Whether you’ve been through the mainstream medical system time and again only to be told ‘you’re fine, go home’, you’re increasingly doubtful about the intentions of global corporations, or you’re just fed up with not feeling better, there is something you can do to take control of your own health. You can learn herbal medicine. Herbal medicine - also known as herbalism - is working with whole plants to support your health, getting to the root cause to restore balance to the body. It’s holistic, it’s natural, and it’s ancient - the original medicine before there were pills and mass marketing and industries. I started learning herbalism because I wanted to be confident in caring for my health and my family’s health naturally - without any chemicals or fear. As my journey evolved, I chose to qualify as a medical herbalist. Read on to discover my top five reasons to learn herbalism.
1. Learning herbal medicine is empowering
It’s incredibly empowering knowing you’re in control of your health and you’re not beholden to huge corporations and systems that don’t have your best interests at heart or that can’t support you as an individual. You’ll learn herbalism one step at a time - getting to know the medicinal plants, making your own herbal remedies that get more and more potent and shelf-stable, reconnecting with your body and getting the knowledge of how it works into the active part of your mind. Then at some point, you’ll look around and within yourself and realise just how far you’ve come, just how much you’ve learned, how much experience and autonomy you’ve gained, and you’ll realise just how powerful you are!
2. Learning herbalism saves you money
You can grow and forage medicinal herbs and transform them into safe and effective herbal medicines and self-care remedies at home for very little cost. What’s more, you save on the cost of developing poor health in the long run. Because herbal medicine was born in the home, it makes use of many tools and supplies you’d likely have in your kitchen or could acquire relatively cheaply - pots, pans, sterilised jam jars, glass measuring jugs and wooden spoons, a bit of clean muslin cloth, some masking tape for labels. Herbs combine with water (free), vodka or brandy (you don’t need the posh stuff), olive oil (straight from the shop), honey and beeswax(support local). The only other cost is a bit of time (and most of that is just letting a remedy sit and infuse)!
3. You create a legacy
Learning herbalism means you can pass the knowledge and skills of how to take care of your own health naturally down to the next generation. In generations past, ‘home herbalism’ wasn’t a specific, trendy or aspirational thing - it was just how families took care of themselves. The grandmothers of not too many generations back knew how to work with the herbs in their gardens, kitchens and communities to address the gamut of common household ailments without fear or alarm. They knew the plants and they knew people. You can bring that knowledge back to life in your own home when you learn herbalism. You can recreate that legacy to pass on to your children and their children - and you can start now.
4. It reconnects you to your body and nature
Learning herbalism takes you out of those four walls and out of the habit of silencing your body’s messages, getting you back in sync with the cycles your body has been used to having for millennia until now. There are so many factors at play trying to (and succeeding at) keeping us separate from ourselves and the rest of nature - artificial and blue lights, screens everywhere, marketing messaging, pills that can silence our body’s messages, processed food, the list goes on. But when you start learning herbal medicine, it insists you tune in - and then there’s so much to discover!
5. It’s fun!
Whether you enjoy crafting and making, meeting like minded people, spending time in gardens and hedgerows, problem solving, connecting with your body and intuition, or even getting into the fascinating nuances of how our bodies work - there are so many aspects of learning herbalism. It is such a rich tradition and legacy of human history, that there’s something in it for everyone to really get stuck into and enjoy. So find your niche, explore all the nooks and crannies that appeal to you, see where the journey takes you and have fun learning herbal medicine!
So if you’ve been thinking about learning herbal medicine, take it from a qualified herbalist - the journey is well worth it! Learning herbalism is empowering and it saves you money. When you learn herbal medicine, it gives you the opportunity to create a legacy for future generations, as well as reconnects you to your body and the rest of nature. And, perhaps best of all, it’s fun!
If you’re looking for somewhere to get started and are here in the UK, you’re very welcome to take the next step on your journey learning herbal medicine with us on our intensive herbalism course - Awaken Herbal Wisdom - which spans all four seasons and gets herbalism both deep into your bones and your daily life. You can learn more about our herbal medicine course here. Be sure to put your name on the waiting list to see what the current cohorts are up to and get first access to enrolment before it opens.
Enjoy the journey!
At Rhodes Roots & Remedies School of Herbal Medicine, our practice of herbalism is rooted in the belief that we must remember, reclaim and relearn our knowledge of our bodies, our autonomy and how to work with plant medicine in order to bring control of our own health back into our families and homes for a sustainable future for ourselves and the planet. Through our intensive herbalism course, we facilitate the development of confident, empowered herbalists, attuned to the messages of their bodies and the natural world. Living the deep wisdom of herbal medicine within themselves, their homes and their communities, they uplift themselves and others, creating a stronger society organically. We do hope you'll join us on your journey!
