The format of our 2021 Community Herbalism Program will differ from years past in anticipation of public health needs. We will offer the 2021 program online; it will cover all of the classroom material from our usual course. In addition to our online program, we will host a Bioregional Immersion for students who are local to the area and want to supplement their education with learning in the field. For more info on our 2021 programs, click here.
Online Community Herbalism Course Curriculum
- Basic botany, ecology, plant taxonomy, evolution of plants, botanical vocabulary, plant identification.
- Herbal actions and energetics, flavors of herbs and their meaning.
- Wildcrafting procedures and ethics. Ecological conservation.
- Tools for fostering connection to place in all environments
- Making herbal medicines, including drying herbs, preparation of medicinal teas, tincturing by various methods (including percolation), oxymels, elixirs, infused oils & salves, lotions, liniments, medicine balls, and medicinal mushroom double-extractions. Food as Medicine / Creative ways to consume herbs.
- History and traditions of Western herbalism.
- Holistic/Vitalist approach to the human body in health & disease, basic treatment goals and priorities.
- Diversity of human constitution and constitutional medicine.
- Major organ systems in the human body, their anatomy & function, common disorders & treatment approaches, and commonly used herbs.
- In-depth teaching on dozens of individual herbs: botany & identification, tastes & energetics, actions, uses, formulation, contraindications. (Materia Medica)
- Making herbal formulas.
- Basic clinical skills: Interview, assessment, setting priorities, treatment strategies. Clinical skills for working with transgender patients.
- Nutrition fundamentals, working with food allergies and intolerances, elimination diets, and diet counseling.
- Herbal first aid.
- Focused classes on: Health Justice in practice. Herbs for mental health. Healing from Trauma & PTSD. Creating affordable protocols.
Bioregional Immersion Curriculum
- Field botany and Plant identification
- Fostering connection to place
- Place-based plant medicine through the seasons
- Medicinal and Food uses of bioregional plants
- Wildcrafting ethics in practice
- The Art of Wildcrafting; Sustainable harvest
- Plant propagation
- Best practices in harvesting cultivated herbs
- Medicine making in the field
- Tending wild plant stands
- Lessons in deep ecology
