Do you love gardening? Want to learn how to grow medicinal plants yourself?

This self-paced, seasonal course can be started any time of the year to fit with your current growing conditions

Content is heavy in earth-centered Celtic seasonal traditions, without being centered in any one belief or practice.

How do we balance the scientific side and the "woo" side of herbs?

So we want to incorporate herbs into our lives in a safe and effective way. But there are so many black-and-white, all-or-nothing, extremist views out there in the world of wellness!

On one hand: we don't want to go too far down the "woo" path and start eating up fear-mongering pseudoscience with a spoon...

On the other hand: we don't want to treat plants like they're pharmaceuticals by stripping them of the traditions they come from. 

After realizing that I had been taught both ways, I spent nearly a decade deconstructing and reframing my 6-year formal education. 

From this, I've finally found a way to teach my approach so that others can take advantage of my experience rather than having to learn and unlearn the same dangerous missteps themselves...

Keep scrolling to learn how...

By the end of this short but detailed course, you'll learn:

  • Ethical harvesting of native & invasive species

  • Farming fundamentals & Plant families

  • Seedling tips, tricks, & propagation

  • How to cultivate healthy soil & compost

  • Seasonal energetics & traditions (Solstices, Equinoxes, Lunar phases, Bealtaine, Lughnasadh, Samhain)

  • How to harvest, dry, and store herbs for the best quality

  • Herbal actions & energetics on the body

  • Herbal safety, contraindications, & how to "dose" herbs for yourself and your family

  • Laws and regulations for practicing herbalism & selling herbal products

  • Detailed plant profiles for 30+ plants, including detailed growing instructions

Course curriculum

You'll have immediate access to all of the lessons in the course, and can take them at your own pace. All lessons are pre-recorded, so no worrying about trying to fit live classes into your busy schedule!

  1. Before We Begin...

  2. Fundamentals of Herbalism

  3. Gardening Basics

  4. Spring Prep

  5. Spring Medicinal Plants

  6. Summer Harvest & Maintenance

About this course

  • $222.00
  • 84 lessons
  • 8 hours of video content

Testimonials

See what students are saying:

“Absolutely what I was looking for... I have spent years looking for a herbal teacher that walked that line between science and old knowledge. Who didn't dismiss life saving medicine bc of evil big pharma while understanding the importance of medicinal plants. Finally found it :) This course was absolutely worth the money and I learned so much and I really appreciate the teachings around herbalism with regards to health, capitalism, responsible foraging, acknowledging where a lot of the knowledge came from, etc. This is the beginning of a path I wanted to walk for years and will spend the rest of my life learning. Thanks Jovie :)”

-Savannah R. on Module 4: Herbal Actions- How Herbs Work!

“I really enjoy how each plant profile gives you a bit of everything of the plant as in the who, what and where. I also enjoy reading the folklore and the case studies. The Hawthorne lesson was super cool with all the folk history which each part of the plant.”

Alicia Q.

“Incredibly informative... This course has blown me away with the amount of information provided, how it is made easily accessible without a degree needed to understand it, the explanations of how/why things work, and even medication interactions! The safety that is stressed has made me very comfortable with the information provided. I love that sources are listed so I can always cross reference, just in case. Excellent course that I've already recommended to others!"”

-Judith S. on Module 3: Grow Your Own Medicine- Green Witch Gardening Course

“Jovie is an amazingly inclusive human. I appreciate her word choices when referring to who these plants were cultivated by. She always takes special care to acknowledge those who have come before us. I am a white female and love that she is firmly giving credit to indigenous, non-white humans. I suppose closed-minded people could be uncomfortable, but that just means you are educating well! ”

Julie F.

“The fact that I can come back to the course and totally take my time is incredibly helpful. Sometimes I have to go back and glance at things so I actually retain everything. I truly appreciate how the course was set up. ”

Alicia Q.

Enrollment is open!

+ it's FREE if you decide to register for next year's Rootcraft 10-month Herbal Intensive after completing this course

Meet the Instructor - Jovie Hawthorn Browne

I created Rootcraft for those who feel they don't "fit in" with the herbal crowd.

Unlike many herbal teachers you can find, I didn’t grow up living off the land...

I’d love to say I did, but I grew up in the impoverished Mojave desert in military housing.

Thanks to colonization, I've never had access to elders who could teach me the healing traditions of my ancestors...

But I did have books and professors to teach me how cellular biology and phytochemistry worked as I earned my bachelor's degree in Biology and post-grad diploma in herbalism.

I don't preach the doctrine that "natural is the only way" or "everything is toxic and after you".

I used to. And I was... the worst. Through recovering from eating and anxiety disorders and examining privilege and internalized classism, I now encourage & teach leaning on whichever tools you have access to in order to get through this capitalistic, patriarchal hellscape we live in. 

I didn’t get to know plants through foraging and wildcrafting them.

I got to know them through cultivating and tending to them in several gardens for over a decade. 

I may not fit in with the herbal crowd. But the plants don't mind.

They allow me to continue learning and experimenting. My path has not been traditional. And that’s okay. Your path doesn't have to look like anyone else's path either. 

I’m just here to share what I’ve learned so far with all of you, in a way that I’m hoping will feel safe, non-judgmental, and balanced.

FAQ

  • Is this a certification course?

    You DO get a certificate when you complete the course, but keep in mind: since there is no state or national governing body over herbalism in the US, *any* certificate from *any* course you take simply states that you completed the course. No certification course can qualify you for any sort of licensing (since herbal licensing in the US doesn't exist).

  • Can I enroll if I'm outside the US?

    Most of the plants we learn are native to Eurasia, and invasive to North America. Since Europe colonized many parts of the world, you may be familiar with these plants as well, especially if you live in a temperate region. If you are in the southern hemisphere or tropical region, you will likely not be familiar with the plants we discuss. Our seasonal courses will also likely not align with your growing times. Due to shipping constraints having to do with customs and package weights, unfortunately, I cannot send Medicine Maker Shipments outside of the continental US

  • Will we have a way to ask questions or interact with other students?

    Yes! Questions that may help the entire class can be asked in the discussion section of each lesson. You can interact with fellow students in the private Rootcraft Student Community. This is a great place to bounce ideas, get inspiration, find herbalists in your area, or plan materials sharing! For more individual matters, students are able to reach the instructor directly via email at [email protected]. Response time is typically within 24 hours.

  • How much time will I need to dedicate to this? What if I fall behind?

    The courses are designed to be easily incorporated into life for those who have work, school, or family that takes up most of their time. Lessons are not live, so you do not need to coordinate any scheduling. You can expect to dedicate one to two hours per week to reading and videos, depending on how much time you need to process and absorb material. There's no homework or tests, and if you fall behind, that's okay! Catch up when you can. You have access to the course material for 1-3 years, depending on which course you're in.

  • Is there any homework or tests?

    Nope!

  • Which growing zones will the course apply to?

    A good portion of the perennials we will discuss will be hardy in USDA zones 3-10. Some are only hardy in zones 6-10, and a couple hardy to zones 9-11 that can be grown as annuals. If you're not sure what a growing zone is or what any of this means, that's okay! We'll be covering it in the course.

  • What if I live in the southern hemisphere?

    The way we will be profiling the plants will be laid out mostly as they appear throughout the seasons in the northern hemisphere. ie: we'll be meeting the plants that pop up in the northern hemisphere's Summer during the northern hemisphere's Summer. So while those in the southen hemisphere will likely miss out on the aspect of walking outside and harvesting the plant they just learned about (if it's something that grows well in their growing zone), there's nothing wrong with learning about plants out of season! So long as you want to learn about plants that are mostly native to the US and Eurasia. On top of that, a large portion of the information you'll learn will be foundational (meaning how and why plants work, how to extract and make medicine with them, etc) so the seasonal aspect of the plant profiles can be worked around.

  • What if I'm unable to or don't want to grow the plants myself?

    There is still so so so much to learn about herbalism other than how to grow them! We cover herbal actions, research and traditions behind the plants, medicine making, seasonal energy shifts, and more. You can always source your herbs through my webstore Spirit Haus Botanicals or through my recommended suppliers!

  • What is the cancellation/refund policy?

    I offer a 30 day money back guarantee, no strings attached! That will gives you time to go over the materials and see if the program is going to be a good fit for you. No refunds can be given 30 days after the date of your enrollment. If for any reason you’re unable to continue with your payments after the 30-day window, you can pause your payments and program access. When you’re ready to resume your payments, just let us know via email at [email protected] and we will get you back into the program.

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Herbalism lies where nature, tradition, & science meet