Southwest School of Botanical Medicine

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About the Project

The AHPA ERB Foundation is honored to support the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine (SWSBM) nonprofit organization’s launch of its newly updated website, SWSBM.org. This free online platform has long been a popular and comprehensive resource for botanical medicine enthusiasts, researchers, ethnobotanists, and herbal practitioners worldwide. The website was once ranked within the top 100,000 most visited websites globally.

SWSBM.org has undergone a complete revitalization to enhance user experience and provide easy and free access to a wealth of valuable information collected over three decades by the late founder, author, and legendary bioregional herbalist and ethnobotanist Michael Moore, who is broadly considered "the godfather of western botanical medicine."

A key highlight of the newly redesigned website is its extensive database of herbal remedies and plant profiles. Users can explore a vast collection of well-researched articles, monographs, and studies on medicinal plants and easily search for specific remedies. In addition to historical information on botanical medicine, SWSBM.org offers a variety of educational resources and tools. Visitors can access a wide range of online courses, webinars, videos, lectures, and workshops conducted by Michael Moore, a leading expert in the field.

Michael Moore
(1941-2009)

The project team is dedicated to preserving and protecting the website of the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine, originally created by its founder and principal instructor, Michael Moore. Through ongoing upgrades and maintenance, the team strives to safeguard his legacy as a guiding figure in modern western herbalism. Their goal is to continue inspiring and serving the global community by ensuring the vast collection of information Moore curated in the final decades of his life remains freely accessible to all.

About the Project Team

Greta de la Montagne - SWSBM Class of '92
Greta de la Montagne, RH(AHG) is an herbalist, bodyworker and Ayurvedic practitioner who has specialized in DIY herbal first aid for over 30 years, and has first-hand experience treating a wide range of injuries and ailments in children, livestock, and large groups of people. She operates Gentle Strength Botanicals and Massage Therapy near Arcata, California. Greta cultivates nearly all the medicines for her apothecary in the Michael Moore Memorial Medicinal Herb Garden. She founded the MASHH (Medicine for All Seeking Health and Healing) Clinic Collective in 1997, Cascadia Health Educators in 2002, was a member of Black Cross Health Collective in Portland, Oregon, is a Wilderness First Responder and EMT trained. Greta is on the SWSBM Board of Directors as the Executive Director.

Nicole Telkes - SWSBM Class of 2000
Nicole Telkes RH(AHG), is an award-winning practicing herbalist, author, and clinical mentor. She has a background in botanical studies, plant conservation work, community activism, and herbal first-aid clinics. Nicole has practiced and worked as a herbal educator since 1998. Nicole works as Adjunct Faculty at Bastyr University, and currently directs the medicinal gardens there. She is also the founder and lead instructor at the Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine, founded in 2003 as well as the new Community Herbal Alliance. Nicole is perhaps best known for her work freeing fire cider as one of the Fire Cider 3 and is on the SWSBM Board of Directors as Secretary and website point person for the nonprofit.

Kelly Yarns - SWSBM Class of ’92
Kelly Yarns is a Montana based herbalist and farmer. Kelly trained at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine and went on to work in the non-profit sector offering key financial support to various groups for 22 years. In that time, she has worked extensively with local government, non-profit organizations, and businesses and has almost a decade of experience helping small businesses navigate all aspects of complex federal and state grant programs. She continues her botanical studies in backwoods adventures and teaches for the Montana Folk Ways School. Kelly is on the SWSBM Board of Directors as the Treasurer and fiscal lead for the organization.