Photo Tom Bright

Wild Remedies

Foraging for herbal medicine

with Maria Fernandez Garcia

Friday 25 September 2026

10am - 4pm (arrive at 9.30 for coffee/tea)

£150

Group Size - 10 people

Join us for this autumn day when the hedgerows will be full of hawthorn, rosehips and elderberries and seeds will be ripening, ready to fall to the ground to begin the next cycle of the seasons.

We’ll spend time exploring the folklore, history and healing traditions of some of our most commonly misunderstood plants and learn how to bring their medicines into daily life.  We’ll get to know plants such as nettle, yarrow, plantain through their texture, scent and taste and learn how their stories are relevant to our lives today, blending traditional knowledge with new science.   We’ll learn how the active compounds in plants can provide benefits such as supporting the immune system, aiding digestion, calming the nervous system and reducing inflammation.

In the afternoon we’ll dive into some practical skills and learn how some of our common kitchen ingredients can be used as a base to create a range of herbal remedies.     You’ll be able to choose which plants you are drawn to to create an immune tonic as well as a soothing balm to take home. Maria will give you detailed instructions to take away and aims for you to leave with the confidence and knowledge to begin to build your own wild medicine chest at home.

Maria Fernandez Garcia is the founder of Healing Weeds, a wild foraging school connecting communities with their local plants through walks, talks, podcasts and workshops. For the past 5 years, Maria has worked with people of all ages, facilitating workshops for youth projects, teaching both staff and students from University of Bristol, University of West England and University of Arts London. Maria has been written into national publications like BBC Country File and National Geographic and collaborated with renowned arts venues like Royal Academy of West England (RWA) and Arnolfini Art Gallery. Currently in training to become a medical herbalist, Maria's workshops offer a grounded approach to immersive learning outdoors; supporting wellbeing, deepening self-confidence and inspiring reconnection to our natural world.

Refreshments

Alison will prepare a delicous vegetarian lunch featuring produce from the garden and scrumptious savoury tarts made for us by Beth, the Freerange Chef. There will be home made biscuits on arrival and we will round up the day with tea and home made cake to ensure that your day will be as nourishing as it is informative. If you have any specific dietary requests do let us know on the booking form.

What to Bring

Check the weather forecast before you travel and ensure you bring appropriate clothing, whether that’s waterproofs or sun hats, or possibly both!  You may wish to bring a notebook, camera and water bottle too.

Getting Here

Directions will be emailed to you a couple of weeks before the workshop. Use Damson Farm rather than the postcode on Google Maps.

Cancellation policy

If you need to cancel your place up to 28 days before the event you will be offered a credit towards another workshop.   After that time, you’ll be offered a 50% refund if we’ve been able to re-sell the place. We are only able to promote places for re-sale up to 4 days before the event.