About the Herbalist

What am I up to?

Welcome to my site nicoletelkes.com! Please note: I am more than willing and able to travel to your area to teach. I am a holistic practitioner currently residing in Austin, Texas. I focus on using herbal therapeutics and bodywork to treat imbalances in the body. My first love in being outside and spending time with the plants. My practice has grown into seeing clients, a 6 month 200 hour herbal apprenticeship program, and a fully stocked apothecary open to the semi-public. I believe strongly in honoring, respecting, and protecting the earth through all my work. You can click here to register and check out upcoming classes. My apothecary manager is Stephanie Berry, Herbalist and Doula. You can read more about Stephanie here. The past few years I have been studying Ayurveda, I did some seed collecting for the Millenium Seed Bank, and refining my skills as a bodyworker.

2009 has been a wonderful year so far. We moved the apothecary into a cottage in my backyard and have been busy making it beautiful. I have been seeing clients out of, MyoMassage in Austin, and I am soon headed to the Northeast for plant collecting, the International Herb Symposium, and visiting my friend Margi Flint of Earthsong Herbals where I will be offering some classes in June

I want to thank my assistant Stephanie Berry for all she does in the apothecary and otherwise. She has helped me design this site and create many wonderful remedies for folks.

Educational Background

Nicole Telkes has spent over a decade dedicated to the study of ecology, botany, herbal medicine, holistic healing, and bodywork. Nicole specializes in educating about the responsible harvesting and use of bioregional plants as medicine.
Institutionalized Learning:BA Environmental Resource Management, minoring in Botany at UT Austin
Work Experience and Holistic Healing Education:

American Botanical Council educator 1998-1999

500hour program with Michael Moore in 2000 at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine in Bisbee, AZ

Wildcrafting Classes with Howie Brounstein at the Columbines School of Botanical Studies in Eugene, OR 2002

Zen Shiatsu Intensive Austin TX 2003

300hr Massage Therapy Program at The Star Institute Austin TX 2004

Marma Point Therapy Intensive with Dr Vasant Lad at the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque NM 2007

Ayurvedic Hands On Therapies Intensive with Sonia Masocco at the Ayurvedic Institute Albuquerque NM 2008

Continuing Ed in Hot Stone Massage, Myofacial Release, Reading the Body and many others

Nicole has also apprenticed and worked with several individual herbalists, herb stores, and in clinics around the country. Some the herbalists she has taken classes or worked under include: Jasmine, Grizz, Filiberto Delgado, Margi Flint, David Winston, Paul Bergner, Susun Weed, and 7song. Some of the cllinics I have worked in include: Asylum(haha) in the Oregon Wilderness, WTO Seattle, FTAA Protest Tucson AZ, EF Rendezvous Wilderness Clinics several years, Dandelion Clinic for the International Reclaiming Convergence, Plan Z Appalachia Radical Faerie Sanctuary, Hurricane Katrina Free Clinic New Orleans Active Resistance Toronto Ontario

Life Lessons: Wildcrafting with my grandmother in the woods of upper Ontario as a child.
Growing up with a rather witchy family friend Pani Mela. She was an herbalist and massage therapist that taught me to make daisy chains and skip with her down the the dark forest paths.
Living out of a backpack, hitchiking, trainhopping and moving from hot springs to old growth forests needing nothing but to learn to trust whatever your first inclination is to do when you wake up in the morning
Always sticking to whats right and good and speaking out against injustice, even if you lose your freedom doing it

Classes Taught
These classes can be taught at any location at anytime. They are my own material, and I developed all the curriculum for my intensives. I am willing to travel anywhere in the world to teach.

Free Plant walks at various events including Festival de las Plantas, as a benefit for the Save Our Springs Coalition, American Botanical Council Herb Day Celebration
200 hour apprenticehip herb program with intensives in Preparations, Body Systems, First Aid Plant Identification, Outdoor Skills, Wildcrafting Ethics, Clinical Skills, and more
Texas Herbs for Pain and Stress Management: Herbalists of Texas Symposium
Yoga and Herbs: Austin Yoga School
Herbs of the Sabbats
Herbs for Diabetes
Bioregional Herbalism: American Botanical COuncil and Austin Herb Society
Vitalism in Herbalism: Wheatsville Herb Fest
Ecoherbalsim: Wheatsville Herb Fest
Ecoherbalism Series: UT Informal Classes
Herbs and the Sacred Feminine
Herbs for Fertility, Pregnancy, and Birthing: A 3 part series
Herbal Preparations
Herbs for Colds and Flu
Herbal Aphrodisiacs
Therapeutic Bodycare and Spa Preparations
Herbal First Aid
Magickal Activism

Radio and Published Articles
regular herb blurb on 91.7 KOOP Mondays and 2PM
Guest on the People's Rx Get Healthy Show and Talk Radio
Article: Guaria Del Oso: Austin Daze
Article: Ecoherbalist Manifesto: The Earth First! Journal May/June 2003
Article: A Light in the Darkness AHG Newsletter

Stephanie Berry

  Stephanie has been working with me for over 1.5 years. She began as a student in my classes about 5 years ago. During that time I have had the honor to watch her go through a pregnancy(while in classes until her last couple of weeks) and give birth to her daughter Kira, who is now a walking and talking little herbalist herself. Stephanie studied with several other herbalists and last year completed a doula training. She has begun to see clients, formulate mama and babycare items in the apothecary, and has started offering classes in natural childcare. Stephanie can be found on the web if you click here