The first month sets the stage for your entire journey. You’ll explore what it means to walk the Herbalist’s Path in a grounded way, how herbalism differs from the allopathic model, and the essential skills that support ethical, confident practice. We also cover the essential practitioner skills you need — proper documentation, client intake processes, and how to work within appropriate scope of practice. Oh, and we dive into some incredible foundational herbs too.

Community Herbalist Foundations

• Your Role as the Community Herbalist

• What Is Western Herbalism

• The Three Pillars of Herbalism

• History of Western Herbal Medicine

• Medicines in Your Kitchen: deep dive video monographs on 11 culinary herbs (Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, Oregano, Garlic, Turmeric, Cinnamon, Fennel, Ginger, Mint, Cayenne)

This is an important way to meet people where they’re at and make herbalism feel simple and approachable for almost everyone.

Phases of Working With a Client

• Gathering health history and documentation

• Downloadable client intake forms you can rebrand

By the end of this section, you’ll have clarity around your role, your scope of practice, and how to work with others professionally and safely. You’ll also have the foundational systems in place to move confidently into the deeper body systems work ahead.

Each month follows a clear learning path to help you understand how the body and its many systems work together as an integrated whole. This allows you to move beyond the “what herb do I take for this?” approach and instead make thoughtful, informed choices based on the person in front of you.

You’ll learn how to pair the right herbs with the right person, symptoms, and circumstances rather than relying on trends or one-size-fits-all recommendations.

Monthly Learning Flow

• Week 1: Anatomy & Physiology (from a holistic perspective)
  Learn how each body system functions and how it connects to the rest of the body, so you understand why you’re recommending certain herbs.

• Week 2: Herbs & Herbal Actions
  Explore the key herbal actions associated with each system, along with an extensive list of herbs to work with. You’ll receive 3–5 in-depth herb lessons per action, plus practical apothecary recommendations.

• Week 3: Working With Common Ailments & Patterns
  Learn how to approach the most common issues you’ll encounter, including:

  • root causes

  • lifestyle considerations

  • supplement support

  • herbal protocols

  Each system includes concise reference guides and well-formulated recipes you can use as-is or adapt to your own practice.

• Break Week: Integration & Practice
  Time for hands-on projects, integration, or simply stepping outside and reconnecting with the plants and your own rhythm.

Body Systems We Cover

• Digestive – Understand how gut health impacts whole-body wellness so you can address root causes rather than just symptoms

• Liver – Learn how this vital organ influences hormones, energy, and detoxification

• Skin – Explore why skin issues often reflect internal imbalances

• Immune / Respiratory / Lymphatic – Understand how these systems work together to protect and cleanse the body

• Urinary – Learn how kidney and bladder health supports elimination and overall vitality

• Nervous – Understand the relationship between stress, sleep, and healing

• Cardiovascular – Learn how circulation, heart health, and emotional wellbeing are connected

• Endocrine – Explore hormone balance and its impact on mood, metabolism, and energy

• Musculoskeletal – Support bones, muscles, and joints as part of whole-body health

• Reproductive Health – Understand reproductive wellness across different life stages

By the end of this phase of the program, you’ll feel confident navigating body systems, recognizing patterns, and supporting people through thoughtful herbal strategies. Whether you’re working with family, community members, products, or education, you’ll have a solid foundation to do meaningful, real-world healing work.

Understanding how to formulate safe, effective herbal medicine is a core part of working with herbs confidently. This section is designed to help you move beyond copying recipes and into truly understanding why your formulations work.

You’ll learn how to choose the right herbs, preparations, and ratios for different needs, bodies, and situations, so your remedies are both effective and enjoyable to use.

Foundations of Medicine Making

• Medicine making mixology foundations

• Herbal actions and energetics

• Solubility of medicinal constituents and choosing the appropriate menstruum

• The art of formulation

   

Hands-On Preparation Methods
You’ll receive clear, practical guidance for creating:

• Herbal oils

• Blending tasty teas

• Tinctures

• Glycerites

• Honeys

• Vinegar extracts

• Salves and balms

• Syrups

• Lotions and creams

• Poultices and fomentations

This training helps you build real formulation skills, not just follow instructions. You’ll learn how to adjust recipes thoughtfully, understand potency and extraction, and create remedies that people actually want to take.

Because let’s be honest, compliance matters, and nobody wants to choke down a bunch of bitter dirt every day.

By the end of this section, you’ll feel confident creating herbal medicines that are intentional, effective, and grounded in both tradition and practical understanding. You’ll know how to formulate with purpose, adapt when needed, and understand exactly why your remedies work the way they do.

Learning about herbs is exciting, and it’s natural to want to know all of them right away. But lasting confidence comes from truly getting to know a plant over time, not skimming dozens at once.

This part of the program slows the pace intentionally so you can build a deeper relationship with each plant and develop the skills to truly understand any herb you work with in the future.

Each month, you’ll explore one herb through a comprehensive, guided study that includes:

• History and traditional uses

• Plant identification

• Growing tips and cultivation basics

• Harvesting considerations

• Medicinal uses

• Medicine-making methods

• Contraindications and safety considerations

While you’ll work with many herbs throughout the program, dedicating focused time to one plant each month allows you to develop discernment, confidence, and a more intuitive understanding of plant medicine.

Ideally, a year with each plant would be a dream. But we also know you’re eager to learn and grow, so one month per herb strikes a thoughtful balance between depth and momentum.

By the end of this portion of the program, you’ll have intimate knowledge of twelve powerful medicinal plants and a repeatable framework for getting to know any herb you encounter in the future. These are skills you’ll carry with you for a lifetime, whether you’re supporting yourself, your family, or others.

As the program grows, you’ll also have the opportunity to continue expanding your plant studies as new monthly deep dives are added.

This is where this program truly stands apart.

You’re not just receiving course content. You’re learning inside a living mentorship with two experienced clinical herbalists who are actively engaged in your growth and invested in your understanding over time.

This mentorship exists so you don’t have to figure things out alone, second-guess yourself, or wonder if you’re “doing it right.”

Ongoing Guidance & Support

• Weekly live calls with Mel and Brittany, where you can ask real questions and receive thoughtful, experience-based guidance

• Questions answered within 48 hours inside the private student community

• Direct feedback on your projects, formulations, and case studies

• Podcast-style lessons you can listen to anywhere, anytime
  
  

Experienced Teachers Who Are Actively Practicing

• Guidance from two clinical herbalists who work with clients, formulate products, and teach regularly

• Guest expert teachers offering diverse perspectives, traditions, and lineages

• Teaching that blends lived experience with clinical understanding, not just theory
  
  

A Supportive Learning Community

• A private community space where students learn alongside one another

• Thoughtful discussion, shared insights, and mutual support

• A learning environment that encourages questions, curiosity, and growth

This isn’t “post a question in a forum and hope someone responds.” This is real mentorship with real humans who care about your development.

By the end of the program, you won’t just have information. You’ll have experienced what it feels like to be guided consistently, supported week by week, and truly held as your understanding deepens. That kind of mentorship is what builds confidence you can actually trust.

This program isn’t about passively consuming information and hoping it sticks. Real confidence comes from doing, integrating, and applying what you’re learning in real-life situations.

This part of the mentorship is designed to help you move knowledge out of your head and into your hands, so your understanding becomes embodied rather than theoretical.

Applied Learning & Integration

• Weekly quizzes to reinforce key concepts and deepen retention

• Hands-on projects that help you apply what you’re learning in practical ways

• Case study work rooted in real-world scenarios

• Integration weeks that allow space to practice, reflect, and absorb

These elements are designed to support learning, not overwhelm it. You’re guided step by step, with room to move at your own pace and revisit material as needed.

Certification Through Application

• Quizzes and projects are part of the certification process

• You’re assessed on understanding and application, not memorization

• Learning is reinforced through repetition, reflection, and real use

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about building trust in your own thinking and decision-making over time.

By the end of the program, you won’t just know more about herbalism. You’ll have practiced using what you’ve learned, worked through questions as they arise, and developed the kind of confidence that comes from experience, not guessing.

That’s what allows you to say, calmly and honestly,
“I actually know what I’m doing.”

You’re not starting from scratch. You’re receiving the exact tools and templates we use in our own practices, designed to help you organize your herbal work from day one and make it your own.

What You Get

• Herbal Medicine Planner & Tracker
  Stay organized with remedy making, client protocols, and seasonal preparations

• Client Intake Forms You Can Rebrand
  Professional documentation ready to use when working with others

• Formulation Worksheets & Batch Logs
  Track recipes, adjust dosages, and replicate successful blends

• Protocol-Building Templates
  Clear frameworks for creating thoughtful, comprehensive healing plans

• Dosage Calculators & Conversion Charts
  Tools that remove guesswork and support accuracy

By the time you begin working with others or making remedies more regularly, you’ll have systems in place that help you feel organized, prepared, and confident. No more scrambling for notes or writing recipes on scraps of paper.

Let’s be real. Herbal medicine can get expensive. Quality herbs, alcohol, bottles, labels, and ingredients add up quickly, whether you’re supporting your family or expanding your work.

That’s why we’ve partnered with trusted, ethical, and sustainable suppliers to make sourcing herbs and materials more accessible.

Your Exclusive Student Discounts Include

• Mountain Rose Herbs – Premium organic herbs, oils, and supplies

• Organic Alcohol Company – High-quality organic alcohol for tincture making

• Fullscript – Professional-grade supplements and herbal products

• WishGarden Herbs – Ready-made formulas and bulk herbs

• Eclectic Institute – Freeze-dried herbs and extracts

• Additional partners added as the program grows

These savings add up quickly. Whether you’re building a home apothecary, formulating products, or working with others, you’ll have access to the same suppliers we trust, at prices that make herbalism more sustainable.

Good medicine shouldn’t break the bank.

One of the greatest gifts in herbal education is learning from many voices, traditions, and lineages. Alongside Mel and Brittany, you’ll learn from a thoughtfully chosen group of guest teachers who bring depth and diversity to your studies.

What This Brings to Your Learning

• Exposure to different herbal traditions, including Western herbalism, TCM influences, Ayurvedic perspectives, and folk practices

• Specialized expertise from formulation experts, clinical practitioners, ethnobotanists, and wildcrafters

• Real-world insight from herbalists running practices, product lines, clinics, and schools

• Expanded plant knowledge and fresh ways of thinking about herbal work

These aren’t random guest appearances. Each teacher is invited to deepen specific areas of your learning and offer perspectives you won’t find in one single tradition.

By the end of the program, you’ll have a rich, well-rounded foundation and a broader herbal lens, allowing you to think creatively, formulate effectively, and work with greater confidence.

A complete DIY family herbalism course designed to help you support common acute issues while you’re building deeper clinical understanding inside the certification program.

Here’s the deal. The Community Herbalist Certification is comprehensive, and we don’t want you waiting months before you feel confident helping your family.

Naturally Healed Family Covers

• Setting up your natural medicine cabinet, including what to stock and why

• Protocols for common acute concerns such as colds, flu, fevers, cuts, burns, and digestive upset

• Foundational herb knowledge you can use immediately

• Practical confidence to support everyday health needs

Think of this as your quick-start guide to herbalism while you’re deepening your longer-term studies.

By the time you’re a few months into the certification, you’ll already have hands-on experience supporting your family, a stocked apothecary, and real-world context for the deeper body systems work you’re learning.