Prepping skills: Tips for learning herbal medicine

04/19/2022 / By Zoey Sky

Herbalism is an essential skill, whether things are normal and quiet or when SHTF. If you want to learn about herbal medicine, here are some useful tips to get you started. (h/t to TheSurvivalMom.com)

Like any other prepper skill, herbalism requires self-discipline and hard work. If you put in the work, you will soon have a useful skill that can help improve your family’s overall health.

Herbs are free from harmful chemicals commonly found in over-the-counter medications, and they can help with common issues such as:

Boosting immune health
Promoting restful sleep
Enhancing alertness or mood
Reducing stress
Increasing antioxidant intake

Herbalism is largely unregulated in America, but you still need to do some research and learn more about herbal medicine. There are three general strategies to learn herbalism: online or in-person herb schools, self-study, or a combination of the two.

Online or in-person herbalism schools

There are more options available now if you want to learn more about herbal medicine. But before you pay for classes, take the time to assess different schools.

Advantages

Check if there’s a local herbalism school nearby so you can learn in a classroom setting. Learning skills like plant identification and applying your knowledge through student clinical programs is often easier in-person.

You can also sign up for online classes if that’s your preference.

Here are some of the advantages of taking online herbalism classes:

It’s easier to communicate with instructors.
It’s easier to participate in virtual classroom settings like webinars and chats.
It’s easier to get answers to your questions.
It’s easier to get in touch with current and former students. You can also borrow their notes and ask for insights into a particular course before you enroll.

Disadvantages

If you prefer a more formal curriculum, there’s typically no formal syllabus that all herb schools are required to follow. Additionally, there is no accreditation process that they must undergo in the United States.

This means your choice of school will depend on your goals.

Learn more about the founder’s philosophy to determine if the school’s lessons are backed with adequate research materials. You should also, consider whether the training offered at the school is a match for your prepping or survival needs.

Use your common sense and avoid any program that promises to make you a “master herbalist” or “certified herbalist” since there is no meaningful standard by which to judge the qualification.

Since there is no accrediting body specifically for herb schools, there’s also no regulatory body that grants titles for herbalists. However, a trusted school can give you a certificate of completion for successfully passing their exams.

Types of herb schools

In-person or online herb schools usually fall into one or the other of these categories based on the focus of their programs:

Career – This category is usually more advanced because it focuses on developing skills and advanced theories needed in a modern clinical setting.
Family herbalist – This approach focuses on the everyday use of herbs in a family or home setting.
New age – This is another approach that focuses on intuitive herbalism, shamanism or the spiritual aspects of herbalism.
Survivalist – This focuses on herbalism in remote or survival settings and often includes foraging information.
Tradition – This approach focuses on a historical subset of herbalism, like Ayurveda from India.

What type of school is best to learn herbalism if you’re doing so as a prepper?

For preparedness purposes, a course with a survival school is a good choice. You can also benefit from having a solid foundation with a school focused on home herbalism.

A good home herbalism course can teach you how to make many different types of herbal preparations. It will also give you information that can be applied to common health complaints.

An herb school may also divide their programs into different tracks based on specific skills or skill levels, so always investigate the schools that interest you.

Self-guided study

If you’re too busy to sign up for in-person or online classes, you can take your time by focusing on self-guided study.

However, if you want to learn herbalism on your own and be a self-taught herbalist, you must be even more thorough with your research to find the most suitable professional perspective.

Here are some tips to get the most from self-study:

Invest in a detailed herbal textbook. Read it thoroughly and take notes. This will give you an excellent introduction to herbalism from the more scientific side.
Get some herbal recipe books to learn how to make herbal extracts, teas and other preparations. Work through the book and teach yourself how to make the different types of products. (Related: Natural healing: 12 Cold and flu home remedies.)
Make a list of the types of health problems you know you will need to address personally and research them, especially if someone in the family has a recurring medical condition. Start looking up and using herbal alternatives.
Create herbal remedies for your first aid kits.
Grow medicinal herbs and plants in your home garden. Herbs can be difficult to grow from seed, but it’s usually easier to grow them from cuttings or root division.
Don’t rely on foraging because this isn’t a reliable supply tactic, especially after SHTF.
Supplement your herbal studies with a course in wilderness first aid.

A combination of herbalism school and self-guided study

Combining both herbalism schools and self-guided study is another option.

As you progress, you’ll get a feel for what you are confident you can learn independently and what you think you need “formal” schooling in. Take advantage of your resources and design your herbal education to suit your learning style and herbalism goals.

As you decide how to approach your herbal education, consider making a general use herbalist’s first aid kit.

There are many different ways to learn herbal medicine. But regardless of the method you choose, you should be an active participant in your education. Ask questions in class, read various books and put your knowledge to the test by creating herbal remedies to use at home.

For best results, learn how to incorporate herbs into your current lifestyle and how to use them after SHTF.

Visit Naturopathy.news to learn more about various herbal remedies.

Watch the video below to learn about herbal remedies that you can use during emergencies.

This video is from the Natural News channel on Brighteon.com.

Prepping skills: Tips for learning herbal medicine

Online or in-person herbalism schools

Self-guided study

A combination of herbalism school and self-guided study

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