Longterm Classes

Roots of Herbalism/Foundations of Health

Core Staff includes: David Hoffmann, Gail Julian, Leslie Gardner, Autumn Summers, Terri Jensen & Karen Aguiar.

Guest teachers from recent years include: Cascade Anderson Geller, Sarah Bearden, Tim Blakley, Jane Bothwell, Jen Bredesen, Candis Hope Cantin, Diana DeLuca, Erin Garner, Rosemary Gladstar, Jim Hall, Kathleen Harrison, Phyllis Iglehart, Pam Montgomery, Charmoon Richardson, Trinity Rizzi, James Snow, Shayna Weil, Merrilee Wisewoman, Matthew Wood, 7Song, and others.

This eight-month intensive follows the seasons from early spring through late autumn. The curriculum is designed to immerse the beginning or intermediate student in the world of herbalism. The special strengths of this program lie in its thoroughness and breadth of scope. It covers every aspect of working with herbs themselves (plant identification, wildcrafting and cultivation, drying, and medicine making), while providing a foundation of knowledge for using them as medicines (human physiology, Materia Medica, therapeutics and first aid).

In addition to covering this core material, the course expands to include many diverse ways of working with plants (plant illustration, cosmetics, crafts and plant-spirit communication) as well as discusses other approaches to healing that can complement herbalism (nutrition, aromatherapy, and standard practice medicine). Our ultimate goal is to provide a well-rounded understanding of Western herbalism designed to bring herbs back into the home and community where they have traditionally been used.

Although much of our focus is academic, students will also learn the art of herbalism directly from the plants. This knowledge imparted is to us through the heart and senses, as well as through words and ideas. To help students experience this, the course includes two five-day field camping trips to wilderness areas as well as time in the medicinal plant garden at CSHS. Students are encouraged to cultivate a grounded perception of themselves and the plants through guided meditations. Students study hard but just as importantly they immerse themselves in the plant world, working and playing in wild and cultivated places.


THE CURRICULUM:
The two semesters span the yearly cycle of the garden from new growth through root harvesting and seed saving. We begin in late March as spring wildflowers and the school gardens come to life. This is the perfect time for hands-on interaction with plants and much time is spent on plant identification, wildcrafting, growing plant medicine, medicine making and herbal crafts. In the classroom students start their studies with body systems and herbal therapeutics, as well as human physiology and materia medica. The focus is on understanding the vitality of the human body, what creates health imbalances, and how to maintain wellness in each body system. The first semester ends with “The Medicine Show and Herbal Bazaar,” a day when students display and share their medicines with the staff, friends and local community.

The second semester starts in late July with students continuing to refine their skills in the garden, natural plant communities and the herbal lab. More intense focus is spent on herbal therapeutics. We will move beyond the concept of “this herb for this disease” and teach students to support and treat each individual. We teach a model of herbalism that empowers students to employ plants creatively, in contrast to memorizing standardized procedures and formulas.

Core Curriculum  Estimated Hours         Estimated Hours
  • Therapeutic Herbalism
  • Materia Medica
  • Medicine making & lab 
  • Anatomy, physiology & body systems
  • Herbal Actions /Formulations
  • Western Herbs for Tonification & Acute Conditions
  • Plant Identification & Herb Walks
  • Growing Plant Medicine - Gardening, harvesting, etc.
  • Nutrition
  • Aromatherapy
  • Ethnobotany
  • Natural cosmetics and crafts
  • Western Constitutional Herbalism
  • Green politics, history and mythology
  • Plant Chemistry
  • Misc
  • 75 Hours
  • 90 Hours
  • 45 Hours
  • 25 Hours
  • 40 Hours
  • 45 Hours
  • 45 Hours
  • 35 Hours
  • 15 Hours
  • 15 Hours
  • 10 Hours
  • 10 Hours
  • 15 Hours
  • 5 Hours
  • 10 Hours
  • 15 Hours

Class Schedule Roots of Herbalism/Foundations of Health

Classes are taught in two college-style semesters with holiday breaks (March 18 - June 27, July 15 - Nov 7).

Classes meet Tuesday through Thursday from 9:30am to 3:30pm.

Gardening Apprenticeship:
Each year CSHS accepts a small number of students into the garden apprenticeship program. These students work closely with the staff to caretake the school gardens and buildings. Garden apprentices work from 3:30pm - 5:30pm on Wednesdays after school. And Friday mornings from 9:00am - 12:00pm. This program provides an excellent opportunity to emphasize the growing and community involved aspects of herbalism. Apprentices will be selected prior to the beginning of the school year and are entitled to a $500 tuition deduction. An application will automatically be sent to all students accepted into our eight-month program.

To Apply for Admission:

To help us understand your goals, interests, and experience, please answer the following questions. The program fills quickly, so it is best to apply as early as possible to secure your place for the coming school year. If you have questions, please write or call us, and be sure we have your address and phone number.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Please answer the following questions as thoroughly as you feel appropriate.

  1. Your name, mailing address, home and work phone numbers, e-mail address, current occupation, date of birth, emergency contact and a permanent address and phone number for our records.

  2. Please list all education, work experience, self-study, hobbies and passions relating to the healing arts and sciences, botany and herbalism. Include any degrees or licenses held.

  3. How did you become interested in herbalism?

  4. Is there a particular goal you are working towards that will be complemented by your herbal studies?

  5. How did you hear of The California School of Herbal Studies?

  6. Date and sign your name at the end of your application.

To secure your place, please send a $250 deposit.

Tuition information:
Tuition is due by February 26, 2008. If cleared in advance with us, it is possible to make arrangements to finance up to 50% of your tuition. In this case, 50% is due one month before the first day of instruction and a time payment schedule is arranged for the balance. Students must complete financial agreements in order to receive certificates. We recommend that you budget an additional $500 for books and materials.
 
Housing:
CSHS does not provide nor secure housing for our students. However, we do send out a list of possible rentals in the area about 4-6 weeks before classes begin. It is strongly recommended that students check with other rental sources as well and allow themselves time to find a home. More information on housing will be sent along with acceptance packages.
Placement:
At CSHS we emphasize the skilled use of herbalism in the home and community, and this is the perspective from which we teach. We do not seek or guarantee placement of our graduates. However, throughout the year CSHS receives notices of apprenticeship and employment opportunities, which are posted at the school. Many of our students go on to find employment in the herbal world in a variety of areas including: herbal medicine making, education, and managing herbal businesses. Our students who are health care providers have successfully incorporated herbalism into their practices. Many of our graduates have gone on to form their own herbal businesses.

 

Advanced Herbal Therapeutics

Eight-Month Herbal Intensive

March 17 - November 3, 2008

  • Meets Mondays 9:30am - 3:30pm
    Plus a four day camping trip and additional time (approx. 8 hours) spent meeting with instructors on independent study.

  • Staff includes: David Hoffmann, Gail Julian, Lily Mazzarella, Jim Hall & guest teachers.

  • Tuition: $1995 (175 hours)

This 2nd year course will be an advanced tour of the body systems. Within each system we will cover the physiology of health and the pathophysiology of illness. Equipped with a sophisticated understanding of the body, we will learn to create health care strategies. With the use of case studies we will bring these strategies into a practical reality. We will address such questions as: How do the body systems burden and support each other? How do we learn to interpret the complexity of a client’s condition, gather the information necessary for responsible care, and translate our findings into coherent herbal protocols?
In the classroom we will focus on constitutional evaluation, pharmacology, safety, differential assessment, and information literacy. In the pharmacy and garden we will delve more deeply into medicine making, organoleptics, and comprehensive formulation and energetics.

Independent Study - Students will spend time outside of class pursuing an avenue of study of specific interest to them and culminating in a research project. Instructors provide individual time and encouragement to students, assisting them with in-depth study in such possible topics as: pathology, pharmacology, medicine making, materia medica, case review, or plant energetics. The resulting papers and projects will be shared with the class.

Class includes a four day camping trip on July 10-14. Students are responsible for camping fees, transportation and meals.

This course is designed for CSHS Roots and Body Systems graduates or others with herbal education.

Handcrafted Herbalism 2008

Identifying, growing, harvesting, and making herbal medicine
from the medicinal plants growing in Sonoma County .

Medicine-making: Correct methods for drying and storing herbs as well as 'hands on' classes in preparing tinctures, oils, glycerites, infusions, syrups, salves, and more.
Materia-medica: A study of the medicinal uses of plants we have seen in the wild and in the garden. We will discuss the ways specific herbs affect the body and the role of herbs in preventing and treating illness. Each month students will be given herbs to take home and experience directly.

Plant Identification and Medicinal Plant Growing: Learn the basic skills of how to use the local plant identification books and develop sensory awareness in order to identify plants independently. Basic cultivation skills for medicinal plants will be discussed and demonstrated. Emphasis will be placed on herbs that are easily grown in the greater Bay Area.
 

 

Body Systems & Herbal Wellness  2008

An introductory course on the function of the human body including
the actions of herbs specific to each body system, preventive care,
and basic herbal therapeutics.      
 
An introductory course in the herbal support of the human body. The class will cover the actions that are nourishing to each body system, prevention care, and basic herbal therapeutics. Each month we will study a different organ system, followed by a discussion of primary herbs and relevant therapeutic approaches for that system. At the end of nine months you will have a basic understanding of the possibilities offered by herbal medicine for maintaining health of the various body systems.
The curriculum consists of two main fields of study:
 
Materia Medica: A beginning study of the properties and actions of specific herbs and how they are used to maintain and restore health. Each month students will be given samples of herbs to take home to experience directly.

Therapeutics: We will cover basic treatment approaches for specific conditions. After learning how the body works and how individual herbs affect the body, we will bring the knowledge together to view how herbs can be used to re-establish balance in conditions such as colds and flu, indigestion and chronic stress. Approaches to preventing disease by maintaining health will be discussed.
 

 

 

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