A summer retreat immerse in Nature
Coming in Summer of 2027
Ancestral Herbal Summer Retreat + Midsummer Celebration
Surrounded by herbs in bloom, you’ll experience a full nervous system reset: herbal medicine making, farm-to-table meals, plant walks, herbal first aid, Summer Solstice Celebration, flower essence making, ceremony, and laughter by the river and under the stars.
Deepening our sense of wellbeing, we will be immersed in traditional crafts, storytelling, herbal skill, traditional midsummer celebration, and deep connection with nature.
During this 6-day immersion, you will get folk and clinical instruction and deep connection with plants.
This is intentionally a digital detox retreat, helping each person land with the intention of learning, connecting, and recalibrating.
Food served will be based on nourishing, seasonal foods to support healthy hormone balance, and a strong body. We focus on ancestral foods in all of our gatherings, connecting deeper with the natural cycles of humans and nature. All meals include organic animal protein, and vegetarian options are available by request.
Meet your Herbalist Facilitators for the Ancestral Herbal Summer Retreat
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Clinical Herbalist & Founder
Laura Ash is a Western clinical herbalist and educator. Raised in the Sierras of Northern California, devoted to the ancestral traditions that connect people to land and community. She began her formal herbal studies in 2000 at the California School of Herbal Studies and continued training in clinical herbalism, ethnobotany, Ayurveda, and vitalist traditions with teachers including David Hoffmann, Dr. Aviva Romm, Matthew Wood, Chanchal Cabrera, and Dr. Vasant Lad.
Since 2006, Laura has run the First Aid Clinic at the Northern California Women’s Herbal Symposium, a role that has shaped her commitment to accessible, community-based herbal care.
Her work weaves Western herbal therapeutics with folk practices and embodied learning. Through teaching and clinical practice, Laura supports people in remembering their relationship to the natural world and cultivating meaningful relationships with the healing plants around them. Laura is the founder of Land of Verse, and the Director of Operations for the Beneficial Plant Research Assocation, you can find more about her here.
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Shayne Case is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, with beloved family members living on the Cheyenne River Reservation. Born in Germany and raised between Germany and South Dakota, Shayne now lives in Portland, Oregon with their 7-year-old son. After graduating from Smith College, Shayne moved to Portland and served as an AmeriCorps volunteer in elementary schools, later teaching young children for many years. Shayne eventually returned to school to study herbal medicine, consciousness, spirituality, divinity, and counseling, and has spent the past two decades working as a medicine person, educator, and storyteller.
Shayne is the founder of the Toki Amanwani Project, which focuses on conserving native plant species on tribal lands through low-impact medicine making and community education—supporting healing from addiction, trauma, and suicide prevention.
Shayne’s work is rooted in relationship, with plants, with community, and with the next generation, and they love supporting children and families in learning to engage the natural world as medicine.
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Swedish Herbalist + Forager
Lisen Sundgren is a Swedish herbalist, forager, nature & forest therapy guide, author, meditation teacher, and certified nutrition adviser with over 30 years of experience working with wild and cultivated edible plants. She has spent her life immersed in the natural world—gathering wild foods, exploring plant medicine, guiding forest bathing experiences, and leading courses and retreats that deepen people’s connection to nature. Lisen is a prize-winning author and has collaborated with chefs, restaurants, and wellness communities internationally to inspire sustainable, healthy, and joyful lifestyles rooted in nature. Lisen lives in Stockholm, Sweden and you can find her at lifebylisen.com
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RN & Clinical Herbalist
Tirzah Zbinden is a California-based integrative herbalist specializing in geriatric and elder wellness. With over 20 years of experience as a registered nurse working in hospitals and hospice care in Sonoma County, Tirzah combines clinical insight with the healing power of plant medicine for symptom management, comfort, and holistic support. She creates personalized herbal and lifestyle guidance rooted in compassion, nature, and whole-person care, including support for caregivers and individuals seeking alternatives to conventional treatments. You can find Tirzah at thegorillaherbalist.com
Testimonials from our Herbal Retreat 2024
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There is so much heart, realness and accessibility here. I love how much we were encouraged to explore, and guided without being micromanaged. I cannot get over how present and generous with your time and knowledge you were (an always are) Laura-- from first thing in the morning until time for bed. You passion for this work in palpable and that is also reflected in all of the teachers.
Megan
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Spectacular. I appreciated that everyone was encouraged and assured that the time was our own to relax, learn, or explore as we each saw fit.
Jenny
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I am so grateful to have the opportunity and flexibility to study at Land of Verse online, but this really illuminated for me how vital the in person dynamic is, both for community building and skill building... It feels so much easier to make genuine connection in person and the material is easier to learn bc it is hitting lots of different learning styles.
Becky