Ask an herbalist how they began working with plants, and you’ll often hear a story of a profound personal encounter—how the green world healed wounds, changed lives, or offered powerful support. These experiences are precious gifts freely given by our plant and mushroom allies.
Recorded in 2020 at the BotanicWise Allies for Plants and People Symposium, this video invites us to explore these gifts through the rich legends and rituals of herbal traditions. Learn simple, effective practices that nurture not only the human soul but also the spirits of ecology and culture.
About Guido Masé
Guido Masé RH(AHG) is a clinically-trained herbalist, herbal educator, and garden steward specializing in holistic Western herbalism, though his approach is eclectic and draws upon many influences. He spent his childhood in Italy, in the central Alps, and in a Renaissance town called Ferrara. After traveling the United States, he settled in Vermont, where he has been living since 1996.
He serves as herbalist, principal scientist, and head formulator at Traditional Medicinals, where he works on research, development, formulation, and education for herbal teas and supplements. He also supports the team at Urban Moonshine, an organic herbal extract company focused on bitters and tonics. He is a member of the Stewardship Council for the Sustainable Herbs Initiative, a collaborative group seeking to cultivate resilience and reciprocity in the herbal industry.
He is a founder of the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, a 501(c)(3) non-profit herbal medicine clinic and school that provides comprehensive services focused on whole plants and whole foods, and is also a founding member of the Railyard Apothecary, a community clinic and herb shop in Burlington, Vermont. He participates in herbal education at the University of Vermont, and is the author of The Wild Medicine Solution: Healing with Aromatic, Bitter and Tonic Plants (Healing Arts Press, 2013) and DIY Bitters (Fair Winds Press, 2016).
Guido’s teaching style focuses on conveying the interconnections within the human organism and between the organism and its surrounding ecology. Relying on clinical experience, storytelling, and scientific research, he believes that true strength flows from nature and that herbal medicine is key to sustainable, successful living.