Educational Resources

A pot of tea is a pot of tea is a pot of tea... Well, not really. There are many variables that affect the strength and quality of herbal pharmacy, whether it is created in one's home kitchen or in a larger industrial facility. Included below are the points emphasized and addressed during our 9 Month Foundations of Herbal Medicine Program. 1. Time Within reason, the longer the better. The specific time duration depends on the solvent. For water infusions, the time may range from 30 minutes to overnight (8-12 hours). For alcohol tincture macerations, the time may range from 2 […] See More

The standard method of making a dry plant tincture is one part herb by weight to five parts menstruum by volume. An example is two ounces of licorice root in 10 fluid ounces of menstruum. The finished product is labelled 1:5. Most herbs can be tinctured this way. There are always exceptions and this article gives three ways to work with herbs that are too large in volume to be covered by the menstruum when the traditional method is used.These methods are: 1. Double Maceration Method2. The Blender-Smoothie Method3. The Weighted Rock Method When to Use a Double MacerationA few […] See More

Record keeping is an important aspect of being an herbalist even though it may not be as enjoyable as spending a day in the canyons and meadows among the wildflowers. The chart included at the link below is a form I have used for many years. It includes all the pertinent information needed to keep track of the When - Where - How - How Much of making extracts. Batch and Lot Numbers When wildcrafting and harvesting herbs, always assign a number to that particular batch or lot. This provides for easy tracking. This number goes on the label or […] See More

This article provides resources for promoting health-balance-support during the pregnancy, birth and nursing stages of life for the baby, mother and father/co-parent. It is most definitely *not* meant as a complete substitute for healthcare from a certified medical provider. One of my mentors, Dr Aviva Romm, says it best - “When in doubt, check it out”. Get proper medical care when you need it. **Huge gratitude to the dedicated and loving mothers who freely shared their advice, wisdom, knowledge and recommendations with me.** Birth Control & Conception ~ “Taking Charge of your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, […] See More

There are many mushrooms used therapeutically in the herb community with Reishi (Ganoderma spp.) being the the best known. One of the challenges to effectively using these gifts from the fungal world is knowing how to process them. While plants have cellulose, mushrooms have chitin. This substance is extremely hard and makes extraction difficult. The usual methods of making teas and tinctures don't work. This page is a collection of the best resources I have encountered for: -learning how to thoroughly and effectively extract the healing properties from fungi -reliable information on how various species can be used -where to […] See More

Studying the herbal history of the U.S. can be confusing. It is mostly missing from mainstream history books. Even within the herb community it is often referred to in passing or out of context. Most herb schools don’t bother to share this overview in classes because we want to get to the ‘good stuff’. Yet the longer I study herbs, the more I have wondered about this history and felt something lacking in my own training. The files included on this page are my attempt to organize and summarize what was happening in this country between the early 1800s up […] See More

These are the notes from a recent day-long workshop on understanding the Sambucus species on a deeper level than just taking Elderberry syrup. Herbal uses for the elder bush are also covered extensively in the Foundations program at our school. Botany In formal academic writing, the Elder bush is known as Sambucus nigra (Adoxaceae). These labels are the Genus, Species and Family, respectively. Until recently, the plant family was Caprifoliaceae or Honeysuckle. It has recently been changed to the Adoxaceae family. Some sources have not yet made the change and a few authors dispute to which family it belongs. The […] See More

Having access to reliable information and being able to cut through the marketing hype is important in herbal medicine. It is even more so in the essential oil community due to the multi-year boom in the popularity of using essential oils. There is no shortage of quality oils on the market and accurate, in-depth teaching is available from experienced instructors. Sadly, unverified claims made by people trained more in marketing than health or chemistry are giving the field a dubious reputation. The current lack of critical thinking in this community has the potential for ineffective therapeutics and even serious complications. […] See More

Herb courses at our school emphasize the ability of students to create their own herbal pharmacy. The results are both more affordable and higher quality than purchasing finished products off store shelves. Some plants can be harvested from a backyard garden while others can be wildcrafted from the broader landscape. The ability to sustainably wildcraft varies greatly by species, location and recent weather. Even the most dedicated gardener or knowledgeable wildcrafter will need to purchase herbs from time to time. When possible, it is recommended to support local businesses, especially the smaller family-operated herb stores found throughout the country. For […] See More