The International Herb Symposium is a biannual conference held at Wheaton College

Wheaton College (Massachusetts)

Wheaton College is a four-year, private liberal arts college with an approximate student body of 1,550. Wheaton's residential campus is located in Norton, Massachusetts, between Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1834 as a female seminary, it is one of the oldest...

 in Norton, MA  to discuss botanical medicine, herbal conservation and the survival of First World

First World

The concept of the First World first originated during the Cold War, where it was used to describe countries that were aligned with the United States. These countries were democratic and capitalistic. After the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, the term "First World" took on a...

 herbal traditions. The conference is one of the largest herb conferences held in the United States and the only worldwide herbal conference with an explicit international focus, including speakers from Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, Tibet

Tibet

Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...

, Central and South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 and American Indian

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

 tribes. Over 100 workshops are typically presented during a weekend, ranging from indigenous traditional to scientific uses of botanicals. The conference is organized by Rosemary Gladstar

Rosemary Gladstar

Herbalist Rosemary Gladstar has changed the practice of American herbalism during her 35 year career. She began her career in California, where after study she founded the California School of Herbal Studies in Forestville, California in 1978, which was the first herbal school in California...

 and Sage Mountain Retreat Center and features speakers from all over the world.