Community Herbalist
Develop the herbal skills you need to support your community.
Dig Deeper
Build an herbal practice that allows you to help your community
Are you ready to take the next step in your learning?
Are you intentionally seeking to go deeper/broader in your herbal knowledge?
Maybe you have complex health issues that you’re managing - and you’ve found that herbs and holistic strategies have been a huge part of that story.
Maybe you’re thinking about how you can help others build their health in a more structured way.
This program gives you the knowledge and confidence to approach health holistically and systematically, so you can build and support your own health, and be a person your community can rely on to support the health and wellbeing of others, too!
Take the next step:
Understand how health problems start so you can support the body’s recovery
Confidently choose herbs and create protocols for those you love so you can help your family and your community stay healthy
Build a strong foundation to help others or to start an herbal career.
I can make a difference
One of the big things that initially pulled me to herbalism was the opportunity to embrace a powerful medium for activism. Herbalism has given me a tangible way to help people, and this course has given me the skills to do it well. I'm so glad I did this!
What you'll learn
You already know some herbs, and you've been making teas, tinctures, and salves for yourself and your loved ones for a while.
Now it's time to take the next step.
This program will expand your knowledge and build your confidence:
- You will be able to recognize health problems and know what to do to rebuild strength and vitality.
- You will be able to create formulas and protocols that are individualized for each specific person, because bodies are different! What works for one person may not be what works for another, and you will feel confident to successfully match the right strategy for the person you're working with.
- You will feel empowered and knowledgeable when you're navigating health issues: understanding how your body works means that you'll be able to make better choices about the best way to take care of yourself and those you love.
- You will deepen your connection to the whole interconnected community of the Earth, seeing our individual health as a part of the health of our larger body.
- And when you're ready to turn this passion into a profession, you will know the steps you need to take to be successful!
These classes boost my energy!
The courses boost my energy when I’m having a bad day - lol - I love it! The videos have become my new Netflix, I watch everywhere. Thank you again and again for this opportunity to change my life!
This program includes:
This bundle includes 400 hours of video instruction across seventeen individual topics - plus references, resources, and more!
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Energetics - Lots of herbs have similar actions, but you can’t just choose at random. Understand which herbs are right for which people so that you can confidently apply a personalized solution to every health problem. Full details here.
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Basic Phytochemistry - Plants are made up of minerals, vitamins, and other organic chemicals. Learn how to create better herbal products and formulas by understanding the basic chemical make-up of the plants you’re working with. Full details here.
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Herbal Formulation - Combining herbs can create more potent results, if you do it correctly. Learn an easy system for determining which herbs will work best together so that your formulas gain a reputation for success. Full details here.
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Holistic Nutrition - Food plays an enormous role in holistic health: learn exactly how to reduce systemic inflammation, combat auto-immune issues, support recovery and build resilience with food. Full details here.
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Improving Sleep - Sleep is so central to staying healthy, but most people have difficulty sleeping well or sleeping enough. Learn holistic strategies and herbs that will improve the situation. Full details here.
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Digestive Health - The second most common reason for folks to miss work is digestive upset! From constipation to Crohn’s disease, learn how the digestive system works, how it breaks down, and how you can build it up for optimal function. Full details here.
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Cardiovascular Health - Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in this country. Learn how to manage cardiovascular issues naturally so your heart will serve you (and others) long and strong. Full details here.
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Urinary Health - From UTIs to Prostate health, urinary issues can be more serious than we give them credit for. Learn how to resolve and prevent issues before they become threats to your overall health. Full details here.
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Respiratory Health - The common cold, asthma, COPD, and more: respiratory issues are at the core of keeping yourself and community healthy. Learn how to head them off at the pass, prevent their spread, and to manage them effectively. Full details here.
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Immune Health - A healthy immune system is like Goldilocks: not too much and not too little, but just right. Learn how to keep your immune system in that Goldilocks zone, how to deal with autoimmunity, how to keep your immune responders working for you! Full details here.
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Nervous System and Emotional Health - This highly sensitive system is easily disturbed - both by physical problems like neuropathy, but also by psychological troubles like uncompensated stress and emotional turmoil. This course covers the gamut, from MS to PTSD, from feeling frazzled to feeling blue. Full details here.
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Herbal First Aid - Burn, bites, bruises - even breaks! This course covers a whole range of emergency care options so that you’ll be calm and confident because you know exactly what to do. Full details here.
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Integumentary (Skin) Health - Issues on the skin can have deep underlying causes. Learn how to address skin issues from the outside AND the inside with herbs and holistic strategies. Full details here.
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Musculoskeletal Health - When your body hurts, it’s hard to focus on anything else. Whether it’s chronic joint pain, a sports injury, or the effects of improper alignment, learn how to repair and restore after damage, and keep your body feeling its best. Full details here.
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Reproductive Health - Whether you’re trying to have a baby or trying not to, reproductive health is critically important. Problems in the reproductive system are often an early indicator of more serious health issues, as well. Learn how to keep all kinds of reproductive systems healthy. Full details here.
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Children’s Health - Herbs are a great way to keep the little ones healthy and growing strong. This course covers the herbs that can help kids get through childhood niggles from infancy up to the onset of puberty. Full details here.
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Support Through Puberty - Growing through puberty is not like being a kid, but not like being an adult either. It’s a trying time for kids and parents alike: learn how to smooth out the rough edges with herbs and holistic strategies. Full details here.
The best herb school online!
"I researched different online herbalism courses for about two months and am so glad I found you two. There is so much more than just the material to this course. Because you teach everything in videos, and then with the live Q&A sessions every week, I feel like this is more of an in-person experience than an online course and I love that."
Science and Art
Plants are living beings, and just like us, they’re made of chemistry and magic.
To understand the human body, and how to care for it, and to understand how to work with plants, we need a little bit of both.
This program is built on our deep appreciation for the intricate interconnectivity of all beings, and for our place in this world. It’s built on rigorous research and study, from traditional practices to cutting edge research.
Herbalism isn’t about magical thinking. It’s not about wishing or believing. And good health isn't just about things we can see in microscopes. Every day, scientists are discovering new information about how plants interact with each other and with us, about how our health is affected by the natural world. Much of this work validates what we as herbalists already know - and when we join forces, the work we do can be revolutionary.
This program draws on multiple sources of information & inspiration, which allows us to balance the science and the art, the chemistry and the magic that runs through us all.
That means you get a more complete education, focused on finding the best way to help every person individually - including yourself! You can feel confident whether you’re working solely with holistic approaches or collaborating with conventional practitioners.
Pre-requisites
The pre-requisite for this course is our Family Herbalist program, though if you like, the two programs can be taken concurrently.
If you have already studied herbalism on your own or through another school, here are some guidelines to help you decide whether this is the right course for you:
If you know between 70-100 individual plants and feel comfortable working with them, you will be comfortable in this program.
If you are able to make various different types of herbal medicines, you’ll be comfortable in this program.
If you have started learning about pathology and physiology, and are ready to go deeper, or if you haven’t started that step in your learning yet but you’re ready to, you’ll be right at home in this program.
If you’re not sure where the best starting point would be for you, just ask! We're happy to help guide you.
If you are interested in taking both the Family Herbalist and the Community Herbalist at the same time, you can bundle them both into one payment or payment plan here.
You helped me make my dream job!
I am so grateful I took this program. I now run an herb shop in the center of my town and it's literally a dream come true. I feel like I finally have my home and my people. My herbal knowledge has sprouted into some awesome things, you guys teach it so right!
But wait, there's more! 🙂
In addition to the videos, we provide features to accommodate all the different ways people like to learn, so you can internalize the information easily!
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Lifetime access - so you can review the content as many times as you like, forever!
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Weekly live Q&A sessions with Katja and Ryn- to ask your questions directly, live and in person! (They're even archived, in case you miss one!)
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Ask questions anytime - we're always just a click away: you can ask any questions in the integrated discussion forum, and we're committed to personally answering your questions, usually within 24 hours
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Printable PDF materials - if you like to follow the videos along on paper, or keep them handy for a quick reference
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Downloadable MP3 files - so you can review the content while you commute, workout, garden, ... anytime!
Certificate Information
You will receive a certificate for the successful completion of this program.
This program has 895 credit hours.
This represents the actual time of video instruction and live Q&A, as well as the time allocated for your capstone assignment, quizzes, and other assignments & activities required for completion of the course.
It is reasonable to plan some additional time to complete the work: this is because most students like to watch the videos more than once, review their notes, and many students complete more than the required activities. You might also enjoy joining a study group in our Student Community, and you might choose to work on extra activities together as a group to help you internalize all that you've learned.
Regardless of how long it takes you, there is never any pressure! You have access to this material for life, and in fact, when we add updates and new materials, you receive it all for free, automatically!
If new material is added after you have received your certificate, we are happy to send you a new updated certificate to document the additional time when you complete the new material.
And, a bonus discount on herbs!
When you enroll in the Community Herbalist program, you get a 10% discount on your purchases at Mountain Rose Herbs for a whole year! You'll receive email with your access code as soon as you enroll.
Two payment options
You can choose 12 monthly payments of $220.
Or, pay $2500 one time, and save $100!
we offer payment plans to make our courses more accessible. a payment plan carries a commitment to complete all of the payments.
Either way, you get everything in the program & all the extras, for life.
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Get started now
$2,500.00
one-time payment saves $100
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Get started now
12 x $220
Monthly Payment Plan
Scholarships & Discounts
Zero-Risk Return Policy
Teaching isn't just about conveying information - there's also an aspect of being someone's "cup of tea".
So we want you to take the first 14 days to really decide if you love it or not. If for any reason you feel like this program isn’t right for you - if we're just not your cup of tea - we’ll give you a full refund. You don't even need a reason - just please let us know within 14 days of purchase.
If you haven't taken any of our courses before, you can try out just one of the courses in the bundle, or one of our free courses, to see if you like our teaching style and our learning platform. If you have purchased one or more of the courses in one bundle, we can create a custom coupon code for you to deduct the courses you already have. That way you'll know you like it before you commit to a long program!
We cannot make refunds or cancellations after the two week trial period.
we offer payment plans to make our courses more accessible. after the two-week return policy period, a payment plan is a commitment to complete all of the payments.
Be part of our community
Join a like-minded community of herbalists who want to make this world a better place, more in tune with nature.
We teach every class personally, and we're teaching from our own experience – not just in our clinic, but even in our own bodies. We prefer the video format because it's much closer to actually being in the classroom. Between the videos, the weekly live Q&A webinars, and our direct answers to all of your questions in the discussion thread, we'll get to know each other--you’ll never feel isolated or anonymous.
And it’s not just us - you’ll get to know the students you’re working with too: we love to see students chatting in the Q&A sessions, sharing ideas and even swapping plants and seeds. Join our group of plant lovers healing ourselves, our communities, and the earth!
In love with this community!
"I really, truly, madly love you guys and the community you have built with the plants and with us students. Not only that, this all comes at a perfect time: it’s been pulling me up through some darkness and it has been a lifesaver. I love having something positive to focus on and I feel like the more I get herbs into my life, the more the awfulness I’ve been dealing with in my life is falling away. I love learning with you."
Study Buddy Discount!
It's better together :-)
Do you want to learn with a friend or three? We've got a discount for that!
If two people sign up for a course or program together, you each get a 10% discount. Three people get a 15% discount each, four people each get a 20% discount, and if you have five or more in your group, everyone gets a 25% discount. This works on all payment options!
Just send us email directly at [email protected] before you enroll so that i can create a custom coupon code for your study buddy group!
Your Teachers
Two heads are better than one!
Katja & Ryn
Katja & Ryn almost always teach together. They each have particular talents and areas of interest, and their perspectives on certain issues are quite different! Together, they convey a fuller picture of the realities of herbal theory & practice than either one could do alone.
Katja is an herbalist and teacher working to help people rebuild their relationships with their bodies and their own ability to heal. She’s been in practice for nearly 20 years, but it all began with a desire to make her own “fancy tea” at home instead of paying high prices for imported blends at specialty stores. She’s kept that do-it-yourself ethic close to her heart.
Ryn has been a practicing herbalist since 2010. He came to herbalism by way of martial arts, where his first experiences with herbs were focused on getting back into the game and becoming more flexible, adaptable, and resilient. Passing that experience on to others is what keeps him motivated every day.
Together, Katja and Ryn teach everyone from children to elders, as well as pharmacy students from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Northeastern University School of Pharmacy, where they both serve as associate faculty. Ryn and Katja are the authors of Herbal Medicine for Beginners, and the creators of the weekly Holistic Herbalism Podcast.
In-person Intensives
Both in-person in Boston and in-person by web-conference
Would you like to add an in-person component to your program? We've got that! Throughout the year, we have workshops and intensives scheduled on various topics to help you deepen your learning experience!
You can find all of our live events here:
They're a great opportunity to work with us directly, whether here in Boston, in the forest in Royalston, MA, or live online in small-group web conferences on specific topics.
Plus, you can join in the Live Community Mentorship
FAQ
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Can I really learn herbalism online - isn’t this the kind of thing that needs to be really hands-on to be understood?
It’s absolutely true that you can’t deeply understand and the practice of herbalism just by reading, watching, or listening alone - you do need to get your hands dirty to learn this. However, you also can’t learn herbalism simply by being in the presence of a teacher. The real question is, do you get direct contact with the plants? It’s that contact, along with some guidance and structure, that makes the difference. And we’ll help you make that contact, even from a distance - we’ve got a system for it, and it works!
This is material we’ve developed over our combined years as practitioners and teachers - that’s 20 years for Katja and 11 for Ryn, and counting! - and we’ve thought long and hard about how to best present it at a distance while maintaining the authenticity of presence. What we offer here is the result of continual, ongoing refinement in methods of conveying that material to you, so you can really come into your own as an herbalist.
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This seems like a lot of material. How long does it take to complete?
You have access to the whole program starting the moment you sign up, and you can take as long as you need to work through all 200 hours+ of video and the accompanying quizzes, notes, and resources.
This program typically takes about a year for students to complete, but you can watch the videos at your own pace, and re-watch them at any time. That is, indeed, a substantial time commitment! When it comes to herbalism, though, time is knowledge.
Each lesson is structured so that you can have time to actually do the work of experiencing, experimenting with, and exploring different ways of interacting with the herbs.
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Will I be a “certified herbalist”, “licensed herbalist”, or “master herbalist” after completing this program?
This is actually a complex question to answer - and the long answer gets into the oddities of professional regulation, educational standards, and related topics - but the short version goes like this:
Herbalists in the US are not certified or licensed by any governmental body, which means that neither we nor anyone else can make you a “certified herbalist” - just an herbalist with a certificate. Similarly, herbal schools in the US are not accredited according to any national standard, and terms like “master herbalist” or “certified herbalist” are used by different people to indicate very different courses of training and experience. Many schools do use that terminology, because it’s something that our culture sees as recognition, but these are not titles with a uniform meaning or any legal status.
Given all of the above, when choosing an herbalist to study or consult with, you have to keep your critical thinking hat on and assess each school, teacher, or practitioner on their own merits!
At our school, we look at mastery of herbalism as a lifelong, ongoing pursuit - not something earned after a single year of study. We teach skills and practices that will make you a competent, safe, and confident herbalist - now and in the future.
We are a Member School of the American Herbalists Guild, and all of our programs do complete with a certificate documenting your hours of study, which can be helpful if you choose to join the AHG as a professional member in the future.
If you’re interested in recognition by the American Herbalists Guild, we can help! The following course progression meets the educational requirements to qualify as a professional member:
Family Herbalist
Community Herbalist
Clinical Herbalist
Clinical MentorshipDuring clinical mentorship, you have the potential to meet the clinical requirements for professional membership as well. We’re happy to help guide you through that process!
Reviews
Terrific!
Noelle Wood
This was such a terrific introduction to energetics: at the level of the individual, organ/tissue state, as well as the herbs and their actions. It also inc...
Read MoreThis was such a terrific introduction to energetics: at the level of the individual, organ/tissue state, as well as the herbs and their actions. It also included a brief intro to several other different traditions (such as Chinese, Ayurveda, Native American, etc.), that allowed me to get a glimpse of how having a schema for understanding energetics and a person's constitution has been used from a number of different perspectives (across time and place) to guide healing. I will definitely be following up with some of the book recommendations!
Read LessSo much excellent information and things to think about!
Cathy Breiner
I thought this course would be mostly review, but there was so much new information and so many different ways of looking at things. Katja and Ryn's down-to-...
Read MoreI thought this course would be mostly review, but there was so much new information and so many different ways of looking at things. Katja and Ryn's down-to-earth, empowerment-focused approach was a breath of fresh air. Thank you both for creating this awesome, very informative course! I can't wait to take other courses from Commonwealth!
Read LessGreat explanations
Alison Bateman
I have taken herbalism classes that briefly went over formulating, but I never felt like I was really understanding it that well. Katja and Ryn do such a gre...
Read MoreI have taken herbalism classes that briefly went over formulating, but I never felt like I was really understanding it that well. Katja and Ryn do such a great job explaining it in a way that is easy to understand. The examples that they go over really helped me to get a better understanding of which herbs to choose and why. I feel much more confident when formulating now.
Read LessA WEALTH OF PLANT KNOWLEDGE!!!
Dawn Martucci
I have thoroughly enjoyed this program and look forward to continuing my herbal education. It has been so informative and completely enjoyable!! Thank you ...
Read MoreI have thoroughly enjoyed this program and look forward to continuing my herbal education. It has been so informative and completely enjoyable!! Thank you Katja & Ryn!! :)
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