Course Descriptions

GREEN MEDICINE HERB SCHOOL CLASSES

Year-around programs offered in Grass Valley, California

 

Green Medicine Herb School offers a year-long program in herb and aromatherapy education. It is divided into four sections so you can take individual classes as a stand-alone course. These intermediate classes are designed for folks who have some herbal experience, have used natural remedies, and are familiar with a number of herbs.

January~March: HERBAL MEDICINE BODY SYSTEMS SERIES

April~August: HERBAL APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM

April & September: HERB CULTIVATION & GARDEN DESIGN

May & June: HERB WALKS

June, July & August: HERB GARDEN TOURS

September, October & November:AROMATHERAPY SEMINARS

 

These classes are described below along with KATHI’S HERB CLASSES THROUGHOUT THE US

 

HERBAL MEDICINE BODY SYSTEMS SERIES

January through March

Herb class series held Saturdays or Sundays 9:30am-3:00pm

$174 for any 3 consecutive classes, or $65 per one class (pre-paid)

Fee includes 7-course lunch!

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Sign-up!

 

This nine-part Course is taught with one class devoted to each of nine body systems:

Digestive Tract

Liver

Urinary Tract & Men’s Health

Cardiovascular System

Lungs and Sinus Health

Stress Relief for Nervous System & Adrenals

Immune System

Women’s Health

Glandular System: Thyroid & Pancreas

This program covers practical, integrated holistic healing. It helps you custom design different holistic protocol with formulas for the individual. Several modalities–herbs, aromatherapy, flower essences, nutrition, lifestyle & emotional well being, advanced medicine-making methods, consultation techniques & physiology & chemistry in relationship to herbal healing. New studies, legalities & ecological concerns discussed. There will be handouts and suggested home study. Open to students with some herbal experience.

A delicious seven course meal served with each class is made with organically-grown, fresh foods, herb, and spices that are specifically healing to the organ and body system we discuss that day. You receive a menu with the recipes.

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HERBAL APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM

April – August

One weekend a month, 9:30am-4:30pm

April, May, June, July (High Sierra Campout) & August

FEE: $850 + $50 material fee + 8 fun herb work trade hours.

3 month MINI-PROGRAM: $540 + $30 supplies fee + 5 work trade hours.

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This in-depth course will show you new realms of understanding medicinal herbs and medicine-making. It incorporates herbalism, aromatherapy& flower essences. The course takes place in the outdoor classroom at our farm and on a field trip every weekend. Wildcrafting, plant ID, The July camping trip in the High Sierra includes canoeing and building a sweat lodge. Designed for students with some experience with herbs, this course is limited to 18 participants. The Apprenticeship Program is designed to serve each participant’s individual needs. The program is well-structured, but you are encouraged to experiment in your favorite areas and to share preparations, ideas, and experiences. We all learn from each other!

LABORATORY: Learn to prepare and use many different herbal products, made from herbs we collect. We will take an advanced look at a variety of methods for producing tinctures, glycerites, salves, liniments, decoctions, pills, tablets, syrups, oils, and flower essences. Make an herbal/aroma therapy first-aid kit.

FIELD WORK: Harvest and prepare herbs on numerous wild crafting excursions. Make a plant press and herbarium samples for ID. Incorporate plant photography if you wish. Learn the basics of herbal botany and how to key plants.

RESEARCH: Collect data and establish research contacts. Kathi will open her extensive library for your research.

CLINICAL WORK: Use sitz baths, poultices, compresses, and other hydrotherapy methods. Study diagnostic methods, techniques, and stress reduction methods. Determine correct dosages and when herbs are – or are not – appropriate and safe.

AROMATHERAPY: Combine aromatherapy with herbalism to achieve better results. Choose specific aromatherapy techniques and oils for physical and emotional conditions.

PLANT ENERGY WORK: Get in touch with the plants. Also called plant-spirit work, it develops plant-based intuition to enhance healing.

See photos and more details here…

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HERB GARDEN CULTIVATION & DESIGN CLASSES

GROWING HERBS & GARDEN DESIGN

April & September

1-4pm

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In this class, Kathi combines her herbal knowledge, green thumb, and art degree to share the secrets of how to create an herb garden that is both useful and beautiful. Learn specific propagation techniques for herbs fro all over the world, both sun & shade lovers. Cultivation and propagation techniques for growing edible and medicinal herbs in the Sierra are explained. There will be hands-on demos of seeds, divisions & cuttings (with cuttings and seeds for you to take home!). We also cover not only how to grow, but how to harvest herbs for their maximum quality. This is also an opportunity to tour our Herb Garden to view it either in its early-growth or harvest stage and to see garden design techniques..

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HERB WALKS

Held at nature trails on weekends in May and June

9:30am-12:30pm.

$20 prepaid or $25 at walk ($35/two walks) Kids free, teens $10.

INDEPENDENCE TRAIL, ending at the waterfall in May

DEER CREEK at PIONEER PARK in May

ROCK CREEK at a NATURE TRAIL in June

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Kathi has been leading these herb walks since in the Nevada City area since 1978. Her extensive knowledge of the edible & medicinal uses of plants shines through colorful descriptions of science, lore, history & her own experiences. These short, wide and easy trails each have 40 interesting herbs. Bring a bag lunch if you’d like to have lunch with Kathi afterwards at a picnic table.

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HERB GARDEN TOURS

Held in our beautiful herb gardens on weekends

June through August

9-11am, followed by herb tea

$18 per tour

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Enjoy a leisurely stroll with Kathi through her rock-terraced herb gardens where you will see dozens of the 400 species—some familiar, some unusual—from around the world. She’ll discusses the uses, colorful histories, and cultivation requirements for dozens of the 400 species of medicinal and culinary herbs from around the world. See the Fragrance Garden and Main Garden with Chinese, Ayurvedic, Eastern Woodland, European, and Culinary sections. (Most of the tour is in the shade with plenty of benches to sit on along the way.) This also provides an opportunity to observe different garden design styles used in the three distinct gardens.

Afterwards, you can visit the apothecary where herbal products, Kathi’s herb books are available for sale. The herb nursery offers a selection of 60 medicinal plants.

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AROMATHERAPY SEMINARS

 

September

Followed by advanced seminars in October and November

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AROMATHERAPY SEMINAR I

10am-5pm

$200/weekend ($15 discount for registration received by Sept. 1) or $100/Saturday

SATURDAY: Techniques for home, clinic & various forms of bodywork. History, lore, scientific research. How to judge quality. Learn blending techniques and prepare your own body oil & spray formulas. Smell physiology & essential oil chemistry. Effects of 45 oils on mind & body skin, digestive & circulation disorders & infections. (Charts included). Treating depression, anxiety, fatigue, and the nervous system. How to choose an oil over another and formulate blends that work synergistically. Design and make your own aromatic sprays in class after choosing from a selection of dozens of essential oils

SUNDAY: How aromatherapy acts on the body: anti-inflammatories vs. liniments, skincare for both beauty and disorders such as psoriasis, eczema, and skin cancer. Applications of aromatherapy to massage and other forms of therapy. Distill essential oils and hydrosols from our gardens in class with explanation and samples. How to create individual, custom blends. Design and make your own body/massage oil in class from a selection of dozens of essential oils.

 

ADVANCED AROMATHERAPY SEMINARS II October & III November

10am-5pm Saturday & 9:30-4:30 Sunday

$210/weekend ($15 discount for registration received 2 weeks in advance) or $110 Saturday

Combine aromatherapy with herbalism to treat acute and chronic disorders & choose appropriate oils. Custom-made blends, chemotypes, chemistry & healing properties of common and uncommon essential oils. (Charts included.) Look at the scientific support backing medical applications of aromatherapy. Each weekend introduces the history, application, healing properties & blending guidelines of 30 more interesting essential oils. Learn about unique oils and the advantages of using these more obscure oils to replace others. Section devoted to perfume making from natural ingredients. Advanced formulating techniques, and making specific formulas for various medicinal applications. Aromatherapy cosmetics, skin care, and skin disorders and skincare physiology. Learn how essential oils can be used to reverse aging and “new” cosmetic ingredients. Appropriate oils for facial massage face lift. We will also cover the properties of creams and other carriers. We will discuss and make custom-designed bath/body salts for therapeutic uses and do aromatherapy facials. Several new essential oils and hydrosols will be introduced and sampled.

Requires completion of Seminar I or an equivalent course. Taking all three seminar weekends meets Level I Aromatherapy Training standards set by National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy. Certificate granted upon completion.

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ROCK WALL CLASS: DRY STACK CONSTRUCTION

with Ron Bertolucci, mason and designer, at Oak Valley Herb Farm, Grass Valley.

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Summer or Fall (call for dates), 9am-4pm. $80

Learn dry stack stone construction as it was used by ancient cultures throughout the world. Class offers, theory, and hands-on instruction. Covers in-depth training with demonstrations of tools and techniques. Supply sources and handouts provided. View different styles of completed walls, stairs & terraces on site.

Contact us to be on the list for future classes or if you are interested in having rockwalls/stairs constructed.

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More of Kathi Keville’s HERB CLASSES & SEMINARS throughout the US

 

San Francisco State University’s Sierra Nevada Field Campus
MEDICINAL & EDIBLE WILD PLANTS of the Sierra Flora

July over 3-day weekdays.

Held at San Francisco State University SFSU field campus in the High Sierra (off hwy 49 near Gold Lakes area) www.sfsu.edu/~sierra or contact Sierra Nevada Field Campus: 530-862-1230 (after June 1st)

Ethnobotany course through SFSU Biology Department. Instructor Kathi Keville with guest herbalist assistant. Kathi has over 45 years experience and has been teaching this course for 20 years. It covers identification of over 50 wild plants, the medicinal and edible uses, and how to process them. Ecology, related geography, and herbal interactions with human physiology is also addressed. We will conscientiously harvest and prepare a wild foods meal. Kathi has been an instructor at SFSU Field Campus since 1997.

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Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
Herb Cultivation & Harvest Workshops

Held at PVFS in Grass Valley each Spring and Fall

9:30-11:30am. $15, plus store discount

Grow your own spices and medicines! Spring and fall are the perfect times to establish a perennial medicinal and culinary herb garden. Learn the best techniques to harvest the bounty of herbs already in your garden. Kathi discusses what grows and special tips for growing and harvesting our fall foothill and mountain gardens. Kathi has been presenting workshops for PVFS since 1999. She appeared on their garden catalog cover.

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