Curious to hear about our herbalist course for beginners in the UK from one of our intensive herbalism course students in her own words? Ellie joined the journey for year one of our intensive herbalism course - Awaken Herbal Wisdom - in 2024. Along the journey, she blossomed from curious dabbler to an empowered herbalist, working with herbs to support her family’s health. Read on to hear more of her experience.

What inspired you to want to learn herbal medicine?
I am passionate about the natural world and I have had little peeks into the bounty and treasure that surrounds us and I wanted to know more. I have always been reluctant to use pharmaceutical medicines as I felt sure there were more natural alternatives that would work as well - if not better - but be kinder and more sympathetic to our bodies.
Why did you choose to enrol on our herbalist course for beginners in the UK?
I have always been interested in natural healing and plants and have felt a pull to take ownership of my health and those near and dear to me. In the past I have dabbled with bits of knowledge gleaned from books and later, the internet, but you cannot beat the teaching and wisdom gained from a real life teacher. I went to one of Meghan’s workshops and was bowled over by the depth of her knowledge and found her teaching style very engaging and easy to understand and digest. The Ayurvedic element to the course was an added bonus as this is something I have always been interested in too.
What did you most enjoy about your journey on our herbalism course?
So many things! The days when we all meet up and spend the day in the beautiful yurt, sharing stories and ideas, learning amazing things and tapping into our inner witches are a special joy.
What most surprised you about your journey?
How very powerful the plants are - especially the ones that we traditionally have considered weeds.
How has taking our herbalist course for beginners in the UK impacted your life?
I now have the confidence to make herbal remedies to support myself and loved ones. Even my husband has been known to drink herbal teas and feel the healing benefits - something I wasn’t sure I would ever persuade him to do, but yet he has!
My mind has been opened up and I am looking forward to filling my shelves with natural homemade goodness.
What's the one word you would use to describe how you feel having completed one year of Awaken Herbal Wisdom?
EMPOWERED
If you could share one piece of advice to someone considering joining Awaken Herbal Wisdom, what would you tell them?
You don’t need to worry about making too much time in your life for this course. Everything is recorded so you never need miss anything and you have the benefit of accessing the recordings indefinitely so you can keep refining your understanding if need be. Try to make the in-person days though, as they are so life-affirming - spending time in a beautiful place with beautiful people, heaven!
What's the next step for you on your herbal journey?
I am going to have a break for a year to go back over and consolidate this year’s learning as it’s been a busy year for me personally with career changes. I plan to spend the year getting to know the 12 herbs from year one, making oils, tea blends and tinctures. I will return for year two the following year - I’m already excited to learn about the next 12 herbs!
Meghan’s reflections on Ellie's journey
Ellie has absolutely blossomed over her first year joining us for a herbalist course for beginners in the UK. In the spring/summer term, I could see how much Ellie was enjoying getting to know our twelve familiar herbs and how much heart she brought to her cohort. In the autumn/winter term, as we’ve progressed through each of the sets of messages our bodies send us, I can see everything coming together for Ellie. She’s creating three-herb remedy blends, she knows her herbal and constitutional energetics. What started as enrolling on a herbalist course for beginners in the UK has become a passion, an instinct, a deeper knowing, far beyond a recipe or interesting fact from a book or social media. Herbalism is imbuing itself into Ellie’s life - and you know you’re empowered and effective when your family starts getting on board, too! We will miss Ellie on year two next year, but I know when she rejoins us in a year’s time, she’s going to be unstoppable!
If you’re feeling inspired by Ellie's experience on our intensive herbal medicine course, you’re very welcome to take the next step on your journey learning herbal medicine with us. The course - Awaken Herbal Wisdom - spans all four seasons and gets herbalism both deep into your bones and your daily life. Registration for our herbal medicine course opens each autumn to the waiting list first, so click here to make sure your name is on it. You’ll receive updates on the current year’s cohort as they go on their own journeys and then first access when enrolment opens. For more details about the structure, content and energy of our intensive herbalist course, you can learn more here.
Whatever your next step is in uncovering the importance of herbal medicine to you, I hope you 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!