2024 Herbalism
This 9-month herbal medicine program is a hands-on introduction to herbalism by tending a garden and preparing herbal medicine.
About this course
This 9-month herbal medicine program is a hands-on introduction to herbalism. Participants will tend a garden together, explore the basic concepts of herbalism, and make herbal preparations to bring home and to share with the Common Good community. The home apothecary program offers a unique opportunity to learn about using herbs while working directly with the plants and developing connection to the land and ecosystem we call home.
COVID-19 Note:
We are monitoring the COVID-19 situation and following DC Health, CDC, and other relevant guidelines and may adjust programming as needed. It is our intention to hold Monday sessions outdoors in person with space for social distancing. When this is not possible, we will use Zoom as a backup until Common Good City Farm, following CDC and DC Health guidelines, decides it is safe enough to convene the gatherings in person.
As a participant of this course, you agree to follow Common Good City Farm’s COVID-19 Policy. Common Good City Farm’s COVID-19 Policy may be updated periodically, following updates from CDC and DC Health guidelines and we will email all participants when the policy is updated.
Code of Conduct:
As a participant of this course you agree to follow the Common Good City Farm participant Code of Conduct.
Mondays: Community herbalism theory and materia medica (lecture format)
Community herbalism refers to using easily-accessible plants within networks of friends, families, and other community groups. We will develop an understanding of community herbalism in the context of our cultures, histories, and personal relationships to plants. Topics include materia medica (how to use a wide variety of specific herbs); support for different body systems (immune, digestive, nervous, circulatory, endocrine, first aid); herbal energetics, actions, and organ affinities; and constitutional types. Classes will focus on plants that grow naturally in the DC area or can easily be cultivated by the beginning gardener. Each participant is encouraged to develop a relationship with a specific plant of their choosing through the 9 months of the program, and we will end with a plant-based ceremony to celebrate the relationships we have formed.
Saturdays: Gardening and apothecary (hands-on format)
Saturdays will consist of hands-on experience tending a garden, harvesting, processing, and preparing herbs that we grow together. We will start seeds, plant perennials, tend the garden through the seasons, harvest a variety of different herbs, save seeds, and learn about readying the garden for winter. We'll also cover common weeds, basic botany, and explore ways to deepen our connections to the plants and ecosystems around us. With the herbs harvested from the garden, we will prepare a variety of dried herbs, tinctures, vinegars, teas, salves, and syrups together. Students will take home some of each of the herbs we prepare in class, building up a home apothecary over the growing season. Some of the prepared herbs will be shared with Common Good's community programs. Each student will be asked to commit to visiting the garden an additional two times during the season to do things like harvest plants, check on herbs that are drying, water, and other tasks as decided by the participants and instructor. Students may come during any of the times that the farm is open for volunteer sessions.
In order to make this program more accessible we are offering an option to take Saturday classes only or Monday classes only. Students are STRONGLY encouraged to participate in both-- materials from each class will build on the other, and the information from both sessions will be presented as an entire class. While some information will be reinforced in both classes, general topics presented in Saturday classes won't be repeated in Monday sessions, and vice versa.
The details:
Classes will meet at Common Good City Farm. Classes will be outside on the farm, rain or shine (there is a pavilion on-site for shelter). In case of inclement weather, the class may be moved to St. George's Church or the Josephine Butler Parks Center and students will be notified by the instructor.
Monday sessions will meet at Common Good City Farm, with Zoom as a back-up option. There will not be a Zoom option for Saturday sessions.
Class will be held on the following dates:
Saturdays, 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm (hands-on gardening and apothecary)
March 23
April 27
May 18
June 29
July 20
September 7
October 5
November 9
Mondays, 6 - 8 pm (lecture format)
April 8
May 6
June 10
July 8
September 16
October 21
November 18
The Teacher:
Holly Poole-Kavana of Little Red Bird Botanicals practices as a clinical herbalist, grower, and medicine-maker in Washington DC, where her passion is connecting people to local plants. She holds a BS in botany from Cornell University from 2000 and began her herbal studies at the Pacific School of Herbal Medicine in 2005. She apprenticed with herbalist 7song, and completed the Clinic II mentorship program at Sacred Plant Traditions before starting a clinical practice in 2011. Her business, Little Red Bird Botanicals, has also offered an herbal CSA since 2010. Holly also works as a midwife's assistant in the DC metro area.
Scholarships:
Please email Kailasa Aqeel at kailasa@commongoodcityfarm.org if you have any questions about this program. Two full scholarships are available for income qualifying residents. To apply, fill out this form: 2024 Home Apothecary Program Scholarship Application
Applications accepted on a rolling basis up until first class date.
In addition to the two full scholarships, we will be offering the combined course on a sliding fee scale.
Note about the Sliding Fee Scale:
A sliding fee scale is a tool for building economic justice, and it requires your active participation. If a sliding scale is implemented effectively, everyone pays a similar percentage of their income for the same products or services. A wide range of payment options across the scale promotes broader accessibility, while insuring fair compensation to the producer. Paying according to one’s available resources creates a more equitable system for pricing of products and services.
Sliding scales are often based on individual income levels, with people of higher incomes paying more. However, many factors complicate and affect our financial status. Some groups of people have costs that the larger population does not. Others have access to resources that are not always reflected in their lifestyle choices and income levels. Please consider both your class background and earning power when choosing your share payment. For more information, please see Little Red Bird Botanicals' website: http://www.littleredbirdbotanicals.com/consultation-fees/.
Consider paying less on the scale if you..
are supporting children or have other dependents
have significant debt
have medical expenses not covered by insurance
are eligible for public assistance
have immigration-related expenses
are an elder with limited financial support
are an unpaid community organizer
are a returning citizen who has been denied work due to incarceration history
experience discrimination in hiring or pay level
are descended from enslaved people or Native American Indians
Consider paying more on the scale if you:
own the home you live in
have investments, retirement accounts, or inherited money
travel for recreation
have access to family money and resources in times of need
work part time or are unemployed by choice, including unemployment due to full-time school in a degree-earning program
have a relatively high degree of earning power due to level of education (or gender and racial privilege, class background, etc.) Even if you are not currently exercising your earning power, we ask you to recognize this as a choice.
Payment by Check:
If you would like to pay by check to avoid processing fees, please email kailasa@commongoodcityfarm.org to confirm which ticket option you would like to purchase. Checks can be mailed to Common Good City Farm, PO Box 26030 Washington, DC 20001 and must be received within 7 days of registering in order to guarantee we hold your spot.
