The plants are calling us to deepen our relationships with them. To recognize ourselves as a part of nature and its cycles, to move slow and build trust with each other and them. This class is an opportunity to build with herbs that have been historically worked with to support abortions.
Class Description: "Materia medica" is the body of herbs used for various remedies. Plants have been an integral way in which people and animals have managed their fertility across time, locale and cultures. This spring let's bloom together. Let's go deep into our shared histories and wisdoms of herbal abortion practices.
Together this spring students will walk with some well known, yet commonly misunderstood plants:
- Pennyroyal
- Mugwort
- Wild Carrot
Students can expect to grow knowledge and experience of these plants and their role as abortifacients.
Each month students will:
- Focus on one plant for a deep-dive embodied learning experience
- Receive a curated care package in the mail to experience the plant in their bodies and throughout their cycle.
- Attend an informational class about the plant, taught by an expert with deep relationship with the plant, bringing their unique insights and passion
- Attend a plant sit class about the plant, lovingly held in connection and communion with the plant and sharing group for individual observations, experiences trhough the month, and integration of material
Monthly care packages will feature the plant (either as a tincture and/or dried) along with: flower essences (to see a different side of these plants), journals for observation and reflection, original artwork, and zines. Digital folders are accessible for each plant and are full of pictures, relevant research, folklore and resources.
In this three-month immersion, students will gain the confidence to research, experiment, and grow your own herbal materia medica around abortion and pregnancy release. Through a collective, horizontal learning model we will share our stories and experiences and learn exponentially more together than we would individually.
Class Details: April - June 2026
- Orientation:
- April 6, 2-4pm PT / 5-7pm ET (special class on a Monday)
- Classes for first abortifacient plant
- April 7, 2-4pm PT / 5-7pm ET (Plant Education)
- April 21, 2-4pm PT / 5-7pm ET (Plant Sit)*
- Classes for second abortifacient plant
- May 5, 2-4pm PT / 5-7pm ET (Plant Education)
- May 19, 2-4pm PT / 5-7pm ET (Plant Sit)*
- Classes for third abortifacient plant
- June 2, 2-4pm PT / 5-7pm ET (Plant Education)
- June 16, 2-4pm PT / 5-7pm ET (Plant Sit)*
While we strongly encourage you to attend all classes live so we can build with one another as well as the plants, we know life can happen. All of the lecture-based classes are recorded and made available. Plant Sit sessions each month are not recorded due to our intimate and personal sharing (marked with an * above).
Pre-requisites: This class is best suited for people with some herbal experience. Certification or clinical training is not required, as herbal knowledge is learned in many ways. We hope that applicants can demonstrate some level of existing personal or professional herbal experience/ education, training and/or mentorships to be admitted.
Teachers: This class is held by a panel of experts bringing together a diversity of experience and insight to support a fulsome understanding of this nuanced topic!
- Daena will host orientation and one plant sit class
- Daena is a clinically-trained herbalist, writer, and co-founder and director of Holistic Abortions, a grassroots group working to increase access, understanding and availability of various abortion methods as a means of liberation from systems of harm through education, direct care, and culture shifting work.
- Mariamor will host most plant sit classes
- Mariamor is a Postpartum and Abortion Doula, folk herbalist, and student of the plants. Mariamor’s lineage comes from Honduras and Guatemala. She has studied deeply with the Yucatec Maya lineage to learn about womb care, abdominal massage and working in right relationship with the plants for healing support. Mariamor began incorporating ritual and ceremony in her personal life as a way to heal and find guidance.
- Bonnie will host the Pennyroyal Informational Class
- Bonnie is a clinical herbalist, flower essence practitioner, and full spectrum doula. She believes that reclaiming our connection to plant medicine & our bodies is a profound act of resistance, and her work focuses on all aspects of reproductive health, with a particular passion for abortion, miscarriage, & birth. She brings herbalism, nutrition, & ritual together to provide a client-centered experience.
- Tessa will host the Mugwort Informational Class
- Tessa is a midwife, herbalist, poet, and care worker. Tessa's work is based on the belief that all people should have access to personalized, comprehensive, holistic, and dignified care for the full spectrum of reproductive and generative experiences. They support clients along this spectrum: from becoming pregnant with at-home IUI, to pregnancy loss and release, to prenatal and postpartum care, out-of-hospital birth, and clinical herbal care focuses on reproductive, menstrual, and hormonal concerns.
- Molly will host the Wild Carrot Informational Class
- Molly is a midwife experienced and skilled in supporting a full spectrum of reproductive health. Molly has focused her work on pregnancy loss and abortion, and advocates for home-based midwifery models of care for all reproductive experiences.
Cost: options for full payment and sliding scale available:
- 3 payments on a sliding scale of $335-450 (one each month), or
- one time sliding scale payment of $1000-1350.
Cost Includes: 7 class sessions + 3 herbal care packages + extensive digital resources for a 3-month deep dive experience
Scholarships: Since this class includes many tangible items for you to explore together and beyond, full scholarships are not available. We do have limited partial scholarships (50% off) for those who need financial assistance in order to attend. Please email us to if you'd like to ask about this scholarship.
Disclaimer: All the content and materials are provided for reference, education and empowerment to you so people can make more informed decisions about their reproductive health and wellbeing. We are not licensed medical professionals, nor can we diagnose or recommend treatment. These teachings do not replace medical advice. We encourage you to advocate your needs and desires with your entire health care team, including licensed medical physicians.
You must 18 years or older to participate in the SPRING SHOOTS course. Please consult local and state laws for more information on regulations on abortion access in your area.