Herbal Medicine Week

This year, herbal medicine week will be running from 22nd – 29th October 2023🌿

Every year during the last week of October, we celebrate National Herbal Medicine Week!

During the mid-Spring season, the buds and flowers of our medicinal plants are bursting forth, marking a perfect time in the wheel of the year to shine a light on herbal medicine. Through education, promotion, knowledge sharing and exciting events, we highlight the vital role that herbal medicine practitioners play in the health and wellbeing of our communities.

Check out our “resources” section to help you promote Herbal Medicine Week and don’t forget to share your event(s) with us, we will share it back on our social media platforms and website.

Let us know about your event

Sydney Kick-Off Event, Sunday 22^nd October

This year, we’re kicking off Herbal Medicine Week in Sydney on Sunday 22^nd October.

Before gathering with your colleagues and friends for a picnic in the sunshine, we’re offering you the opportunity to join local foraging expert and author of  Eat Weeds, Diego Bonetto, for a 1-hour stroll through the park beautiful Queens Park, Sydney.

Here, you’ll discover an abundance of native and non-native edibles – found underfoot!

You will learn local stories of plant resilience woven with cultural trivia, migrant perspectives and native wisdom. We will discuss the role weeds play in repairing and building soil and you will find out how they have been used for food, craft and natural remedies. Most importantly, you will discover ways to safely harvest from the urban wild and enrich your diet with vitamins and minerals. This workshop is designed to provide you with solid skills on plant identification and re-learning old stories while paying respect to public and ancient resources.

You will never look at weeds in the same way again!

Attending the foraging workshop is optional – our picnic gathering and celebration is free of charge and all are welcome to attend!

Date: Sunday, 22^nd October, 2023
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm
Location: Queens Park – Darley Road, Queens Park, Sydney
Members Only Foraging workshop (10.00 or 11.30am with a maximum of 20 people per workshop): $18.50. Each workshop departing from the back of Queens Park Kitchen, Darley Road, Queens Park – HERE.
Picnic: BYO food, drinks, picnic rugs and chairs (we’ll provide the games!)

Book Now

🌿 Prepare for Herbal Medicine Week

Here are some event ideas just to get you thinking. Your event can be as big or small as you like.
Remember – be creative, have fun, and celebrate herbal medicine!

Check out resources

View the calendar

🌿 Local NHAA Chapter Events

Not in Sydney? Check in with your local NHAA chapter to see what they have in store for Herbal Medicine Week!

Contact your Local Chapter

🌿 Visit your Herbalist

Visit a local herbalist to learn how herbal medicine can help you.
Herbalists across Australia will be hosting open-day events.

Find a Practitionner

🌿 Our Special Gift To You This Herbal Medicine Week

As our special Herbal Medicine Week gift to all our members this year, we are offering free access to Professor Stephen P Myers fascinating keynote presentation from the Herbal Medicine Summit 2022 – ‘Observations from over 25 years of complementary medicine’. Valued at $50.00 and automatically earning you 1 CPD point!

Claim Your Member’s Gift

🌿Host your own Herbal Medicine Week event

Herbal Medicine Week is the time to share your skills and knowledge!
We encourage and support our members to hold a talk, a walk, a workshop, herb tasting, tea party or another botanical event with their local communities. You can check out our Herbal Medicine Week resources for ideas, by clicking the button below, including social media materials and a field guide for hosting weed walks and a set of monographs of commonly found medicinal plants.
Don’t forget to share your Herbal Medicine Week event with us and we will happily promote it on our social media platforms and website

Check out resources

🌿 Host a ‘weed walk’

Teach about local weeds!
Download our How to Host A Weed Walk to take your community on a weedy adventure.

Check out Resources

🌿 Share the Herb love digitally

Organise an online event to celebrate herbal medicine (webinar, talks etc…) and let us know about it.
Use the #HerbalMedicineWeek and tag the NHAA on your social posts.

Let us know about your event

View Calendar

🌿 Host an open day

Or even an open afternoon….. invite the public to come, put up posters and flyers in local shops or do a letterbox drop.
People love FREE stuff so offer a lucky door prize or raffle, have some herbal teas (iced herbal teas are also good!), maybe some herb seeds/seedlings, whatever you think might be appealing to your community.

🌿 Host a community drop-in clinic

This is a great way to get clients in the door. You can set any limits you like – time, number etc.
Many people will jump at the chance of a no-obligation, free consultation and even if they don’t book, they may buy some products and give you good word of mouth.

🌿 Talk to your community centre or clubs

Some local community centres offer free space if you are not charging – worth asking!
Do a one-off talk or even run a short course: Preventive health, Herbal Teas for health, Grow your own herbs or something that will resonate in your community.
You may be able to partake in a program that is already running.
Donate a prize (maybe a treatment voucher) to a local club raffle

🌿 Have a stall at a local farmers market

This is an opportunity for organisations with offerings for the community to connect with the locals. Get in touch with the management of your local farmers markets to enquire if you to book a community stall.
You may want to collaborate with other practitioners in your local area, to share the experience of the day, make it fun, and also to collaborate to showcase yourselves as local Herbalists/ offering services in the area.

🌿 Have a cuppa

Herbal Tea blending classes are a great way to teach people about herbal medicine.

🌿 Other great ideas

Join together with your local health food shop, chemist or fresh food market to plan an event.
Get your local schools involved – advertise in the newsletter, get the students to plant a herb garden.
Visit your local aged care facility. Engage the residents – many of them will have memories of how their mothers used herbs as medicine or around the home.
Make and donate samples of your home-made creams, ointments & teas.
Join forces with a local cafe or restaurant to teach people about Food as Medicine!
Organise a picnic.

🌿 Resources for you to use

📅 Events Calendar