PRACTICAL HERBALISM INTENSIVE
For the serious student of herbal medicine, human health,
and the ancient, sophisticated connection between people and plants.
Working with the medicine plants is a calling.
If you’re here, you probably feel it too. Nurture that feeling, whether it’s a tentative stirring in your soul or an already full-fledged passion. It is one of the deepest, oldest, wisest, and most absolutely normal things about being a person. When we go to the forest or the garden with a pocketful of gifts and a basket in hand, our feet feel the old path we have suddenly stepped onto, and our bones rejoice.
The medicine plants are our venerable teachers, and it is their generosity and nourishment that have kept us alive for as long as we’ve been people. Forever and ever we’ve lived in relationship with them. It is only in the last little while that many of us have lost that tangible connection. As a person who has dedicated her life to learning, remembering, and listening to the wisdom of the green world, I know that this path of understanding, while complex, is not complicated. It makes sense to our hands, to our minds, to our hearts.
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
🌿 The Art of Formulation: how to create individually-tailored herbal formulas, and when to consider simples rather than formulations
🌿 Plant Energetics: hot/cold, damp/dry; the medicinal qualities of taste, how energetics change with preparation, and more
🌿 People Energetics : via traditional Chinese, humoural, western herbal, and allopathic lenses
🌿 Diagnostic Tools: face + body, tongue + pulse + eye
🌿 Materia Medica: in-depth overviews of many medicinal plants, including preparation + dosages
🌿 In-depth Study of Body Systems: comprehensive understanding of each, what can go awry, and how to address
🌿 Preparation Skills: alcohol, vinegar, glycerine tinctures; tea blends; topical preparations, and much more, taught with specific ratios to allow for comprehensive dosing
🌿 Case Studies: real-life examples of common health issues and herbal protocols to support healing
🌿 Individual Projects: deepen your learning in an area that particularly interests you, either alone or in a small group. The final two classes are dedicated to project presentations, and are a course highlight!
and more, as determined by the teachers, the students, and the seasons…
Learn what you need to be an effective herbalist in real-life scenarios, while also awakening the latent plant wisdom and magic already residing in your body and soul. In doing so, you’ll learn what it means to be connected to the plants, to your body, and to a deeper understanding of balance and vitality in yourself and in those you care for.
Expect lots of practical skills in this course, and leave open a throne for the old wisdom to blossom in your heart as well.
YOU’LL RECEIVE
35 hours of in-class time
*and*
30 hours guided out-of-class time
Out of class time is spent practicing diagnostic tools and assessment skills,
working on individual projects, wildcrafting, medicine-making, and completing readings.
SEE BELOW FOR 2026 CLASS DATES.
INVESTMENT
$2099
Monthly payment plans ($350 x 6 mo are available.
A certificate will be awarded upon successful completion of the course.
2026 CLASS DATES
— THIS CLASS WILL BE TAUGHT ONLINE —
CLASSES RUN FROM 9:00a-12:30p EST
Friday May 1
Friday May 29
Friday June 19
Friday July 10
Friday August 14
Friday September 11
Friday October 10
Friday November 13
Friday December 11
Friday December 18
Friday November 20: this is a make up day; we’ll only meet this day if we’ve had to cancel an earlier class.
“Emily has an amazing way of teaching about plants like they are friends, and of telling the stories of how they heal and nourish the body. This makes it easy to learn, remember, and feel more connected to them.”
PLEASE NOTE: This course is open to students who have completed the Creating Your Home Apothecary course or comparable study elsewhere.
The goal of this intermediate year of study is to increase the depth and breadth of your understanding of the human body and emotions, the pharmacopeia of medicinal plants who surround us, the intersections between these plants and our health and well-being, and the movement and mechanism of disease through ecosystems and our bodies.
This year of study is a potent middle step if you’re working toward becoming a full-time clinical herbalist, and a strong, comprehensive foundation if your path is one of personal, family, and community support. If you are a healthcare provider, it is a complementary addition to your current healing work.
“Emily is a delightful teacher who holds a seemingly unending amount of knowledge and experience with plant medicine. She has a beautiful way of imparting her wisdom and sharing in the magic of medicine making. I would take her class over and over again”
“Emily is so dynamic, kind, knowledgeable, and humble. She presents information beautifully and clearly, and with humor. I felt like a sponge in this class!”