Intermediate Herbal Course

• Read original article here

Reviews (0)
Description
The Intermediate Herbal Course is an online and self-paced apprenticeship for distance learners. If you are looking for a place to study herbalism in a safe and guided environment, we welcome you to join our ever-growing online community of herbalists! New students from all backgrounds and countries are registering for this program every day so start your enrollment when you are ready, and begin just moments after you register.
Why Herbs?
The use of herbs was an integral part of supporting wellness and correcting imbalance for millennia. It was not until relatively recently, at least in the Western world, that herbs were supplanted as the primary component of our apothecaries. Despite this shift, herbs continue to be effective allies in supporting wellness, and are often readily available. We can grow them ourselves or get to know them in wild settings, while in the process becoming more attuned to the environment which coexists with its inhabitants, be they plant, animal, fungi, or bacteria. We believe that it is our birthright to be in relationship with and use the gifts of nature with respect and wisdom, and herbs are one of those gifts.
Wellness doesn’t come from plastic bottles. Vitality develops naturally from the way you live your life. Deep down, people already know this. Here at the Herbal Academy, we believe that a holistic herbal-based approach to wellness is making its way back into the mainstream, right where it belongs.
If you want to learn more about herbs as wellness-supporting tools and as food, and if you’re just too busy to enroll in an in-person program, join us for a comprehensive and convenient online herbal course you can complete anywhere and anytime—right on your computer! Learn what your great ancestors knew about the natural world and begin to build your own materia medica and apothecary. We’ll show you how and tell you why.
The Intermediate Herbal Course is your online doorway into the wild and wonderful world of herbalism.
Our intention for this self-paced herb course is to help you take the next step in learning how to integrate a holistic approach to wellness into your life. This course devotes an entire unit to food as the foundation – using herbs and foods (and the phytochemicals within them) to support wellness and ease common complaints. You’ll learn to nourish yourself with wild edibles and wildcraft common wild plants. You’ll build your materia medica, learning the actions, energetics, safety, dosage, why, and how of many herbs and their uses.
The bulk of the course walks through each body system, including the digestive, immune, nervous, cardiovascular, liver, respiratory, and urinary systems, devoting a unit to each to discuss anatomy, physiology, balance, imbalance, herbal support, and appropriate materia medica, including 150 herbal monographs! We integrate knowledge of energetics (of both people and herbs), tissue states, and the rationale of choosing a particular herb for a particular person and imbalance. The course includes video tutorials and 185 recipes for a variety of herbal preparations to help you build your apothecary. The beautiful lessons are loaded with the knowledge that will help propel you the next level of your herbal practice.
In this course, you will discover:
10 UNITS
Graduates receive their own Intermediate Herbal Course certificate upon completion of the course!
ACCESS TO TEACHERS
Throughout your studies, you will have easy access to course instructors and Herbal Academy team members to help with questions. We’re with you every step of the way.
STUDENT-ONLY COMMUNITIES
Herbal Academy students and graduates get access to our thriving private MyHerbalStudies Facebook community! Grow with your fellow classmates as you journey through your studies, ask questions of your teachers, and share your experiences with this inspiring community!
EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS
Access to the Herbal Academy’s catalog of discounts, including discounts on Mountain Rose Herbs and Bulk Herb Store orders, $20 off United Plant Savers membership, and savings on Natural Herbal Living, Essential Herbal Magazine, Mother Earth Living, Original Organics, and more.
 
A Collaborated Effort
We’ve brought together formally educated and experienced clinical herbalists and medical professionals who love sharing their passion for plants and people to teach this 10-Unit comprehensive, multimedia learning experience. Our well-rounded, seasoned team has worked together to bring you a program that covers every angle!
We are dedicated to teaching and promoting a lifestyle of wellness and vitality through the use of herbs, sound nutrition, and optimal lifestyle practices. We offer high quality, affordable herbal studies programs to empower our students and celebrate the community-centered spirit of herbalism by collaborating with a wide diversity of herbalists to create an herbal school that presents many herbal traditions and points of view. As a team, it is our goal to educate and to promote sound, safe, and ethical herbal practice.
Learn more about our team of educators here !
UPGRADE YOUR REGISTRATION TO PRINT
Upgrade your registration with our Printed Course Package to experience your course to the fullest! This set of books presents the entire Intermediate Herbal Course in printed form – over 1,400 pages available for your study and enjoyment! With five books in this set, you will receive the Herbal Academy’s complete Intermediate Herbal Course textbooks in two volumes along with a compiled Recipes + Monographs Book and the program’s featured Herbal First Aid Booklet and Herbal Skin Care Booklet.
View more images of the Intermediate Herbal Course’s Printed Textbook Package here .
Curriculum
The Intermediate Herbal Course is intended for students with some herbal training (the Online Introductory Herbal Course, community herbal classes, workshops, and/or self-study), but even if you’re new to herbalism, we’ll be reviewing some basic concepts in the first unit to set the foundation. The online herbal course will include intermediate topics such as safety and contraindications; energetics and constitutional theory; in-depth coverage of anatomy and physiology; holistic support for healthy body systems as well as for a variety of common imbalances; and guidance for herbal formulation.
We will introduce many theories and works of some of today’s most revered herbalists such as David Hoffmann, Rosemary Gladstar, jim mcdonald, and David Winston, and Academy contributor Matthew Wood and Guido Masé, as well as many others. You will also study many different ways herbalism has been practiced over the centuries and how in recent years we have begun to relearn these traditions and integrate them into our modern herbal practice.
The Intermediate Herbal Course: 10 Unit Outline
UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION AND HERBAL REVIEW
Why Herbs?; How Herbs Work; Herbal Traditions; Challenges to Herbalism; Making the Reconnection; Herbal First Aid Booklet – Making Herbal Preparations; Herbal Actions; Herbal Energetics; Ayurveda; Chinese Medicine; Creating Formulas; Dosage; Side Effects and Safety; Herb-Drug Interactions; Drying and Storing Herbs
UNIT 2: FOOD IS THE FOUNDATION
Eating with the Seasons; Nutrition; Foods for Convalescence; Mindful Eating; Kitchen Cupboard Herbs; Making Herb-Infused Vinegars, Shrubs, Oils, Honeys, Cordials, Syrups, and Oxymels; Foraging Wild Edibles and Herbs; United Plant Savers At-Risk Plants; Gratitude and Ceremony; Creating A Materia Medica; Phytochemicals
UNIT 3: THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Digestive System Overview; The Importance of Healthy Digestion; The Gut/Brain Connection; The Gut/Immune System Connection; Supporting Digestive Health with Bitters and Carminatives; Cultivating a Healthy Gut Microbiome; Addressing Digestive Imbalances with Herbs; Digestive System Materia Medica; Breathing as a Wellness Tool
UNIT 4: THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Overview of the Immune System; Diet, Lifestyle, and Herbal Support for a Healthy Immune System; Addressing Bacterial, Viral, and Fungal Infections with Herbs; Herbal Support for Autoimmune Conditions and Allergies; Immune System Materia Medica; Wellness-Promoting Mushrooms
UNIT 5: THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Overview of the Nervous System; The Physiology of Stress; Herbal and Lifestyle Support for Stress; Herbal Support for Headaches; Herbal Support for Healthy Sleep; Herbal Support for Anxiety and Depression; Nervous System Materia Medica; Flower Essences
UNIT 6: THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Cardiovascular System Overview; Supporting Optimal Heart Health; Supporting Healthy Blood Pressure and Cholesterol; Food for the Heart; Addressing Cardiovascular Imbalances with Herbs; A Heart-Healthy Diet; Care of The Energetic Heart; Cardiovascular System Materia Medica
UNIT 7: THE LIVER
Overview of the Liver; Diet and Lifestyle Support for a Healthy Liver; Herbal Liver Tonics; Herbal Support for Liver Imbalance; Liver Materia Medica; Healthy Skin; Herbal Skin Care Booklet
UNIT 8: THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Respiratory System Overview; Maintaining a Healthy Respiratory System; Heart Rate Variability; Healthy Breathing and Herbal Lung Tonics; Herbal Support for Respiratory Imbalances; Respiratory Tissue States; Plants and Clean Air; Respiratory System Materia Medica; Aromatherapy for the Respiratory System
UNIT 9: THE URINARY SYSTEM
Overview of the Urinary System; Supporting a Healthy Urinary System; Water and Fluids; Herbal Bladder and Kidney Tonics; Addressing Urinary Imbalances with Herbs; Urinary System Materia Medica
UNIT 10: CHILDREN
Safety; Dosing; The Top Four Herbs for Kids; Herbal Support for Common Childhood Discomforts; Formulas and Recipes for Children; Herbalism and the Law
VIEW THE FULL COURSE OUTLINE
While we recommend spending at least one month of serious study in each unit, students have the ability to work at their own pace toward completion. Students will have access to the online portion of the program for two years. Each of the program units are available for download and print, so as a student you can use your program as a valuable resources for many years to come.
Here at the Herbal Academy, our team of herbalists and instructors are here to support you on your journey from afar, keeping you well informed and in good company. Work on your herbal studies from the comfort of your own home and we’ll be working right along with you.
Grow with our Academy family—even after you complete your studies. We have built a community of support for those seeking to learn more about herbs and how to lead a richer, more fulfilling, and healthy lifestyle. As a student in the Intermediate Herbal Course, you will gain access to our student-only community, which you can continue to enjoy even after you graduate from class!
Testimonials From Students
“We get asked ALL. THE. TIME. about recommendations for herbal schools & online courses. After long hours of researching, we found such an impressive school, that we couldn’t help but enroll ourselves!”
– Bulk Herb Store
“The education I have received from the Herbal Academy has completely transformed my practice. When you enroll in the Academy you are immersed in a first class herbal education.”
– Melissa Jones, From Scratch Magazine
“I am studying herbalism to further my career. I am almost finished with a doctorate in naturopathic medicine and there is very little information about herbs in the program. Out of 20 years of study, hands down, Herbal Academy has taught me more about herbs in the first unit than all of the years of doing it on my own. This is the only course I have ever taken that I actually look forward to every day! I love it!”
– Sandi, Student
“I am in love with the science behind it. I have searched the internet looking for a course that can take me in depth in plant parts and anatomy. I’m so happy I found you guys. The best part is even though it’s an online course, I don’t feel alone at all! You are there every step of the way. Thank you so much for that!”
– Nicole, Student
“This is truly a class for which I have been looking for years. I want to be spending all of my time currently working on it and wish I could forgo other things.”
– Honey, Student
“I’m really enjoying it! I just wish I could quit work and maybe send the family away for a few months so I could concentrate on just herbs!”
– Alicia, Student
“I am so glad I made the decision to enroll in the Herbal Academy’s Intermediate Herbal Course… This is far more than a “how to use this herb” course! There are specific dosing suggestions and many recipes to get you started. You will not be left hanging! I actually sent them an e-mail and told them they are not charging enough! Seriously, if I took this course and then had to recommend a retail price, I would put this course in the $800-$1000 range at least.”
– Lea, Intermediate Course Graduate
“For about 7 years my husband and I were looking for the right herbal school for us. We ended up traveling and researching on our own until we found the Herbal Academy. I am literally blown away by how in depth their intermediate course is, as well as the very professional design savvy layout. I will enroll in every online course this school provides and hope to eventually visit it in person one day!”
– EK Bradley, Holistic Families
“I recently completed my studies and couldn’t rave enough about the program!!! If you are THINKING about taking it, you must!! You learn so much about the body and the herbs and their therapeutic uses at your own pace! I’m sorry that I’m finished but thrilled to be on the next leg of my journey!”
– Paizley Ann, Student
“You have no idea the paths this counsel has led me on, literally and figuratively. I have discovered Solomon’s Seal in my backyard, Indian pipe near a waterfall, and wood sorrel in the garden. I thought I would be taking a course to learn about herbs and I have had the world around me open up with gifts I never knew existed. Thank you.”
– Cynthia, Student
“I am studying herbalism to further my career. I am almost finished with a doctorate in naturopathic medicine and there is very little information about herbs in the program. Out of 20 years of study, hands down, the Herbal Academy has taught me more about herbs in the first unit than all of the years of doing it on my own. This is the only course I have ever taken that I actually look forward to every day! I love it!”
– Sandi, Student
 
Start your journey!
Ask yourself, what would I do with an herbal certification? If the answer is, I will reach out in some way to share this information, then you are in the right place. You can share all that you have learned here with your family and friends. You can be the one to inspire them to seek balanced health and vitality. Show others the way to use plants to support wellness. Teach, explore, preserve, and honor this tradition. Food and herbs are just as relevant today as they were for our forebearers. We are all innate herbalists but we must learn how to use this precious gift responsibly as well as intuitively. Let’s do this together, one lesson at a time.
Ready to get started?