100% correct identification is key to harvesting wild plants safely. Identify vascular plants in botanical Latin and colloquial terms using standard botanical identification methods and by closely observing plant identifying classifications such as leaf and flower structure, bark, growth patterns, inherent smell of the plants, and life cycles. Organoleptic method of identification is our specialty here at the Cedar Mountain Herb School – learn when it’s ok to put an unknown plant in your mouth and when it’s not!

Probiotics in cultured food and existing in nature replenish the microbiome in our small and large intestines, which lead to better digestive, immune, and nerve health. Students will gain an understanding of the gut flora/mental health connection, how consuming an overabundance of fermented foods can lead to inflammatory diseases.

Culinary herbs are medicinal! Advance the ability to grow medicinal plants in gardens, pots, on acreage, and utilize their medicine in a way that everyone will enjoy.

Preparedness for emergency situations. Integrate the best choice of plants and first aid techniques to use and correct applications in emergency situations – whether at home, on the road, or in the wilderness, to heal wounds, infections, muscle trauma; soothe rashes and stop allergic reactions, shock conditions, heat exhaustion. This comes in handy as the apprentices are out in a myriad of environments and conditions.

Students focus on eliminating the stressors of healthy immune responses such as stress, and emotional issues and their impact on the immune system, and discuss herbs and practices to strengthen and heal to create a robust immune system that can deal with what comes our way.

Participate in discussions of the role of medicinal plants for building strong immune, endocrine, reproductive, respiratory, cardiac and digestive systems, and for health issues of each system. Included is basic anatomy and physiology.

Prepare medicinal, edible, or technological plant products including —but not limited to— medicinal oils, tinctures, salves, elixirs, tea blends, herbal vinegar, poultices, liniments, herbal infused honeys, oxymels, and witch hazels. Distinguish appropriate applications and dosages for the remedies. Students will need to provide their own menstrua – including honey, alcohol, apple cider vinegar, witch hazel, jars, tools, etc for medicine making.

As students acquire knowledge of the medicine of individual wild plants, they will recognize the formulas plants create in living in community with each other. This will enable them to design highly effective herbal products for home and business.

The plant monographs are the start of an herbarium. An herbarium is a record of plants that is a useful resource when harvesting for reference, for adding to as students learn over the years, to pass down to future generations. It includes botanical and common name, habitat, description of the plant and samples, when to harvest, medicinal constituents, physiological effects, drug interactions, preparations and menstrua, tools needed to harvest, personal experiences.

Phytochemistry is the study of the constituents in plants that cause physiological changes in the body. Knowing the actions and needs of constituents to fully extract and preserve each group or individual constituent will give the medicine maker a clear view on pairing constituents with the correct mentrua to ensure high quality remedies.

Describe the useful properties of at least 100 plant species with a working knowledge of making medicinal remedies.

Define and describe wildcrafting within the context of legal gathering, ethics, and sustainable harvesting. Students learn how to find and steward their own plant sanctuaries.

We’ll go to amazingly beautiful places to harvest wild plants for food and medicine. Getting out in nature is healing in and of itself, becoming comfortable in nature takes us even further in our mental, physical, and spiritual health.

Recognize the need for passing on the knowledge of how peoples of the past and present use/d local plants for food and medicine. Students accomplish this through stories, hands-on training, and using new skills to pass on to future generations.

Each plant has its distinct identifier scent, which is part of their medicinal value. Achieve a working relationship with essential oils, their healing benefits, appropriate usage. Hydrosol distillation class will be included in each program.