Twin Star Herbal Education & Community Apothecary

Twin Star Herbal Education & Community Apothecary Lupo Passero ~ Clinical Herbalist, Flower Essence Practitioner and Educator
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About Twin Star

Twin Star offers community classes and workshops on herbal medicine, holistic health, and natural healing. We are located in the beautiful hills of Western Connecticut where Lupo Passero, Herbalist, Educator and Flower Essence Practitioner shares her teachings both nationally and throughout the surrounding area. Twin Star offers a myriad of classes ranging from half day workshops to 7 month long herbal intensives. Lupo covers a variety of topics including herbal medicine, flower essence therapy, energy healing and holistic health including the safe and effective uses of vitamins and supplements. If you are interested in having a herbal class or workshop held in your community please inquire within. connected with the plant world, Lupo Passero has studied botanical medicine from a variety of perspectives. A mother twice blessed, Lupo has a first hand passion for helping the family enjoy healthy and holistic experiences with pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. Her humble beginning with herbs and flower essences in her own life inspired her to learn more and go on to teach others. About Lupo

Lupo spent over a decade developing an intimate relationship to the diverse medicinal plants of the Appalachians Mountains of North Carolina, where she studied at the North Carolina School of Natural Healing. Shortly after graduation Lupo began her career in herbal education promoting traditional herbalism at several various institutions (including The Appalachian School of Holistic Herbalism and The One World Healing Institute). Lupo has been teaching private workshops in various locations along the both the North and Southeast for many years now. Her classes involve a variety of topics including folk history, modern botanical science, plant identification and making herbal remedies. Lupo has also worked closely within the Natural Products Industry for many years specializing in both education and customer care. She is considered a valuable leader in this field and combines her work by educating consumers and retailers of the proper, efficacious, and safe uses of both herb and vitamin supplements. Lupo has served as Secretary and board member of the American Herbalist Guild for, an organization pioneering professional modern Herbalism since 2007. She lives in New Milford CT and when she is not traveling she can be found in the woods with her camera or at her local yoga studio.

Rest is indeed part of the work. Not because we’re giving up, but because we’re preparing.Right now, taking care of our ...
01/16/2026

Rest is indeed part of the work. Not because we’re giving up, but because we’re preparing.

Right now, taking care of our nervous system isn’t “extra.” It’s essential. When we’re dysregulated, exhausted, and running on fumes, it’s harder to think clearly, stay grounded, and show up for each other.

Herbalism teaches us something powerful: care is action. Learning how to support yourself and your community, your neighbors, your people, is pivotal. This is what active resistance can look like right now: tending to the body, strengthening resilience, and staying steady for the long haul.

If you’ve been wanting to deepen your relationship with plants and learn practical, grounded herbalism, Foundations of Herbalism 2024 is open.

Begins in March 🌿
IN PERSON LEARNING
🌀Asheville, North Carolina
🌀New Milford, Connecticut
Online certification available as well

Save $300 when you sign up by January 31.

DM us FOUNDATIONS and we will send the details or visit our link in bio. In the meantime, rest well, sip deeply and take a pause as needed.

01/14/2026

This is boneset
(Eupatorium perfoliatum)
A powerful traditional medicinal plant long used in herbal medicine to support the body during illness. Boneset is best known for helping with fevers, colds, flu-like symptoms, and deep aches in the bones and joints. Its intensely bitter compounds support immune response, encourage sweating to help break fevers, and assist the body in moving illness through rather than suppressing symptoms.

In this video, you’re seeing locally wildcrafted boneset leaf and flower being processed. Native, plentiful and easy to grow, boneset is a reminder that our most potent medicine often grows where we live, freely offered by the landscape, gathered with knowledge and respect.

Knowing plants like boneset is more than herbal knowledge. It is remembering how to listen to the land and work with nature as medicine. Becoming an herbalist in 2026 is an act of empowerment. It means reclaiming ancestral wisdom, understanding what grows around you, and caring for yourself and your community with intention, skill, and responsibility.

Know your medicine
Learn the plants
Harvest with care
Process with purpose
The future needs herbalists 🌿

01/11/2026

Need a break? Join us March 3–10, 2026 for The Alchemy of Pleasure & Plants, a women’s healing retreat in Guanacaste, Costa Rica with Twin Star Herbal Education.
This weeklong retreat is an immersive experience rooted in plant-spirit medicine, sensory ritual, herbal preparation, and embodied learning. Days include guided plant work, reflective practices, ritual bathing, and restorative yoga, all designed to support deep rest, presence, and reconnection.
Participants will spend time on the Pacific coast, visiting Playa Avellanas and Playa Negra for ocean swims, walking, and time in relationship with the land. These excursions are woven intentionally into the rhythm of the retreat as spaces for integration and renewal.
The week culminates in the creation of a personal amulet of healing and protection. Through guided metalwork and intention-setting, you will craft an object that carries the insights, learning, and transformation of your time here into daily life.
The retreat takes place at a women-run, family-owned eco sanctuary surrounded by tropical forest, medicinal gardens, and ocean air. Guests stay in thoughtfully designed bungalows and are nourished with meals that support clarity, vitality, and restoration.
Space is limited, and this retreat is intentionally kept small to support depth, safety, and connection.
If this experience feels aligned, we encourage you to reserve your place now.
Send us a message or follow the link in our bio for details and registration info.

I would not be the woman, mother or herbalist I am today without the Grateful Dead. Their music wasn’t just something I...
01/11/2026

I would not be the woman, mother or herbalist I am today without the Grateful Dead. Their music wasn’t just something I listened to. It was a framework for how I learned to live. I was fifteen when I went to my first show, and that night cracked my world open. It taught me that community could be fluid, that curiosity and individuality mattered, and that there were other ways to move through life outside the lines I’d been shown. Through Robert Hunter’s lyrics, so deeply rooted in nature, cycles, loss, and renewal, I learned to listen to the land as much as the music. That way of seeing the world eventually led me to plants, healing, and herbalism.

The Grateful Dead also shaped how I understood livelihood and values. One of the only business books I ever truly absorbed was Everything I Learned About Business I Learned from the Grateful Dead, a philosophy that mirrored what I witnessed on tour and in the lot. I even wrote my senior thesis on the Grateful Dead lot, exploring the utopia I believed it represented. A self-organizing village of artists, healers, musicians, and wanderers trying, however imperfectly, to live by shared values rather than rigid systems.

I remember exactly where I was when Jerry died. It felt like the end of something sacred. Just like today with Bobby passing. The same painful and unexpected hit to the chest. Between the years, too many friends and additional band members crossed over, each loss another reckoning with time and impermanence. Sixty years ended tonight. While the music will never stop, it will also never be the same. Most of the band is now on the other side.

What remains is a deep gratitude for something that shaped not only who I became, but who so many of us became alongside one another. Being a Deadhead was never just about the music. It was about learning how to listen, how to belong, and how to live with openness, curiosity, and deep community care. That world formed us in quiet and lasting ways, long after the last note faded.

Love is real, not fade away.
XO Lupo

If you’ve been wanting to explore the path of Astro-Herbalism, we’re inviting you to begin with our free on-demand class...
01/08/2026

If you’ve been wanting to explore the path of Astro-Herbalism, we’re inviting you to begin with our free on-demand class, Introduction to the 12 Houses. This foundational class breaks down how each house shapes your spiritual practice, herbal approach, and the deeper patterns of your chart. 💫

This class is for you if you’re:
• Drawn to astrology, herbalism, or earth-centered ritual
• Looking for a clear, grounded introduction to the 12 houses
• Wanting a more intuitive and meaningful way to understand your chart

Inside the class, we explore:
• What each house represents and how it maps your inner and outer landscape
• How planetary placements influence energetic and herbal correspondences
• How to integrate the houses into your healing work and daily life
• A look inside our full Astro-Herbalism Immersion

Did you miss our live Astro-Herbalism Immersion in October?

You can now take the complete program at your own pace. The entire immersion has been pre-recorded and is available to begin anytime.

Start with the free class and explore the path from there.

01/05/2026

A flashback from the height of herbal summer 2025, cicadas singing in the background, plants at their fullest. Truly this herbalists, happy place.

Motherwort and mugwort are two of our favorite teachers, meeting us in abundance and reminding us that herbalism is rooted in presence, listening, and relationship.

Want to learn more? This is how we teach Foundations of Herbalism. We learn in person, together, working directly with plants and making intentional medicine. Our education at Twin Star is hands on, spirit informed, and rooted in community.

Registration for Foundations of Herbalism is closing soon. Both 2026 cohorts at Twin Star North and Twin Star South are almost full! If you feel called, now is the time to register.

Pay in full by January 31st and save $300 on tuition. 2026 is the perfect year to become an herbalist and join our growing herbal community.

01/03/2026

REGISTRATION CLOSING SOON!

From March 3–10, 2026, we’re gathering in Guanacaste, Costa Rica for The Alchemy of Pleasure & Plants, a women’s healing retreat with Twin Star Herbal Education.

Picture this: mornings with plant-spirit medicine, hands-on herbal crafting, sensory rituals, and reflection practices that reconnect you to your body and the earth. Afternoons spent by the sea at Playa Avellanas + Playa Negra, moving, floating, and remembering what it feels like to be held by nature.

You’ll experience yoga, ritual bathing, and carefully guided ceremonies designed to soften, restore, and open you.

And before you leave, you’ll craft your own metalwork amulet. A sacred object of intention, protection, and remembrance, carrying the magic of the week home with you.

All of this unfolds within a women-run eco sanctuary surrounded by tropical forest, medicinal gardens, and ocean air. Nourishing meals, beautiful bungalows, and space to exhale are woven into every day.

Spaces are filling quickly! Only a few spots left!

If this is calling to you, send a message or visit the link in our bio to learn more.

Ritual Herbalism & Folk Magic Practices for New Year's EveI've been collecting New Year’s Eve rituals for years now. Som...
12/31/2025

Ritual Herbalism & Folk Magic
Practices for New Year's Eve

I've been collecting New Year’s Eve rituals for years now. Some were passed down, some picked up along the way, and some just stuck because they felt right.

A lot of them come from my Southern Italian and Irish background, where the new year wasn't just a celebration but a threshold. Something to step into intentionally.

These are all really simple things:
burning bay leaves, placing figs on an altar, lighting candles, clearing out old energy, opening the doors at midnight. Nothing complicated. Nothing expensive. Just small acts that shift the energy and secure that the threshold is well prepared.

I like them because, to me, they’re the definition of practical magic. Folk medicine. With the help of my ancestors, these simple rituals allow for me to let go of what I no longer want to carry forward and to create a clear and welcoming space for what I do.

I would love to learn what practices you may utilize to usher in the new year. It is indeed a powerful time to collectively manifest and prepare.

Here's to 2026 being empowering, clarifying, and the most peaceful year we've seen yet.

XO, Lupo





Dandelion is one of the easiest wild plants to identify, thanks to its bright yellow blooms and its jagged, tooth-like l...
12/29/2025

Dandelion is one of the easiest wild plants to identify, thanks to its bright yellow blooms and its jagged, tooth-like leaves that form a basal rosette at the base of the plant. Every part of this plant is usable. The flowers, leaves, and roots all carry their own medicine and flavor, making dandelion a powerful ally in both the apothecary and the kitchen.

The flowers and leaves are often used as food or garnish, while the root is traditionally used to make bitters. The petals make an excellent edible accent on dishes and drinks; trimming off the base of the flower and sprinkling the petals allows the flavor to shine without the bitterness of the whole bloom. A dandelion simple syrup creates a beautiful balance of bitter and sweet, and dandelion wine has long been a May tradition.

For inspiration, here’s a throwback recipe created using Twin Star’s bitters during an interview with . It highlights just how versatile dandelion can be.

The Dandy Lion
3.0 oz Litchfield Distillery Maple Bourbon
or 3.0 oz Eda Rhyne Rustic Nocino
1.0 oz Pineapple Dandelion Simple Syrup
0.25 oz Orange Bitters
Splash of cherry (Luxardo syrup or cherry bitters)
1.0 oz Club Soda

*Pineapple Dandy Simple Syrup: Combine 8 oz pineapple juice, 8 oz brown sugar, and 4 tsp Dandelion root in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cool, and refrigerate for up to one week.

While the sale for The Botanical Bartender may have ended, registration is still open. If you’re curious about crafting herbal cocktails, bitters, and plant-forward beverages, you can still join us. Link in bio to learn more.



🌿🌻☀️

Ride the Energy of the Year of the Horse Into 2026The Year of the Horse invites us to embrace momentum, action, and the ...
12/27/2025

Ride the Energy of the Year of the Horse Into 2026

The Year of the Horse invites us to embrace momentum, action, and the courage to charge into new territories. In that spirit, we’re offering a powerful opportunity to invest in yourself and your herbal path as we close out the year.

To help you begin 2026 with clarity, inspiration, and forward-moving energy, our most popular online programs are 50 percent off through December 31. Whether you are new to herbalism or ready to deepen your studies, this is the perfect moment to follow that sense of motion and step confidently into new learning.

Choose Your Herbal Journey

🌀Foundations of Herbalism: Home Study Edition
🌀The Art of Flower Essence Therapy
🌀The Green Witch Immersion: Magical Herbalism and the Way of Witches
🌀Journey Through the Wheel of the Witch Immersion
🌀Goddess Within Us
🌀Foundations of Astrology
🌀Astro-Herbalism Immersion

Why Join Now

Harness the energy of the Year of the Horse and begin 2026 with purpose and direction.
Experience our biggest savings of the year with fifty percent off our most-loved programs.
Learn at your own pace with high-quality, comprehensive teachings you can access from home.
Deepen your connection to plants, intuition, and holistic wellness.

This is your moment to grow your practice, expand your knowledge, and move into the new year with confidence and clarity.

Sale ends December 31.
No code needed. Discount automatically applies at checkout.

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5 Booth House Lane
New Milford, CT
06776

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+18607172785

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Our Story

Our classroom is located at 65 BANK STREET on the second floor above William Raveis. Learn more about our classroom below. Our new Downtown Apothecary is located at 20 BANK STREET, inside of Makery Co-working in New Milford! We have new hours, inventory and services! And...We have a second apothecary location coming soon! Twin Star North will be a full service Apothecary located at 354 Litchfield Rd, opening April 2nd.

Both locations are meant to be a service to both our students and community. We specialize in local, small batch, handcrafted, community supported herbs, teas, aromatherapy, flower essences, crystals, classes, readings, consults & more! About Twin Star Herbal Education Twin Star Herbal Education offers community classes and workshops on herbal medicine, holistic health, and natural healing. We are located in the beautiful hills of Western Connecticut where Lupo Passero, Herbalist, Educator and Flower Essence Practitioner shares her teachings both nationally and throughout the surrounding area. Twin Star is blessed to have a wonderful staff of Naturalists and skilled teachers and offers a myriad of classes ranging from evening workshops to 9 month long certificate training programs. Lupo and staff cover a variety of topics including herbal medicine, botany, flower essence therapy, plant spirit healing, goddess studies, primitive skills and much more. If you are interested in having a herbal class or workshop held in your community inquire within. Please visit our website for a full listing of classes, services and our staff.

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