in your mind the essence much better.

I was amazed at how positive everyone was.  There is a sense that herbalism is at a crossroads right now in the world, that we are reaching a larger and larger group of people who believe we have something to offer more than just a cup of tea.

I attended sessions on herbal energetics, medicinal mushrooms, sourcing herbs directly from farms, protecting the rights of herbalists, and many others.  I filled page after page in my notebook that I want to review, but much of what I captured were the ideas that came to me about a potential new use for an herb, or a new product idea.

I could wax on and on about the conference!  If you get the opportunity to go to gatherings such as this with a bunch of herbalists, don’t hesitate.  You will learn a lot, make new friends, and come away with the feeling that the world will be all right after all.

Further recommended reading:

“A Profile in Alternative Medicine: The Eclectic Medical College of Cincinnati, 1845 - 1942”, by John S. Haller, Jr.