Description
Designed to inspire you to meet the plants around you, grow new herbs, and make simple, effective remedies, this course also emphasises community herbalism and making connections with like-minded people nearby.
Each week, in just two hours, you’ll learn how to craft safe herbal remedies, understand their benefits for common ailments, and deepen your awareness of the medicinal plants growing right underfoot. Whether you’re a beginner or eager to expand your herbal knowledge, this interactive journey will empower you to incorporate the healing power of nature into your daily life and build meaningful connections with others on a similar path. We make something each week related to the topic of the day, and you take it home to try.
Session details:
Week 1: Exploring Plants and Herbal Beginnings (2hrs)
Touch on the history and significance of Western herbal medicine while cultivating a close connection with local plants. Learn basic plant identification, harvesting, and sensory observation techniques. Begin your herbal journey by foraging in the garden and making nutrient-rich herbal food treats.
Activities:
- Introduction to herbal medicine
- Plant identification and foraging outdoor session
- Using the five senses for plant observation (organoleptic assessment)
Making: A salad bomb.
Week 2: Water-Based Herbal Preparations (Infusions & Decoctions) (2hrs)
Learn how to harness water to extract medicinal properties from herbs effectively. Differentiate between infusions and decoctions and tailor preparations for specific herbs. Prepare your herbal water extracts and special tea blends or herbal coffee substitutes.
Activities:
- Discussion on when to use infusions vs. decoctions
- Guided making of herbal infusions and decoctions
- Drying and storing herbs for future use
Making: Creating a custom herbal tea blend or herbal coffee.
Week 3: Preserving Herbs with Tinctures (2hrs)
Discover the art of tincture making—a concentrated form of herbal extraction that preserves potency for long-term use. Learn about solvents, ratios, and the traditional methods of herbal extraction. Make your tincture and understand proper labeling, storage, and tracking.
Activities:
- Explanation of tincture types and solvent choices (alcohol and vinegar)
- Hands-on tincture preparation (using fresh herbs)
- Labeling and storage techniques
Making: Introduction to distilling alcohol with a small alembic still.
Make a fresh plant tincture using vinegar and alcohol as our solvents.
Week 4: External Herbal Remedies—Oils & Balms (2hrs)
Explore the creation of herbal oils and balms. Learn to balance wax and oil ratios, select nourishing ingredients, and blend herbal infusions into effective topical remedies.
- Creating healing balms with beeswax, herbs, and oils
- Blending and troubleshooting formulas
- Understanding what herbs to use
- Making herbal-infused oils
Making: Infused oil and balm.
Week 5: Herbal Alchemy—Distilled Waters & Hydrosols (2hrs)
Step into the world of herbal alchemy by distilling your aromatic waters and hydrosols. Learn about their traditional uses, set up a simple distillation process, and craft your herbal hydrosol. While the stills are running, we will filter and bottle our tinctures, infused oils and herbal vinegar to take away for your own use.
Activities:
- Setting up and performing a basic hydro distillation
- Making your hydrosol
- Discussing the history and uses of hydrosols
- Take home your handcrafted hydrosol and deepen your understanding of herbal alchemy
- Access to an online course on hydrosol distillation from The Alembics Lab
- filtering, bottling and labeling prepared tincture, oil and vinegar
Making: a hydrosol
