Early in my career as a Clinical Herbalist, I realized there was a need to help guide students who are training in herbalism at-home. Now more than ever, there is an even greater need with this latest pandemic. Interest in herbalism has increased with curiosity and an extra willingness to learn about herbal medicine. I am contacted more often now from people who want to learn, but they have no idea on where to get started. It’s easy to give them the names of schools, organizations, books, classes, and conferences. It’s not so easy to explain to them what steps they should take, what information is required for them to study, when they would be ready to see clients or open a business, or even what kinds of resources are available to them. That could take hours to explain with each individual. Until now. I have decided to offer that guidance in easy steps. This is one of my future goals along with my niche and contribution to the herbal community.
There are many schools now available both in-person and online that offer great training in herbalism. However, not everyone has the time, the money, or the ability to take these courses. The only option at that point is for the student to train themselves. After teaching students for many years, I have dedicated my time in helping this group of students with guidance in their studies. They need guidance in what to learn, in what order to learn the subjects, hands-on training, and what to do with all of this information once they have learned it. With this extra guidance, I believe the self-trained student can be less stressed and less overwhelmed by the incredible amount of information that is available at their fingertips.
Part of my path has interacted with students interested in starting their journey into herbalism while other times, it was with the more experienced practitioners. What I have found is that everyone needs guidance in the form of a teacher there beside them, and a map (so to speak) to show them the way. A teacher that can advise them and answer their questions, and have a general outline of subjects to learn. Not only that, these students could use simpler explanations of the different categories within herbalism.
At this point, one would state that this is already offered in schools, conferences, and online courses. That self-training in herbalism can be coupled with a combination of these other choices. That there are many herbalists and teachers that can guide them and answer their questions. The real issue is that these opportunities are not available to everyone, and I believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn herbalism. Where does that leave the student who can’t afford to travel, pay for lodging, pay for tuition, pay for individual classes and webinars, or pay and register for conferences all over the United States? Where does that leave the person living far away from any schools and without internet services? Where does that leave the person with a full-time job, or one who has children to raise that doesn’t have the time to attend those scheduled classes? It leaves them alone in their training, or it leaves them with no other option than to quit their studies altogether.
You may be one of the many self-trained students currently struggling with getting a full education in herbalism. Or, you may have attended some schooling, but are unsure of what steps you should take afterwards. Does any of this sound familiar to you? There are different ways that I can and will be available to help guide the self-trained student right now, and in the near future. My new book is being released on May 7, 2024 with preorders being taken right now at Skyhorse Publishing This book will help to guide the student into the the different subjects within herbalism and includes hands-on exercises to help them gain some experience. It includes thirty-five commonly used herbs that the reader will have personal experience working with, and if all of the exercises are completed, they will have built their own apothecary. Not only will the student make the medicine, they will understand how to use each of the remedies or herbs they made and understand who they work best with.
I have another website now called Herbalist Mentor that includes help in navigating the study of herbalism and includes resources to help the student of herbalism to further their studies. Currently, I have included Mentorship packages that can be purchased for one-on-one training as you need it, and coming soon, I will provide free videos, more opportunities to purchase videos for training (including demonstration of the exercises in my book), and a future course that is an extension of my new book.
My new podcast, Herbology Talk, is finishing up on its first season. Join me to learn about other teachers, student journeys, schooling opportunities, and other herbal subjects of study at Herbology Talk
I think the best approach to self-study is one subject at a time. Often, the self-trained student buys all different kinds of books with information related to multiple subjects, or reads one book to start with that has multiple subjects included in it. They might attend classes about individual subjects but they can miss out on furthering their knowledge in other subjects because they are unsure of where to proceed. When beginning to learn, you do not have to be an expert in each subject right away. That is way too much pressure. The first step is to learn the basics first. Once you have a basic understanding in herbalism, you will be able to do more research and eventually–be more proficient in your knowledge. I would like to say that many experienced and long-time practicing herbalists will also feel that they don’t know everything yet. You know what? That is perfectly fine and completely normal. Herbalism is all about continuous learning, discovering new information, and trying new things. That is the fun part about it!
The first subject to learn is basic botany and the terminology used in this subject along with the common terminology used in herbalism. It is important to understand how to identify a plant in the wild, and know the identification of plant parts for harvesting and medicinal purposes. This information is a must for wildcrafters and foragers alike. Learn the parts, the functions of each part, the plant families, plant physiology, and the common terms used. Even if you do not plan on harvesting herbs from the wild, or from your own gardens, this information is still valuable to the herbalist. There might come a time in the future that you won’t be able to purchase herbs, and you will have no other choice than to grow or harvest from the wild. You also want to learn the common terms in herbalism so you can understand what you are reading as you study.
Now that you understand the parts of a plant, and have the knowledge to correctly identify an herb, you should know about how to harvest these herbs to make your medicine. This information includes topics about sustainability, when to harvest each part of the plant during the season, what tools should be used, how to dry them or when to use them fresh, and storage.
Another subject to learn is anything related to plant medicine. These are the basic medicinal properties, the basics of energetics, the different types of herbal preparations used to make medicine, the tools to help make the medicine, and dosing and measurements. This is crucial before going any further so that you can research herbs and understand the terminology used to describe the actions each herb has on the body, how to choose the right herb for individuals, how the herb is best prepared for medicinal purposes, and how to safely administer the medicine. My book has all of these subjects to help you get started. Chemistry is an important part of learning herbalism so you can understand what chemical constituents are involved with the plant, what they contribute in herbalism, and how they are best extracted. My advice is to avoid this subject until you have learned the basics, you have researched individual herbs, and you have some experience working with those herbs. I say this because you will avoid confusion right now as you are beginning, and when you research each individual herb, you will find out how the herb is best extracted along with an explanation of the constituents it contains anyway. You can study Chemistry as an intermediate herbalist. It is not necessary in the beginning.
At this time, you can thoroughly research individual herbs. I advise my students to pick five to ten herbs at a time that are growing around them to learn. I also advise not only reading information about each one, but also using and connecting with each plant. Get very familiar with each as to its medicinal properties, energetics, parts used, best herbal preparations made with it, its traditional uses, contraindications and interactions, and dosing. If you want to grow your own, it is good to know germination requirements, growing conditions, and growth habits. You want to learn everything about the plant including being one hundred percent sure of its identification, harvesting the parts sustainably, preparing the herbal preparations, and then becoming aware of their taste and energetics. Feel how each herb acts in your body, and document the results in a journal. You can also take pictures of each plant and add it to the journal along with this information. It is not necessary to know 100 herbs as you begin. I don’t believe it matters how many herbs you memorize or know, but how many herbs you know well from both information gathering and experience. Take your time getting to know each plant you are studying, and then you can add one or two more plants a month to learn and work with from there.
This should help guide many of you that are reading this now and currently starting your journey into herbalism. I hope you have an opportunity to purchase my book for the added guidance in this study. If you are not a beginner, but moving into an advanced herbalist, the challenge is the same. Are you experienced in all of the above? If you haven’t already started, you can begin learning about the history of herbalism, and how each plant was used historically. Learn about how herbalism got started, what cultures were involved in providing this information, and how herbalism is taught in other cultures. This can provide much more information for the herbal student and give insight into other ways of utilizing our plant allies that have once been forgotten, or out of use in today’s society. It can also help the student be respectful and grateful to these other cultures for this knowledge.