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Growing Green Healthcare
in the Heart of Our Community

Professional Clinic

Initial sessions last approximately two hours, and are devoted to exploring the interplay between body, mind, and spirit as herbalist and client co-create a plan for optimal wellness. You should expect to have at least two subsequent visits, which range in length from 30 minutes to an hour. You may purchase custom formulations according to your herbalist’s recommendations from our full-service apothecary. You are welcome to purchase herbs elsewhere and we are happy to provide a list of reputable sources.

Because we are a teaching clinic, you will be asked when you make your appointment if you would allow a clinical student to observe your consultation—please know that you have the option to decline at any time. Thank you in advance for helping us to further the practice of herbalism through our students.

“I just want to say that my meeting with you was the single most comfortable and caring health ‘care’ appointment of my life!  Thank you!” – AA, Burlington

To book an appointment with one of our professional herbalists, visit our online portal, vcih.janeapp.com!

(You can still call or email us, too!)

Fees and Payment

Our clinical services and herbs are available through sliding-scale payment, time exchange and gift. We provide identical services to all clients, and no one is turned away for lack of funds.  Read on for more information about our flexible payment options.

The Clinic’s continued success depends on the investment that our clients make in their own health and in the health of our community. We also recognize that we are all part of an ecological web, and encourage our clients to take personal responsibility for the real costs VCIH and the environment incur in bringing you the services and medicinal plants we offer. Your payments, no matter the size, are essential to making our services available to all who need them.

While our ultimate goal is to undermine the capitalist model by encouraging a gift economy based on mutually supportive barter and work exchange, we realize that, for many, a financial contribution is the most practical option. Additionally, VCIH still requires money to cover the costs of producing and transporting herbal products, to pay our staff and maintain our facilities.

Therefore, to further our mission, encourage personal responsibility and empowerment, and acknowledge the environmental costs of our services, we offer three exchange options:

1. Pay money, on a sliding-scale.

We don’t ask for income information. You can pay what you’re comfortable with based on your current situation. Payment can change as your needs change. If you can pay full retail price, you support our capacity to give away herbs and consultations to those with less ability to pay. However, all payments truly do make a difference. We accept cash or checks.

2. Exchange time through Onion River Exchange (ORE)

This option is made available through our local Time Bank, ORE. In a time bank, the currency is time and everyone’s time is equal. We offer this option because we feel that everyone has something of value to contribute, from skills and labor to companionship. You can easily contribute your time to the exchange, and VCIH will benefit through accessing equivalent hours from the communal pool, or bank.

Ask us for help if you’re not familiar with ORE or visit their website at www.orexchange.org. We can assist you in signing up to become a member when you come in for your appointment. (There is a sign up fee for ORE, which can be paid with money or with 2 timebank hours.)

3. Receive a gift.

While there are real costs associated with providing herbs and consultations–some are monetary, others are environmental–we are committed to absorbing and offsetting these costs to make our services available as gifts to our community when needed. We turn no one away for inability to make an exchange with us. If, after careful consideration, you feel that your current circumstances truly prevent an exchange of either money or time, we are happy to make the consultation services and herbs you need available to you at no charge.

While there are no criteria to meet in order to receive a gift, we’ll invite you to share what makes a gift of herbal care an important necessity for you right now. This information is valuable to us as we seek grants and other support to fund our work.

Summary of Flexible Payment Options:

The fee for the first appointment slides from $60 – $100; for subsequent visits $30 – $50. Herbs are also available on a sliding scale, depending on what form your recommendations take.  Use the table below to determine your exchange, in money or time, for consultation and herbs.