Course 7 | The Art of Herbal Medicine Making – Internal Preparations

Create your own apothecary of professional quality herbal medicines using simple kitchen tools.

Beginner

Length: 2.5 hours

Instructor: Seraphina Capranos | Herbalist, Classical Homeopath

This course is only available with the following programs:

  • Home Herbalist Online

    Mini-Certificate Program

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  • Community Herbalist Online

    Full Certificate Program

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Meet your course instructor

Seraphina Capranos | Herbalist, Classical Homeopath

Seraphina’s European grandparents first introduced her to the healing power of natural medicine. While seasonally gathering herbs in rural Ontario, Canada they lovingly taught her about the traditional wisdom of herbs and plant lore. After suffering an injury to her spine as a teenager, Seraphina was declared by the conventional medical system to lead a life of suffering in chronic pain. Determined to heal herself, she returned to her roots and began a professional study of natural medicine at Emerson College of Herbology leading her to study with renowned herbalist Susun S. Weed at The Wise Woman Center in NY and then healers in the desert of New Mexico. She attended the University of Toronto while working with an inspiring MD who practiced homeopathy, revealing to her the brilliance of this unique and deep system of medicine. The combination and expertise of her two passions of herbal medicine and homeopathic medicine make Seraphina a gifted holistic practitioner. She brings the balance of university education in science and the magic of what wildlands and mystics have taught her to each of her classes and clients. She lives on Salt Spring Island where’s she’s had a clinical practice since 2005. She teaches herbal medicine, homeopathy & earth-based magic internationally. As an educator, she is passionate about offering empowering, heart-centered classes that are rooted in spirit. She gives thanks to all her teachers, namely Michael Vertolli (Emerson College 1998) Susun Weed, Aviva Romm, Murray Feldman, Susan Gimbel, Laurie Dack, Lianne South, Louis Klein, and the old authors of homeopathic texts from the 1800s, and the women who kept recipes alive in the stillroom books.

Course description

Welcome to this step-by-step online course that brings you the timeless art and science of medicine making! This course is designed to teach you to make your very own herbal preparations using both folk and standard methods as practiced in western herbalism. Using water, alcohol, oil, vinegar, honey, glycerine, and fresh and dried plant material, this course delivers a solid foundation in the classic repertoire of medicine making. This is an essential course for every budding herbalist at the beginner or intermediate level.

Plants have been used as food and medicine since time immemorial. Every single culture around the world has had its own tradition of turning plants into therapeutic teas, tinctures, syrups, pills, and other concoctions. Herbs medicine is part of our human inheritance; our bodies know how to use plants as we’ve coevolved with them.

Filling one’s medicine cabinet with handmade medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments that are potent, fresh, and effective is one of the most rewarding aspects of being an herbalist. The solvents and structure for even the most sophisticated formulas are shared in this course. 

The practice of crafting living plants into medicine is both a magical art and a practical tradition that feeds the soul and the body. Making your own remedies is cost-effective and allows you to commune with plants to deepen your relationship with them. This is practical magic.

Learn how to make tinctures, vinegars, oxymels, honey, herbal oils, infusions, syrups, and flower essences for personal use or to provide to your community.

Upon completion of this course, you will have the ability to:

  • Know how to make simple calculations and formulas using standard methods
  • Work with fresh or dried plant material both for medicine making and deciding which preparation is best for the specific situation
  • Understand how to determine what method of extraction is best based on the herb and the individual taking the herbs
  • Learn valuable tips and understand how to troubleshoot common errors encountered in medicine making

Lesson plan

Section I | Welcome

1. Introduction

2. Course outline

Section II | Getting started

3. Medicine making supplies

Section III | Water-based extractions

4. Introduction to water-based extractions

5. Peppermint Infusion

6. Dandelion Decoction & Marshmallow Root (cold infusion)

7. Comfort Calm Tea

Section IV | Herbal vinegars

8. Introduction to herbal vinegars

9. Mineral Vinegar (using fresh plants)

10. Elderberry Oxymel Vinegar (using dried berries)

11. ‘Deep Roots’ Herbal Vinegar (using standard method)

Section V | Medicinal honey

12. When and why to use honey

13. Fresh Lavender Honey (cold maceration)

14. Golden Milk Honey Electuary (dried powdered herb and hot water method)

15. Honey pills

Section VI | Herbal syrups

16. Introduction to herbal syrups

17. Black Elderberry Syrup

18. Iron Syrup

19. Quick Immune Compound Syrup

Section VII | Tinctures

20. Introduction to tinctures

21. Folk method

22. Fresh Plant Tincture with Yarrow

23. Dried Plant Tincture with Cinnamon

24. Fresh Herb Glycerite with Lemon Balm (using folk method)

25. Dried Chamomile Glycerite (using folk method)

26. Dual Extraction (water and alcohol) of Reishi

Section VIII | Herbal oils

27. Introduction to herbal oils

28. Dried Plant-Infused Oil with Calendula

29. Fresh Plant-Infused Oil with Lavender

Section IX | Flower essences

30. Flower essences

31. Flower essence of Rose