Jane Cookman Metzger, Assistant Director at the Herbal Academy
Name: Jane Cookman Metzger
Occupation: Assistant Director at the Herbal Academy
Place of Residence: Boston, Massachusetts
Background and Personal History: As a child, Jane’s love for plants began with the curious and edible button fruits of mallow weed and the sweet smell of poplars bordering her family’s farm fields in northern Michigan. She foraged wild spearmint from stream banks with her brother and wild elderberries for jam with her mom. She began gardening at a young age, and was introduced to the world of herbalism during a summer job at an herb and garden shop when she was 18.
Jane spent the next two decades learning, growing, and using herbs for herself while earning a B.S. in Geology and an M.S. in Geosciences. Jane worked for 15 years as a geologist/environmental consultant, and began her own herbal products business on the side. She continued her formal education by embarking in herbalism training with the Gaia School of Healing in Vermont, and found her bliss connecting with plants and bringing their nourishment and medicine into daily life.
In 2014, Jane joined the Herbal Academy, international school of herbal arts and sciences, to pursue her love of herbalism, writing, and photography. As the Assistant Director, Jane writes and edits articles and provides photographs for the Academy blog and its membership site, The Herbarium. Jane also co-leads the development of course curriculum, teaches herbalism classes on-site, and manages the student community forums.
Jane continues her ongoing pursuit to deepen her relationships to plants and expand her knowledge of plant medicine. She has come to understand that wellness isn’t defined by the lack of illness or challenge, but by the daily steps one takes to truly nourish, support, and care for oneself. She derives great joy from growing, wildcrafting, and preparing her family’s food and medicine and supporting their well-being with plants, and is passionate about sharing what she has learned to support others’ wellness.
About the Herbal Academy: The Herbal Academy is an educational resource offering affordable online herbalist training programs for students at all experience levels. Aligning with its mission, the Herbal Academy celebrates the community-centered spirit of herbalism by collaborating with some of the most brilliant and well-known educators and authors in herbalism.
The Academy works with seasoned herbalists such as Matthew Wood, Anne McIntyre, Bevin Clare, Steven Foster, and Pamela Spence, a bevy of clinical herbalists and folk herbalists, and medical professionals to create curriculum that is rooted in the wisdom of folk and global healing traditions, modern herbal practice, and science.
The course curriculum is strengthened by the contributors’ multiple points of view, extensive experience, and passion for the art and science of herbalism. Cultivating sustainability in herbalism while nurturing students with careful and inspiring stewardship, the Academy strives to bring thorough, ethical herbal education to its students.
Herbal Academy programs offer multiple levels of comprehensive herbal education, ranging from very beginner to the advanced clinical level. Set your foundation in the Introductory Herbal Course, explore herbal therapeutics for body systems in greater depth in the Intermediate Herbal Course, prepare for business endeavors in the Entrepreneur Herbal Course, and delve into complex clinical topics in the Advanced Herbal Course.
Through the Herbal Academy’s training paths, students will gain the knowledge and experience required for careers as professional herbalists, and with additional hands-on training, clinical herbalism. All programs are held online, and designed with an international classroom in mind.
View all herbalist training programs and path packages on the Herbal Academy’s website.
Check in on the Academy blog for articles covering herbalism, real food recipes, and healthy living.
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