The Introductory Herbal Course starts with an overview of the herbal approach and introduces herbal traditions including European Herbalism (the Greek humoral system), Ayurveda, and Chinese medicine.  It discusses choosing and storing herbs, selecting equipment for making herbal preparations, making an herbarium, developing a materia medica, and gardening and wildcrafting.  There are lessons on making herbal teas/infusions/decoctions and tinctures, syrups, and topical applications, such as infused oils, salves and balms, and poultices, and instructions on internal and external applications of these preparations. The course introduces herbal actions and includes special discussions on trees, mushrooms, and seaweeds used as herbs.


We touch on many of the body’s organ systems, reviewing anatomy and exploring herbal support for maintaining balance in those systems; you’ll also find discussions of herbal support for common complaints such as colds and the flu, bronchitis, allergies, premenstrual syndrome, and prostatitis. There are discussions on herbs for children and we have an inspiring unit on kitchen spices and preparations that can be used to support body system balance as well as ease common complaints.


We devote an entire unit to the nervous system—anatomy and physiology, herbal support for stress reduction and headaches, and herbs and lifestyle habits to support healthy sleep. There’s also a unit on body care, the skin, and healthy aging. We finish up the course with a unit on the holistic approach—what it is and how it differs from the conventional medical approach. There are lots of recipes, herbal monographs, videos, beautiful graphics, and other fun downloads throughout the course.


You can preview a sample lesson from the Introductory Herbal Course here and a course outline here.


This is a work-at-your-own pace online course, wherein you take a quiz at the end of each unit to progress to the next unit. The workload is based on how much time and effort the individuals puts into our suggested projects and studying for the quiz.


Your enrollment comes with Lifetime Access to the course so you can enjoy your herbal studies at a pace that is most convenient to your schedule!  We estimate the Introductory Course takes approximately 130 study hours, but this will vary depending on the student. We suggest students complete this course in 1 year, and we provide a downloadable PDF of each unit and video transcript for offline study.


Students in our courses also have access a vibrant Herbal Academy community page on Facebook so you can interact with peers and teachers. Upon completion of any of our foundational courses, you'll receive a certificate of completion that states you've completed the course under the direction of the Herbal Academy.