Each class is lead and facilitated by an experienced herbalist and has a practical focus on one of the most common health concerns you may see around you:

• Medicine Making (2 classes): We’ll be covering the basics of making tinctures, teas, oils, salves, liniments, infused honeys, syrups, and herbal elixirs.
• Digestion: We’ll discuss the basic anatomy of the digestive system as well as herbal approaches to common complains such as IBS, leaky gut, ulcers, GERD, and constipation.
• Stress and Anxiety: This class will be very hands-on, with lots of opportunities to taste and experience a variety of herbs that can help promote a grounded and aware mental state.  Some of these are muscle-relaxant herbs that help release the emotions held as physical tension in the body, others are known to bind to gaba receptors, thus blocking excessive mental activation, still others are unstudied by science but known by clinicians to promote long-term healing of bad mental habits such as nightmares or addictions.  Each person responds uniquely to these herbs, so sampling is the best way to get to know them.
• Respiratory and Immune Health: Respiratory infections have always been one of the most common health complaints, and now more than ever people are invested in supporting immunity to whatever extent is possible.  We will talk about basic herbal approaches to acute viral + bacterial infections, as well as prevention and nutrition/lifestyle factors that influence our immune systems.
• Pain: Sometimes pain is sending an important message that must be listened to.  Other times, its not, or the message as been received already ad nauseam, and being able to suppress the sensation of pain or relax the mind and muscles to better cope with acute pain can be powerful.  We’ll discuss both herbal pain suppressants for acute pain and dietary and herbal strategies to reduce systemic inflammation that may be exacerbating chronic pain.
• Sleep: Sleep is the foundation of health, and sleep disturbances can contribute to or cause almost any health condition.  We will talk about the science of sleep, our cultural devaluing of rest, sleep routines/rituals, and herbs to promote deep, restorative sleep.
• Reproductive Health: We will focus on uterine health through the years of the menstrual cycle, as we find this info to be the most applicable for the majority of our students.  We will focus on addressing common issues such as cramping, bleeding too heavily, anemia, mood and energy disturbances around the menstrual cycle, and birth control.
• Acute Wound Care: We will put together the beginnings of your herbal first aid kit for you to take home.  We will talk about wound care, bandaging, preventing infection, and nutrition and herbs for the healing process.
• Clinical Skills: We will introduce you to the basics of herbal safety, herb/drug interactions, client confidentiality, spotting medical red flags and when to refer, how to formulate, and how to do a basic intake with a new client.

Community Herbalism Class Series

Tuition: