CSHS now awards Continuing Education Units (CEU’s) to nurses for certain courses.

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about CSHS

Located two miles west of Forestville, in beautiful Sonoma County, the California School of Herbal Studies is one of North America’s oldest centers for herbal education. Founded in 1978 by Rosemary Gladstar, and led today by School Directors Rebecca Maxfield and Jason Miller, along with Program Coordinator Autumn Summers, CSHS continues in the spirit in which it was created.

Our mission is to help create sustainable communities by providing Earth centered, community based herbal education. CSHS works to empower individuals with the skills, experience and confidence needed by the community herbalist. Our school teaches from the tradition of western herbalism, with a materia medica primarily made up of North American and European herbs. Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine perspectives and herbs are used to complement the Western tradition.

Our full-time, 8-month intensive offers students a broad-based foundation in herbal medicine. For those who can't make a fulltime commitment we also offer a broad range of weekend series courses and one-day workshops. Successful graduates of our intensive program leave here with the knowledge they need to enter and contribute to the field of herbalism. Upon graduation students receive certificates of completion that are highly regarded by the herbal community.

CSHS is located on a lovely, rustic 80 acre sanctuary known as Emerald Valley. Our campus includes a classroom with an adjacent kitchen, a one-half acre garden with over 400 herb species, a medicine making building and forested hiking trails. Forestville is an hour and a half drive north of San Francisco. Visitors to the school are welcome, but please call first so we can be sure someone will be available to greet you! We look forward to meeting you and sharing friendship and herbal experiences.

herb of the month: Red Root (continued from left)

indications: Red Root is an aromatic bitter and slightly warming herb that yields a deep red tincture and is associated with the blood. It helps move the blood and lymph more freely throughout their channels, helping with swollen lymph nodes or the ill-effects of sluggish, fatty blood. The red clover close upability of Red Root to stimulate and support this fluid movement makes it potentially useful in many situations, such as treating hemorrhoids, varicose veins, broken capillaries, breast/ovarian/testicular cysts, heavy menstruation or supporting swollen spleens due to viral infections. Many herbalists find that it is used best in formula with other supporting herbs. Because of its astringency it has also been used by Native Americans and early American doctors to stop bleeding.

Beyond the western lymphatic Spleen, Red Root has a special connection with the Spleen in Traditional Chinese Medicine - the organ that moves the fluids around the body and plays an essential role in digestive metabolism by drawing the nourishment from digesting food into the body. Thus Red Root can address stagnant, irritated damp digestion that comes with cold, dry symptoms. Matthew Wood talks about the Greek connection of spleen with 'melancholia' - similar to TCM spleen ideas that excessive thought and introspection can bring about a 'Spleen' imbalance marked by sluggishness of direction, purpose and creative flow. He recommends smaller more energetic doses for this.

cautions: Can be irritating in higher doses; use carefully if undergoing medical treatment for any disease.

note: This information is not a replacement for a trained herbalist. Please consult your medical professional before treating yourself or others with this or any other herbal remedy.