You’re watching videos about how “this herb does that” on social media every day. You’ve taken the step into making your own tinctures, teas, and infused oils. Maybe you’ve even tried putting together some salve or lotions.
Are they working? Are you remembering to use what you made? Did they come out right?
Or has your lemon balm tincture been sitting in the back of your cupboard for the last 6 months, forgotten and unstrained? Is the oil you infused with plantain leaves still yellow and getting cloudy at the bottom? And what the heck is in that jar full of herbs you forgot to label three months ago? It’s greenish brown and slightly fuzzy.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many of us begin our life as Herbalists in an experimental uncertain phase. We haven’t all got thousands of dollars to drop on a full school experience right away, so we start out small, learning from the internet or books.
I can tell you that from my perspective, if I’d had $2k to drop on going to Herb School when I first started I would certainly have done so. But I didn’t.
I started out small… I took some free herbal mini-courses here and there, the kind that are meant to get you to enroll into their bigger course. Then I took an Herbalism class from the Centre of Excellence, and it was surprisingly educational for just $20. But I knew I wanted (and needed) more. Over the years I have taken many more classes than I got certificates for. Not every class you take comes with a Certificate, but I didn’t mind, I was gaining valuable knowledge for my herbal healing arsenal.
I slowly got better at making my herbal remedies. The first year, I harvested ALL the things I could find! And by the next year I realized that most of it (including oils and tinctures I had made) had just sat, completely untouched, for a year or more gathering dust.
I learned which plants were most valuable to me for my lifestyle. Comfrey because I am accident-prone and tend to hurt myself a lot. Plantain because I walk around barefoot daily and have stepped on or been stung by a bee more times than I care to admit. Birch bark to help my back and hips during the times I’ve been working at my desk for too long and my hips are stiff and painful.
And over time, I got better at making my remedies. I now know the right ratio to blend which herbs with what for certain ailments or to get the best physical response. I have learned the trick to making dark, beautiful, phytochemical-rich oils instead of the weak yellow ones I used to make. I make the strongest wild lettuce tincture anyone has experienced. And I sell my best remedies in my Online Shop.
Here’s one thing I have learned from practicing Herbalism for the last 7 years: I’m only going to keep getting better at it.
And that’s what will happen to you too! A good Herbalist is always learning. I still take classes when I can and I listen to herbal podcasts while I’m driving. I also keep a mini herbal dictionary (The Herb Book) in the bathroom for when I’m in there a little too long and have “reading time.” I now choose to mainly only make the remedies that I know I will use regularly or that I have customers begging to order.
It took me awhile to become confident in my skills enough to make products to sell but it took me even longer to become confident enough to teach people what I know. And here’s the thing: I’m DAMN GOOD at what I do. I don’t even question it anymore. My herbal products (all made by my hands in small batches) WORK and they work well.
If you’re still reading this and you want to know what I know, you’re in luck! Because I created a class to teach you all that I know about herbal medicine making. It’s called Remedies From Nature and it comes with a Certificate of Completion (this counts toward your education hours if you’re trying to join the American Herbalists Guild) as well as videos, PDFs, and email support from me if you have any questions. In it I teach you exactly how I make all these remedies that I get 5-star reviews for across the board.
It’s self-paced and you get access for life. What more can you want? Up your Herbalist game starting today and skip trial and error-ing your way through it all at a price anyone can afford. You’ll be glad you did!
It’s not just about making stuff and making money selling it. This life is about helping people. Helping them solve their health problems and giving them hope for a pain-free life they can enjoy. I know that’s what you want for yourself and your loved ones.
And I’m excited to watch you grow!
You can check out my entire online course Library HERE. Also be aware that there’s an affiliate link in this article somewhere.