Green Pharmacy

Making Your Own Herbal Medicines

Learn how to make herbal medicines, including teas, decoctions, cold infusions, tinctures, salves, oils, glycerites, vinegars, honeys, elixirs, oxymels, and more!

The Program Begins October 9th, 2025

AN ONLINE, IMMERSIVE PROGRAM DESIGNED TO START YOUR OWN HERBAL APOTHECARY

Join herbalists Elaine Sheff and John Goicovich of Green Path Herb School for our online program to create your own home herbal apothecary. Learn how to make herbal medicines, including teas, decoctions, cold infusions, tinctures, salves, oils, glycerites, vinegars, honeys, elixirs, oxymels, and more! Although this is an online program, we will be making products together in most classes.

This course is designed for herb enthusiasts interested in empowering themselves to make their own herbal medicines at home. Herbal medicines are most effective when we use the highest quality ingredients - the more potent a product, the better it will work. When you make your own herbal medicines, YOU are in control of the quality and freshness of your products. You can trust that you know every ingredient and make specific formulas that fit you and your loved ones. Students will come away from this program with a comprehensive toolkit, having made their own powerful and effective herbal medicines. This class has a PDF workbook including detailed instructions, definitions, and many recipes, with video downloads for lifetime access to the classes.

2025 PROGRAM

We are thrilled to welcome you into the 2025 cohort of our Medicine Making Program.

Our 2025 program dates are as follows:
Thursdays, 1-4 pm Mountain Standard Time
October 9, 16, 23, and 30, November 6, 13, and 20

All classes are conducted online via Zoom. Classes will be recorded and can be downloaded for later viewing by those who cannot attend live.

The investment for this program is $350

Registered students will be contacted with class details and links.

Let’s Make Medicine Together

Want to know more? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions. Or you can contact us to set up a free phone call.

Scholarships & Work Trade Agreements are available should you require financial assistance. Please fill out an application, and a member of our team will be in touch.

Topics Include

    • Herbal pharmacy terms

    • Medicine-making equipment and tools of the trade

    • Harvesting and drying herbs properly

    • Different types of herbal medicines and when they should be used

    • Solubility of different herbs

    • Choosing the best types of medicine to make from different plants

    • Discuss the pros and cons of herbal teas

    • Learn how to make tisanes, decoctions, and cold infusions

    • Discover which plants are appropriate to make teas

    • Pros and cons of using tinctures

    • Solvents used in herbal tincture making

    • When and how to use tinctures

    • How to make a fresh plant maceration

    • How to make a dry plant maceration

    • Weights, measures, ratios, and alcohol percentages

    • Dosage ranges for different tinctures

    • The pros and cons of percolation

    • Learn when to make a percolation vs. a maceration

    • Which herbs make great percolations

    • Equipment details

    • Which herbs make the best herbal oils

    • Learn which properties are soluble in vegetable oil

    • How to make fresh plant oils

    • How to make dry plant oils

    • How to make slaves, lip balms, and ointments

    • When to use a salve and when it might cause problems

    • The best herbs and ingredients to use for poultices

    • How to make a poultice

    • Examples of the best herbs to make excellent compresses and liniments

    • When to use compresses and liniments

    • The pros and cons of glycerite tinctures

    • Herbs to use when making glycerites

    • The healing properties of vegetable glycerine

    • Six different methods to make an herbal glycerite

    • How to use glycerites

    • Elixirs defined

    • Which herbs to use

    • How to make elixirs

    • Elixir dosages

    • Which vinegars to use and which to avoid

    • The health benefits of vinegars

    • Using vinegars internally and topically

    • Herbs that make the best vinegars

    • The magic of bees and honey

    • The health benefits of honey

    • How to make a potent herbal honey

    • The definition of oxymels and switchels

    • Flavor categories for herbs

    • Four ways to make herbal oxymels

    • How to use oxymels and switchels

    • Dosage guidelines

    • The history of fire cider

    • How to make different types of fire cider

Additional Resources: All students will receive lifetime access to class videos and a PDF workbook including bountiful recipes, and detailed information for each class.

What Our Students Think

  • Learning from Elaine and John was a journey into the nature of myself as well as the natural world. Their teaching styles balance each other which allows for a deeper, more meaningful learning process as a student. Their love and compassion come through in their approach to teaching that appreciates a variety of learning styles in their students. They provided safe, effective material and offered an easily accessible approach to wellness.

    Julia Carr

  • Thank you so much for sharing your amazing knowledge and time with so many people. You have been such an inspiration to me, and I don’t think I would have had the resources or info I needed to begin this journey without your help!

    Kristen

  • The things I learned while taking classes with the Green Path Herb School empower and inspire. I now feel equipped with information and awareness that will allow me to take medicine and healing into my own hands by working with the Earth’s provisions.

    Michael Billington

FAQ

  • A $100 deposit (out of total tuition) is non-refundable upon paying for the program.

    • All credit card fees are non-refundable.

    • A full refund of tuition (less the $100.00 deposit and all credit card fees) will be paid if the student withdraws (in writing) before the first day of class.

    • If a student cancels after the classes have begun, a calculation of all allowable charges shall be made using the date that we received written notification of termination.

    • If a student withdraws from any program, a refund calculation will be applied based on the following:

      • Less than 10% of course completed = 75% refund

      • More than 10 % and less than 25% of course completed = 50% refund

      • More than 25% and less than 50% of course completed = 25% refund

      • Over 50% of course completed = 0% refund

      • After 50% of the course is over, the total sum of tuition is owed in full, even if not all classes are attended.

      • All students making payments are still subject to the Refund Policy terms.

  • This course is designed for herb enthusiasts interested in empowering themselves to make their own herbal medicines at home. Herbal medicines are most effective when we use the highest quality ingredients - the more potent a product, the better it will work. When you make your own herbal medicines, YOU are in control of the quality and freshness of your products. You can trust that you know every ingredient and make specific formulas that will work the best for you and your loved ones. Students will come away from this program with a comprehensive tool kit, having made their own powerful and effective herbal medicines. This class has a PDF workbook including detailed instructions, definitions, and many recipes, with video downloads for lifetime access to the classes.

  • This program does not provide a certificate of completion, it is geared toward teaching you how to build your own herbal apothecary and make your own herbal medicine.

  • Yes! Many students value rewatching the videos of our classes. For this reason, everyone will have the option to download all of the class content for lifetime access, providing future viewing at their leisure.

  • Although no supplies are needed, we encourage you to get ingredients and make a recipe of your choice from each class. This is a wonderful way to build your own herbal apothecary. We believe that hands-on experience helps with the learning process and enables students to ask detailed questions that only occur as you make your own herbal products.