Essential Oil Adventures

SEDONA, ARIZONA  April 16-20th 2016 - Sign up soon!

Experience first-hand the joy of collecting plants for distillation at a small, boutique distillery in Sedona, Arizona. Clare and Max Licher, our hosts, are extremely knowledgeable about the Southwestern plants and their traditional usages.

I believe that American Aromatherapy should involve a greater understanding of our native plants and the healing properties they have to share with us. This journey offers a personal experience with these gifts. Our adventure includes an appreciation of the beautiful red rocks of Sedona as well as the history of the surrounding region.


An expert on plant taxonomy with an amazing, heart-centered connection to the local flora and fauna, Max will take us on a plant walk at Oak Creek Canyon outside Sedona where he will teach us about the properties and habitats of the native plants. Working in conjunction with local universities, Max has discovered several new species. Clare and Max both cultivate a deep reverence for the healing gifts that these plants have to offer us.

We will have the opportunity to bring our treasures back to the Licher's studio, to load the retort, and to watch the amazing alchemy as the raw plant material transforms into "liquid gold".

Antelope Canyon

This  trip includes an over-night sortie to Antelope Canyon and Vermillion Cliffs. At Antelope Canyon, we will have a private, guided tour of the stunning rock formations. We will stay at the historic Cliff Dwellers Lodge at Vermillion Cliffs where we will also have an opportunity to learn about and collect the regional aromatic plants.

Costs include the workshop, day excursions, private guided tour of Antelope Canyon, ground transportation and the priceless and unique educational treasures that this experiential trip provides.

Most meals, lodging, and airfare to Phoenix are not included in the costs.

Trip insurance is encouraged. (Try World Nomads at www.worldnomads.com or Travel Guard.)

To register or for more information, please contact Dr. Moore at 530-613-0831.

PROVENCE, FRANCE - coming soon!

Our journey to Sedona gives us a taste of American essential oils and the plants that produce them, while the trip to Provence provides all the flavor of the old country.

Valensole Plateau

Participate in harvesting both cultivated and wild lavender on the beautiful Valensole plateau, one of the most prolific lavender producing regions in France. Learn about the properties and uses of true lavender and the differences between Lavandin and Lavandula angustifolia. We'll visit the nearby lavender museum and stroll the narrow, hilly streets of Simiane La Rotonde.

Visit the castle town of Gordes with its Borie village, and the famous Cistercian abbey of Senanque. Monks tend the lavender and sell their lavender containing products in their well-stocked store. This simple yet splendid and peaceful place is cradled in a remote little valley all by itself, yet is visited by people from all over the world. It symbolizes the combination of man and nature in quiet reflection.

Pont D'Avignon

Once the harvest is complete and we have seen the local sites, we'll venture out into greater Provence to see the famous Pont du Gard bridge just east of Avignon (and its own famous bridge); St Remy, where a hospitalized Vincent Van Gogh painted some of his most well known paintings; the ruins of ancient Glanum, the heart of the Roman Province; the hilltown of Grasse, also known as "the perfume capital of the world"; and beautiful, Italianate, Nice on the Cote d'Azur. (We may even have time to soak up a little sun on one of the Mediterranean beaches.)

Not to be missed is the experience of a typical, bustling Provencal market in the quaint town of Lourmarin.

Nice, Cote d'Azur, Provence

Our next Provence trip has not been firmed up yet, but if you are interested in joining us, please contact Dr. Moore directly at 530-613-0831 for more information and to be added to the "I'm interested" list.