Looking for Courses in Natural Health? Find Your Core Values First

I was having a chat with a good friend recently about the endless products, perspectives and information (not necessarily the same thing as facts) swirling around us when it comes to wanting to do things naturally for our families. We were discussing how many people we know are feeling overwhelmed and confused, feeling like they’re barely treading water just to stay afloat. The challenge, I said, is that our best intentions get capsized in the crashing waves of greenwashed marketing unless we have our core values to anchor us. So before you continue your search for courses in natural health, as a qualified herbalist and the director of a school of herbal medicine, I recommend you identify your core values first. Read on to learn why.

When I talk about the importance and value of developing the knowledge and skills of herbalism so they embed deeply in your life, I often share this - When we are bereft of knowledge, everything feels like an emergency. And it’s true. Rushing to the GP’s office with a little one with a cold or a rash you can’t identify or a fever you’re fearful of, wanting someone with some semblance of knowledge to tell you what to do to make it better versus having the knowledge, skills, confidence and trust in your own intuition, observation and experience to know your child needs rest, water and a bit of support with the right herbs. The first scenario feels like an emergency. It’s overwhelming, it’s frazzling, it leaves us feeling powerless. The second scenario feels like flow. It’s natural, it’s intuitive, it builds our sense of power and autonomy.

Something quite similar can be said about being aware of your underpinning values. They’re like an anchor that keeps you solid and secure when the waves of constant streams of ‘information’, ‘influencers’, the ‘latest research’, the heavily marketed greenwashed product crash against your family ship. If you’re unsure of your core values, as soon as you put your sail up and set course in a particular direction, the wind comes and blows you another way. It’s unsettling, it’s confusing, and frankly, it gets you nowhere and wastes money in the process.

As an example: You want to do things naturally for your family, avoiding chemicals, etc. You’ve been trying to buy organic as often as you can because it’s supposed to be natural and chemical-free. Then this new product comes across your path. It’s convenient, packaged, ready to use and has pictures of happy farmers, flowers or veg on it. It says it’s organic, but it has got some ingredients you’re unfamiliar with or doesn’t quite seem to make sense being ‘organic’ given whatever it is. Do you buy it or not? It’s labelled ‘organic’, so it must be ok/the right thing to do/better for you, right…?

If you’re tired of revisiting this inner monologue, keep reading.

If you want out of the endless loop of confusion, whether you’re choosing between a smaller commitment like natural toothpaste or something a bit bigger like courses in natural health, take the time to identify your core values first. It doesn’t have to be a magnum opus of journaling. It can be a brain dump on a scrap of paper or the back of a napkin. Things may crystalise for you in that moment, or you might come back to it later that day, later that week or just later. Have a look again to find the common themes. Try to go as deep as you can. Imagine that first scribbling is just starting to let the anchor down. Keep working through it until you hit the sea floor; otherwise, your ship can still be swayed.

Maybe you’ve written some things down like:

Organic, natural, no chemicals, nourishing, seasonal, connected, caring, critical thinking, time is precious, family

What are the common themes we can find when we go a bit deeper with these?

Ask yourself some scenario-based questions to challenge yourself and find the edges of those boundaries, like - If something isn’t certified organic, but if I know the source and I know they don’t use any chemicals, am I happy with that or not? If something has got the official organic label on it, but it’s got lots of ingredients and is actually a processed product, am I happy with that?

Perhaps the value isn’t the organic label (which is, after all, in existence to both regulate producers, as well as generate revenue for the regulating bodies, not because those bureaus or businesses believe it’s best for people - if they did, they’d make all the highly processed, chemical-laden products illegal).

Perhaps the boundary is you do not want chemicals of any sort going in or on your family.

Perhaps the value is you want what’s going in and on your family to be nourishing, to be actively contributing to building their health and vitality, rather than just meeting an immediate need of hunger, cleanliness, etc.

Great! Why?

Is it because you or your family have experienced the impact of chemicals on your health, e.g. allergic reactions, digestive challenges, chronic or long-term illness, fertility challenges? Is this something you want to change the course of in your family and/or aim to avoid for any little ones or future additions to your family?

Is it because you want more quiet in your mind and in your life? Are you motivated to unplug from all the endless scrolling and the greenwashed product marketing and the stress and overwhelm it generates? Is it because you want to create the space to be present with your loved ones and go outside, breathe in the fresh air and hear the birds singing instead of your phone pinging?

Is it because you care deeply about your place and role in nature and want to make choices that bring you into pace with the seasons, rather than the rat race? Are you keen for your local community to thrive to bring more resilience, more joy, more connection to the people in the place where you live, so perhaps food and medicine metres take precedence over food and medicine miles?

Find your boundaries - This is ok, that is not.

Identify your core values - What we take in and put on our bodies will be actively nourishing and supporting our health. We will not use anything that we know actively damages our health.

Know your why(s) - We are establishing and protecting the health and resilience of our family from now through to future generations.

This is what you check in with when something new crosses your path. If it pushes your current boundaries, see if it aligns with your core values. If you’re still unsure or tempted, does it contribute to your why(s)? If not, it’s a no.

Pick your analogy - your anchor, your inner compass, your guiding star.

This is what makes it clear what comes into your life and what doesn’t, as well as what backs your decisions with confidence and consistency. Not what the ‘latest research’ (or rather, who’s been funding it) claims. Not what the labelling or the marketing says. Not whoever is claiming to be an authority figure has been paid to endorse it.

It’s your life, not theirs. You choose what nourishes you, not what fills someone else’s pockets.

If you’re here, you probably started off looking for courses in natural health and found yourself down a bit of an analogy-laden rabbit hole - but with good reason. There are so many courses in natural health available covering various modalities, different time commitments, etc. As the director of a school of herbal medicine, qualified herbalist, but actually most importantly, someone who lives and breathes everything you’ve been reading thus far, what I want for anyone considering courses in natural health is that they find the course that best suits them because it builds them up and gives them the ability and confidence to lead their life they way they want to. Ad hoc workshops are wonderful, but if you’re committing to a course, it needs to meet your why(s), rather than be an ‘organic’ stamp on your life.

So when you’re researching and choosing between all the courses in natural health on offer, look for ones that amplify your values. Find ones that build up the structure to your personal foundation with knowledge and skills. Manifest something that will help you fill that structure with confidence, so your underpinning values become both actionable and reinforced. This means you’ll be able to nurture your family the way you want to and you’ll find it easier to discern what is accurate, what makes sense and what works for you when assessing anything new that comes your way.

For example, imagine yourself in the future. You may see a new herbal cold remedy advertised to you, but you flip the box with the lovely packaging over, read the ingredients and realise you don’t need half of what’s in there, it’s got some preservatives and thickeners you’d rather not put into your family, and actually, you already have something you can make yourself that you know will only be made of what will nourish your family or what you’ve grown yourself or what is aligned with the current season - and lots of love. So it becomes quite simple, really. You don’t need it, you put it back on the shelf and either save the money or spend it on something that’s either a real necessity or a true pleasure. Over time, you won’t even notice those products, those advertisements because you know you’re already sorted and you gain something quite priceless in this day and age - silence.

So whichever choices you make - toothpaste today, courses in natural health tomorrow - it’s worth it to take the time to find your boundaries, identify your core values and know your why(s). It will help you cut out the confusion, build your confidence and become more consistent. There are too many greenwashed products out there and too much noise. Drop your anchor and let the waves wash over you, because the ship you’re on is solid. And when you raise your sails and set your course, it’s you at the wheel, not someone else.

If you’re 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. With up to three years of development available, our course gets herbalism both deep into your bones and your daily life, without either having to do a clinical degree or a traditional full-time apprenticeship. Although it is intense, it’s suitable for a wide range of herbalists, including beginners! You can learn more about our herbal medicine course here.

Be sure to join our mailing list to see what the current cohorts are up to, as well as read some of the golden nuggets that emerge from our sessions and other school updates. Enrolment opens after dates are announced each spring for the following year, and places are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. If you’re ready to join us on the journey, you can enrol on an upcoming cohort here. 

Whatever the next step is exploring courses in natural health, 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!