ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism

What ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism does

ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism is a private for-profit educational institution operating as ArborVitae, LLC, with its primary instructional campus at 181 Huguenot Street in New Paltz, NY and a Brooklyn mailing address. Founded in 2013 by Claudia Keel and Richard Mandelbaum and dedicated to the memory of herbalist William LeSassier, the school delivers a three-year professional clinical herbalist training program integrating Traditional Western Herbalism, Vitalism, Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Its curriculum is structured across Year One (foundation), Year Two (advanced study), and Year Three (supervised clinical practice with clients), staffed by 40+ named faculty members drawn from multiple healing traditions.

The school's product surface includes the degree-style professional program, a free community herbal clinic providing supervised consultations to the public, and advanced workshops and intensives offered both online and in-person for practicing herbalists. Operations run on a hybrid in-person/online model: in-person instruction is centered at the New Paltz campus, while online course delivery, open house registration, and student portal access are managed through the Thinkific learning management system. The website is built on Wix, email outreach runs through Mailchimp and Substack, and e-commerce payment processing is handled via Authorize.Net with PCI-DSS compliance. There is no disclosed proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capability.

Revenue is generated primarily through annual tuition billed per academic year for the professional program, supplemented by workshop/intensive fees, online store sales, and nominal clinic-related income. The go-to-market motion is event-driven and community-led: prospective students are recruited through open house events (in-person and recorded virtual sessions), an online application process via Thinkific, content marketing via blog and Substack, and active organic social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. The school serves a long-tail of individual B2C customers—primarily aspiring herbalists entering Year One, intermediate students progressing to Year Two, practicing herbalists seeking clinical supervision in Year Three, and community members accessing the free clinic and public workshops.

Name

ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism

Legal name

ArborVitae, LLC

Website

https://arborvitaeny.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Herbalism Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAAHAH

Holistic & Integrative Wellness Education (Ayurveda, Traditional Practices)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Health, Wellness & Lifestyle Education (Nutrition, Fitness, Mindfulness)

SECONDARYEDAAAFAG

Health Promotion & Public Health Education (Community Workshops)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Community & Public Education Programs (Libraries, Community Centers)

Keywords

• Herbal medicine education
• Clinical herbalism training
• Professional herbalist program
• Plant medicine courses
• Holistic health education

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Herbalist Education Programs: The school generates revenue primarily through tuition fees for its three-year professional program in clinical herbalism. Students pay tuition to enroll in structured education covering Year One (foundation), Year Two (advanced study), and Year Three (clinical supervision with client work). Pricing is published on the Tuition page of the website.
2. Workshops and Intensives: The school offers fee-based workshops and intensives (both online and in-person) for practicing herbalists and the broader community, providing a supplementary revenue stream.
3. E-commerce (Online Store): The school operates an online store selling products, through which it collects personal information (name, address, email) during transactions. Credit card data is processed through Authorize.Net with PCI-DSS compliance.
4. Free Clinic: The school operates a free herbal clinic as a community resource, which may generate nominal revenue or serve as a community outreach and student training vehicle. Revenue model for the clinic itself is not explicitly disclosed.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism delivers a three-year Professional Herbalist Program (Year One foundations, Year Two advanced study, Year Three clinical supervision with supervised client consultations) integrating Traditional Western Herbalism, Vitalism, Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Supplementary offerings include a free community herbal clinic, advanced workshops and intensives delivered both online and in-person, and an online store selling herbal products.

Product overview

ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism offers a comprehensive three-year professional herbalist training program based on traditional wisdom and ecological awareness. The curriculum incorporates Traditional Western Herbalism, Vitalism, Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Year One serves beginners, Year Two advances those with foundational knowledge, and Year Three provides clinical supervision for graduates and practitioners. The school also operates a free community clinic, offers advanced workshops and intensives both online and in-person, and hosts open house events for prospective students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Herbalist Program — Year One First-year foundation program of the Professional Herbalist Program designed for students new to herbalism, covering botanical medicine foundations, holistic anatomy and physiology, medicine making, botany and plant identification, and introductions to Traditional Western Herbalism, Vitalism, Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Delivered in-person at the New Paltz, NY campus with online components via Thinkific.
• Professional Herbalist Program — Year Two Second-year advanced program of the Professional Herbalist Program for students with prior foundation in herbalism, deepening clinical skills and theoretical knowledge across Western Herbalism, Vitalism, Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine traditions. Delivered in-person at the New Paltz, NY campus with online components.
• Professional Herbalist Program — Year Three (Clinical Supervision) Third-year clinical program of the Professional Herbalist Program providing supervised clinical practice with clients, open to Year Two graduates as well as practicing herbalists seeking clinical mentorship and professional credentialing toward clinical herbalist practice. Delivered through the school's free community clinic and on-campus clinical training.
• Free Herbal Clinic In-person free herbal clinic at the New Paltz, NY campus providing consultations to community members in the Hudson Valley and broader Northeast. Operates as a progressive community resource and as a supervised clinical training vehicle for Year Three clinical students.
• Herbal Intensives and Workshops Fee-based advanced workshops and intensives for practicing herbalists covering specialized topics in herbal medicine, offered both online (via Thinkific) and in-person, providing continuing-education opportunities beyond the standard program curriculum.
• Online Applications for the Professional Herbalist Program Online application process via Thinkific for prospective students seeking admission to the three-year Professional Herbalist Program, currently accepting applications for the 2026-2027 school year starting September 2026.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Herbalists Without BorderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHerbalists Without Borders is listed as a Friend & Ally of ArborVitae. Their vision is a global community where all people have access to affordable natural and botanical health and wellness, working with community-based chapters on educational, advocacy, and grassroots model projects for health justice internationally. ArborVitae supports this organization as part of its community network.
• United Plant SaverscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Plant Savers is listed as a Friend & Ally. The organization is dedicated to protecting native medicinal plants and their habitats. ArborVitae may offer student memberships with United Plant Savers and supports their mission of sustainable herb harvesting and conservation.
• Sustainable Herbs ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Friend & Ally, the Sustainable Herbs Program works to promote sustainability in the herbal supply chain. ArborVitae's curriculum emphasizes sustainable values and non-exclusive emphasis on plants that are native, naturalized, or able to be cultivated within the local bioregion, aligning with this partner's mission.
• CATA – The Farmworkers Support CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Friend & Ally on the Dismantle Systemic Racism page. CATA empowers farmworkers and immigrant workers to fight for their rights for safe working conditions, fair wages, and dignity. ArborVitae's commitment to racial justice and systemic awareness in herbalism aligns with CATA's mission.
• American Herbalists GuildcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Friend & Ally. The American Herbalists Guild is a professional organization for herbalists. Several ArborVitae faculty members hold RH (Registered Herbalist) credentials from the AHG, indicating professional affiliation and alignment with the guild's standards.
• Gather Wild RanchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Friend & Ally, Gather Wild Ranch is a ranch or farm focused on sustainable herb and food production. Their alignment with sustainable practices resonates with ArborVitae's ecological curriculum values.
• Cedar BearminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Friend & Ally, Cedar Bear is a company producing herbal products. The nature of the partnership supports ArborVitae's community ecosystem and herbal product/supply network.
• Hortus ArboretumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Friend & Ally, Hortus Arboretum is a botanical garden/organization in the Hudson Valley region. Alignment with local ecological and botanical education supports ArborVitae's plant identification and botany curriculum.
• Herbalists and AlchemistsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Friend & Ally, Herbalists and Alchemists is a herbal products company. Their mission and products align with the school's herbalist training and community network.
• Real MushroomsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Friend & Ally, Real Mushrooms specializes in mushroom products. This aligns with the school's broader botanical medicine curriculum which may include medicinal mushrooms.
• Wallkill ValleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Friend & Ally, Wallkill Valley appears to be a local organization in the Wallkill Valley area near New Paltz. The partnership supports the school's local community engagement and regional network.
• Adirondack TrailwaysminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAdirondack Trailways is a bus service providing transportation to New Paltz. The Trailways Bus Terminal at 139 Main Street is about a 1 mile walk from the school. The school references this transit option to help prospective students and visitors commute to campus, indicating a service partnership for student access.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• David Winston's Center for Herbal Studies: Long-running clinical herbalist training program taught by well-known herbalist David Winston, focused on therapeutic herbalism with a similar multi-year structure for aspiring clinical herbalists.
• East West School of Planetary Herbology: Michael Tierra's distance-learning herbal school integrating Western, Ayurvedic, and Chinese herbal traditions — the closest curricular analog to ArborVitae's multi-traditional approach.
• California School of Herbal Studies: One of the oldest North American herbalism schools offering foundational, advanced, and clinical programs with a comparable three-tier training philosophy.
• Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism: Small specialty school offering foundational and clinical herbalism training, directly comparable in scale, clinical-training emphasis, and practitioner-focused curriculum.
• Northeast School of Botanical Medicine: Ithaca-based herbal school led by 7song focused on clinical herbalism and medicine-making; comparable as a small, practitioner-led clinical herbalism program in the same Northeast region.
• Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism: Vermont-based herbal school offering a three-year clinical herbalist training program with a free community clinic, highly comparable in structure, regional footprint, and free-clinic model.

Broad incumbents

• American College of Healthcare Sciences: Larger accredited online institution offering herbal and holistic health programs including Master's-level credentials; overlaps on curriculum topics but operates at much greater scale as a regionally accredited provider.
• Maryland University of Integrative Health: Accredited graduate university offering an M.S. in Herbal Medicine; competes for the same aspiring clinical herbalists but as a degree-granting institution.
• Bastyr University: Major accredited natural medicine university with a Department of Botanical Medicine, representing a much larger accredited alternative for students considering clinical herbalism as a career.

Others

• American Herbalists Guild: Professional association for clinical herbalists; not a competing school, but the credentialing ecosystem in which ArborVitae alumni pursue Registered Herbalist status and an influential network partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ArborVitaeSchoolOfTraditionalHerbalism
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arborvitae-school-of-traditional-herbalism
• Instagraminstagram.com/arborvitae_ny
• Xx.com/arborvitaeny

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism