fundamentals of community herbalism
guided study
Our Fundamentals of Community Herbalism: Guided Study program offers a unique opportunity to learn alongside a group of dedicated peers. With a set start and end date, this program requires weekly engagement, keeping you connected to the material and to your fellow students. Together, we’ll move through the curriculum step by step, sharing the experience of learning as a cohesive group.
You’ll benefit from real-time guidance and connection with our Terra Sylva instructors, who will facilitate live sessions to deepen your understanding and practice your skills. These Zoom sessions, held every other week, complement approximately 4 hours of video lessons per week and 3–4 hours of assignments and self-study. This structure is designed to provide a balance of flexibility and accountability as you grow your skills in community herbalism.
To foster an intimate and interactive learning environment, this course features an application and admissions process. While we can’t accept everyone who applies, we carefully select a cohort of students whose interests and goals align with our curriculum, ensuring a group dynamic that fosters collaboration and mutual growth.
THE FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNITY HERBALISM Guided Study ONLINE PROGRAM INCLUDES:
Minimum 165 total hours of course content
Weekly pre-recorded video lessons (approx. 4 hours/week)
Biweekly (every other week) video conferences for discussion, small-group exercises, and Q&A
Homework assignments
Peer-to-peer engagement with students and faculty via online forums
Ongoing embodied herbal practices
Mini-apothecary of herb samples
60+ detailed printable plant monographs
165-hour Foundations of Community Herbalism Certificate upon completion of all requirements
details
Dates: Our 2025 online Fundamentals of Community Herbalism Guided Study program runs from February 24th to October 22nd.
Format: The program consists of approximately 165 hours of instructional content that includes weekly video lessons, a 3-hour live video conference every other week, homework assignments, and peer-to-peer engagement between students. We are committed to bringing our emphasis on engaged, experiential herbalism to our program by facilitating embodied practices. Our core faculty (Jen Stovall, Dave Meesters and Janet Kent) will review assignments, give feedback, and hold biweekly live conference calls. Students who meet our attendance, assignment and exam requirements will additionally receive a certificate affirming successful completion of our Fundamentals of Community Herbalism training program.
Live classes will be held via video conference every other Wednesday (beginning March 5th) starting at 3pm Eastern Time, for a total of 17 live sessions.
In addition to the recorded and live course material, students will receive more than 60 detailed plant monographs. To ensure an embodied experience, each student will also receive a mini-apothecary of herb samples to taste, smell and experience when we discuss the plants in class.
Class dates: Live video conference classes will be held on the following dates: March 5th & 19th, April 2nd, 16th, & 30th, May 14th, June 4th & 18th, July 2nd, 16th & 30th, August 20th, September 3rd & 17th, October 1st, 15th, & 22nd. There will be a break on the week of May 26th & August 4th. During those weeks, there will not be a weekly video lesson or homework.
Tuition: Tuition for the online guided Fundamentals of Community Herbalism Program is $2,150. Once you are accepted, a $250 non-refundable deposit is required in order to secure your spot, with the rest of your tuition due by January 15th, 2025. If you would like to arrange a payment plan, we can discuss options after you are accepted into the program.
Additional costs: two required textbooks, medicine making supplies. (Kitchen scale and measuring cup required for medicine making.)
Bioregional Intensives: For our students interested in hands-on learning, there is an in-person field trip component that can be added to the online program. You can find more information about the Bioregional Intensives here.
Accessibility: While an online program does allow us to include people who cannot relocate for herb school, it does limit accessibility in other ways. Students will need access to reliable internet and a laptop, desktop computer or tablet to view video classes and course materials. The device and the internet bandwidth must allow full video-conferencing capability.
Join us!
FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMUNITY HERBALISM: GUIDED STUDY VS. SELF-PACED
How Do I Choose?
Both versions of the program have the same curriculum.
Both are solid foundations for understanding plant medicine as well as basic anatomy and physiology. Both provide the skills necessary to make high quality herbal medicine and provide foundational herbal care.
Both include community forums, space for asking questions, assignments that encourage embodied practice, and interaction with the Terra Sylva faculty.
Both versions share our socially engaged, practical, and inspired approach to herbal medicine.
Both versions give you the chance to attend in-person Bioregional Intensives.
Both versions of the course award a certificate to students who meet the requirements.
Both versions of the course prepare qualifying graduates for our Advanced Community Herbalism program.
The Guided Study Fundamental of Community Herbalism program is a good match for you if:
You want to be part of a cohort who learns the course material together and who gets to know each other along the way.
You want a more immersive learning experience.
You want to practice the skills you are learning with your fellow students as you are learning them.
You like the accountability of meeting with other students and instructors regularly to stay focused and immersed in school.
You benefit from a more structured learning experience.
You want to be prioritized in attending our Bioregional Intensives.
You want more interaction with the Terra Sylva faculty, including more individual feedback on your assignments.
You want to be sure to finish the course in 8 months, so that you can participate in Advanced Community Herbalism the following year.
The Self-paced version of the Fundamentals of Community Herbalism program is a good match for you if:
You need or would like a more flexible schedule for school.
You want to move at your own pace through the material.
Bi-weekly zoom meetings are not an option for you.
You are self-disciplined and do not need the more immersive container to move through the course.
You prefer a less structured educational experience.
The lower cost is appealing.
BOTH OF OUR FUNDAMENTALS PROGRAMS ARE FOR YOU IF:
You want to learn an in-depth, systematic approach to holistic herbalism.
You have been studying herbs on your own or have attended a more general course but lack a cohesive system to apply your knowledge. OR you are beginning your herbal studies and want to start with a strong, comprehensive foundation.
You want practical skills for caring for yourself and your community.
You want to learn to make consistent, high quality plant medicine.
You want to learn embodied practices for working with plants.
You want to learn an approach to health that emphasizes collective responsibility and connection.
You are interested in the ways societal forces impact individual health, including various forms of oppression and their intersections.
You want to learn in an environment informed by feminist values and is not gender-essentialist.
You have reliable internet access.