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Dive deep into the body’s various systems and learn about the herbs that support them. Plus, learn about herbs for some of the most impactful pathophysiologies.

This class comes with a printable PDF workbook that will be emailed to the student before the program begins.

You’ll learn about:

• The Digestive System

• The Nervous System

• The Integumentary (Skin) System

• The Musculoskeletal System

• The Endocrine System

• The Cardiovascular System

• The Lymphatic System

• The Immune System

• The Respiratory System

• The Ears, Nose & Throat

• The Kidneys & Urinary Tract

• The Reproductive System

• Herbs For Cancer

• Herbs For Babies & Children

• And Much More!

Learn the art and science of herbal medicine making. Students will come away from this program with a comprehensive herbal medicine kit, having made their own powerful and effective herbal medicines. You will learn basic medicine-making concepts, skills, and tools.

Students will make their own herbal products as they progress through this class. A list of supplies will be given at the beginning of the class.

You’ll learn how to make:

• Tea, Decoctions, and Cold Water Infusions

• Macerations and Percolations (methods of tincture making)

• Herbal Ois

• Herbal and Aromatic Salves

• Poultices, Compresses, and Liniments

• Herbal Glycerites (alcohol free extracts)

• Elixirs and Syrups

• Herbal Vinegars

• Herbal Honeys

• Oxymels and Switchels

• Herbal Succi

• Fire Cider

• Herbal Pills and Suppositories

Join us for some in-person or virtual plant walks:

• In our medicinal gardens, to learn some of the most useful garden herbs

• In the wilds around Western Montana, to see edible and medicinal native plants and weedy species

Learn about the scientific study of plants, with a focus on herbal medicine. Workbook chapters will be included each week to have fun solving examples and queries. The book needed for this course is Plant Identification Terminology, An Illustrated Glossary, Second Edition, by James G. Harris and Melinda Woolf Harris

You’ll learn about:

• Latin nomenclature of family, genus, and species

• Parts of flowers, ovary position, and placentation

• Medicinal species in the aster, parsley, pea, rose, and mint families

• Practicing and honing the skills of using a plant key to identify herbs

Take a deep dive into botanical medicines, one plant at a time.

You’ll learn about:

• The healing properties of specific herbs

• The medicinal parts of each plant and how to use them

• Identification, harvesting times and techniques

• Herbal lore and stories

• Ethnobotanical uses

• Side effects and contraindications for each herb

Learn how food and nutrients affect the overall health of the body. We will focus on understanding how nutrition can promote well-being and prevent diseases.

You’ll learn about:

• Macro nutrients (carbs, proteins, and fats)

• Micro nutrients (vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients)

• The pros and cons of different types of diets.

Also called Principles and Practice of Constitutional Physiology for Herbalists, this class is designed and follows the teachings of one of our teachers, Michael Moore. You’ll learn about reading someone’s constitutional profile based on the following:

• Organ system energetics, including excesses and deficiencies

• Patterns of stress responses

• Fluid transport energetics

Learn about herbal properties and effects, including the vocabulary of botanical medicine. Explore the different energetics of plants, including warming and cooling, moistening and drying, stimulating and tonifying, and more.

Join us in our beautiful herb gardens, either in person or virtually, to learn about:

• The best tools of the trade

• Garden design

• The foundations of soil health

• Herb gardening tips

• Seed saving

• Plant propagation

• Planting the phases of the moon

• Companion planting

• Planting for pollinators

• Natural pest control and nontoxic garden remedies

Learn the basics of permaculture, a philosophy of working with, rather than against, nature. 

You'll learn about:

• How to best design resilient gardens, yards, and communities for ecosystem health and social well-being. 

• Permaculture ethics and principles

• Social systems design

• Capturing water and creating food forests

Learn about weedy, native, and “wild” garden edible plants. We will go over the parts of the plant used, how to use them, their nutritive properties, and when to best harvest them. We will also take a look at some of our most common poisonous plants to better identify and avoid them. The handout includes some fun recipes to try.

There are many ways to connect with and learn from nature and medicinal plants. We will learn how to directly listen to the natural world, focusing on developing closer relationships with one herb at a time.

Aromatherapy is the medicinal use of essential oils to heal the body, mind, and spirit.

You’ll learn about:

• How and why plants make essential oils

• Perfume notes

• Methods of extraction and distillation

• Quality, purity, and adulteration

• Storage and shelf life

• Methods of application and proper dilutions

• Safety issues and contraindications

• The basic chemistry of essential oils

• Hydrosols

• Materia Medica of essential oils for relaxation, stimulation, cold and flu, inflammation, and first aid

Learning about the history of herbal medicine in the Western world helps to give us a perspective of where we are now and how we got here. This class covers many different cultures, events, and philosophies that have shaped our current herbal modalities and legalities.

Ayurveda, the "Science, or Knowledge of Life", is a 5000 year old medical system originating in India and the first medical system ever recorded, in sutras (songs).  It is a holistic medical system that helps one to know balance in life by considering life's polarities and how the five elements interact.  Ayurveda is an inexpensive medicine system of the people, based on food and plant medicine, offering lifestyle routines and tools that encourage us to practice prevention in our homes rather than responding to crisis. 

You’ll learn:

• Basic Ayurvedic philosophy

• An introduction to the Universal Qualities (Gunas), Dhatus (the seven tissues), and the three Doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha).

• Proper food combining and daily routines according to body type

• The Ayurvedic view of the dis-ease process (Samprapti), and Pancha Karma (the five cleansings)

• Body-reading for assessment clues using pulse, tongue, and eye assessment.

Introduction to Chinese Herbal Medicine is a brief course that introduces the principles of Chinese Medicine theory and diagnosis. This complex system for understanding function and pathology can be understood through the foundational principles of Yin and Yang, the 5 elements, 12 organ systems, and the vital substances. These principles are not separate from our biological understanding of the body, but instead help to create a unified theory to identify larger patterns that sway our health across body systems.  Diagnostic techniques, including tongue and pulse diagnosis, are discussed.

The second half of the course applies this theoretical approach to herbal medicine.  While the course discusses a few specific Chinese herbs and the construction of traditional herbal formulas, these principles can be applied when using Western herbs. For instance, the functions of the five flavors and the influence of “hot” and “cold” therapeutics are useful to all herbalists.

Flower Essences are gentle remedies made from flowering plants and trees' energy or life force. They carry the vibration / energetic imprint of that specific flower (or gems, or the environment). Each flower has a specific energetic quality that communicates/resonates with an animal’s or human’s energy.

You’ll learn about:

• The history of flower essences

• How flower essences differ from other modalities, like essential oils or herbal tinctures

• When and why to use flower essences

• How essences are made

• Creative ways to use essences

• How essences work

• How to choose the right essences

• The different uses of essences

• How essences can be used to improve our mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being

• Materia Medica of specific essences

• The three-part system of Alaskan Essences (Plant, Mineral, and Elemental)

An introductory class about developing the skills of a clinical herbalist.

You’ll learn about:

• Ethics for the Practitioner

• How to do an intake

• Regulations in the U.S.

• Systems for seeing clients

• Analysis, treatment strategies, and herbal plans

• Dosage guidelines

• Formulating and administering herbs

• Scope of practice

• Resources for the clinician

• Case studies

• Hands-on intake with classmates

There are many ways to make a living as an herbalist. Learn both general and specific skills to create a successful herbal business.

You’ll learn about:

• Different types of herbal businesses

• Business Ethics

• Developing a business idea

• Money and financial wellness

• How to create and use a mind map

• Marketing, advertising, and social media

• Business management

• Business structures and legalities

• Making, pricing, and selling products

• Business resources

Learn about the natural ingredients we can use to keep our skin healthy.

You’ll learn how to make:

• Lotions

• Face Toners

• Ceansers

• Lotion Bars

• Bath Salts

• Bath Bombs

• Body Butters and Scrubs

• After Shaves

• Hair Vinegars

• Natural ingredients and preservatives

• Natural Colorants

We will focus on the structure and function of the human body, encompassing everything from the microscopic level of cells to the macroscopic level of organ systems. This class has a special emphasis on the physiology of organ systems, as this focus is more specific to herbal medicine.

For this class, students need to purchase the latest edition of Understanding Anatomy and Physiology by Gale Sloan Thompson. Make sure to get the 20% off code from the school.

We have many additional classes in the program, including:

• Ethical Wildcrafting

• African-American Herbalism

• Herbs for Animals

• Curanderismo

• Botanical Drawing (Students will need an 8.5” × 11” blank book, colored pencils, and a drawing pencil for this class.)

• How to make an Herb Press and Herbarium

• Herbal Shrines

• Winter Plant ID

• Tree Medicine

• Herbal First Aid

• Physical Assessment

• Medicinal Cannabis

• Medicinal and Edible Mushrooms

• Scientific Research in Herbal Medicine

• Harm Reduction

• And more!