Herbs. Science. Mutual Aid.


When you enroll in online courses with us, you're not alone!

You are a part of our community, and you will have:


🌿 Lifetime access to your materials - there's no time limit!

🌿 When new material and updates are added to your courses, you get it for free - automatically!

🌿 Live Q&A video sessions with Katja and Ryn twice every week - and they're archived so you can watch them anytime!

🌿 Ask questions right while you're watching the material - just start typing in the discussion threads! We answer your questions every day!

🌿 Work together with other students in our Community Space - you can even try it now, just click on the "Community" link above!

check our Scholarship & Discount information here.

Try it all out with a FREE COURSE! 

(Free courses are listed first in the catalog below. 
Go ahead - take two!)

Let's keep in touch!

Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when courses are added or updated - or go on sale. 🌱

We promise to never spam you.

What's New
New Content
Dec 13
The Clinical Skills course is live!

The Clinical Skills course is open! I'm still adding content over the next few weeks, but it's got already the first 15 hours of video and lots of resources. 

If you're already enrolled, pop on in and check it out! And if you're not enrolled yet, you can find more information here!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Jul 01
New Material in Cardiovascular Health!

Varicose veins & edema are two of the most popular topics in our Cardiovascular Health course, so i added another hour of videos with strategies, herbs, and more - this one on Chronic Venous Insufficiency, which is kind of an umbrella term for all things having to do with too much fluid stuck in the legs. 

There's also information about lymphedema, lymphatic drainage, and more!

So pop on in and check it out - if you're already enrolled in Cardiovascular Health, the new material is already in your account! (you always get all new material automatically, for free, in every course you're enrolled in!)

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Jun 21
New Capstone Assignments in Formulation & Phytochemistry courses!

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to let you know we've just added Capstone Assignments to the Fundamentals of Formulation and Basic Phytochemistry courses.

These are an opportunity for you to put your knowledge to the test in coping with a realistic scenario. 

Show us what you've learned!

be well,
  ryn

New Content
May 01
Live Q&A is back!

We hope you had a great Fallow Month - in the Community Space, folks have been sharing about stuff they learned while they were switching up the way that they worked with herbs over this month, and it's so exciting! I'm really thrilled about all the cool stuff y'all did!

I hope you hang on to some of those habits, and also, it's time to get Q&A going again for the second trimester of 2023. (How is it the second trimester already?)

Join us Tuesday May 2nd (and every Tue/Thur in May, June, & July) for live herbal Q&A for the second trimester.

To join in the live Q&A session, just go right into the Live Q&A Sessions course in your dashboard and navigate to the chapter titled "Second Trimester 2023 Live Session Links" - then click on the lesson titled:

Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023 Live Session Link

(or whatever the appropriate date is)

We can't wait to see y'all!!

love and chamomile,

katja & ryn

New Content
Apr 19
Making Herbal Products? We got you!

If you're making herbal products for sale, you probably are already aware of GMP - but there's a new player on the field and they want you to take them seriously. 

It's the FTC, and they're responsible for making sure that companies are not scamming or harming their customers.

And don't worry!! If you're working through the Herbal Business Program, i've already added everything you need to know to meet and exceed their requirements. Bonus: if you've been working within the guidelines we recommend for GMP, which are somewhat stricter than the actual guidelines, just to be on the safe side, then you are in fact on the safe side! All of our "better safe than sorry" guidelines meet all the new FTC requirements!

New Content
Mar 25
Avoiding burnout...

This year, we've implemented a new system: we've divided the year into trimesters. The first three months of each trimester are filled with lots of live events, and the fourth month is "fallow".

The word "fallow" usually applies to agriculture - allowing a field to rest every three years or so. This way, they weren't forcing the land to be over-productive: they were allowing the soil to regenerate, so that it would stay fertile.

Our culture is so focused on "productivity" that sometimes we forget that rest is required in order for us to keep learning!

So we're building a one-month "fallow period" into every trimester, so that all students have the chance to rest from the live schedule and to let the mind integrate what you've learned. It's important to take time to just let things percolate - and if you're engaged in sessions with no break, you never get that integration time.

The "fallow period" allows students to stay on target with their goals without getting burnt out.

If you're enrolled in one of our mentorship programs, this fallow period gives you the chance to take a break from the weekly live sessions so that you can rest, maybe do some review, or maybe just drink a lot of tea!

And if you're enrolled in any of our programs, the one month "fallow" concept can still apply in your life: you can set up your study schedule to follow our trimester schedule. You could say that in the fallow month, you don't try to learn new material, but instead take the time to go back and clean up your notes, maybe take stock of your apothecary, press out tinctures that need attending to, etc. There won't be live Q&A sessions during the "fallow" months, so it's also a time when you can check back into some of the abundance of archived Q&A recordings to find things of interest to you. 

Plus: the fallow months are April, August, and December - so in April you can do spring cleanup in your garden, in August you can be preserving your harvest, and in December you can be planning for next year! Time in the garden (even if your garden is just a few buckets on the porch!) is a great way to let your mind wander through what you're learning, and make new connections!

New Content
Mar 19
Get it now! The Herb-Drug Interaction and Herb Safety course!

We've started uploading all the updates to the Herb-Drug Interaction and Herb Safety course, and y'all, it's fantastic!

There are nearly 10 hours already uploaded, so go ahead and get started now if you like! We're uploading new videos every couple days, and they will show up automatically in your account as i upload them!

Find it here: https://online.commonwealthherbs.com/courses/herb-safety

New Content
Mar 03
Did you know our courses are closed-captioned?

We're working really hard to get all of our courses closed-captioned for you! It's a little tricky, because the automated services are really bad at herbal words, which means that in order to have accurate captioning, it has to be done manually. So that's what Noelle does every day! Here's the complete list of all the captioning progress to date:

For all the courses that have captioning, you can just click on the little "cc" button in the video player, here:

New Content
Feb 24
New videos uploaded to Herb-Drug Interactions & Herb Safety!

In 2023, all of the courses in the Clinical Herbalist program are being updated and re-released, starting with Herb-Drug Interactions & Herb Safety!

If you are enrolled in the Clinical Herbalist program, then you saw this course's re-release go live in your dashboard already - it's got new videos for you! And more videos are being added every few days over the next 4-6 weeks. 

This course will also become available for anyone to take as an individual course in a few days, so watch for the announcement in the newsletter!

New Content
Sep 10
New Certificate System!

All of our courses provide a certificate to show that you have completed that course or program. And now we have a new system in place that will hold all your certificates for you - you can download them any time and print them too!

You'll find instructions to access and print your certificate in the final chapter of each course. 

New Content
Sep 06
New in Community Herbalist!

If you're enrolled in the Community Herbalist program, you know that i was changing the way the exam for that program worked - well, i did it, and it's awesome! 

You'll find it on your dashboard as a course labeled Community Herbalist Program - inside, you'll find all the information about the exam, how to prepare, how to get your certificate, and more! 

I think you'll like the new system - and feel free to ask questions any time!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Aug 31
New addition to the Family Herbalist Program!

I have just added a new "course" to the Family Herbalist Program. It's not exactly a course as much as a container in which i have organized all the information about how to get a certificate for your work in this program.

I think that it's ready for primetime, so go check it out - if you're enrolled in the program, you'll find it in your dashboard already, and it's labeled "Family Herbalist Program".

If you have questions, feel free to ask!!! And if you find any bugs, just let me know! You can put questions or comments right into the discussion threads!

I'm hoping that this helps you keep your studies organized and tidy, and gives you motivation to work towards your certificate!

If you have already finished all of the coursework in the Family Herbalist Program, then you can pop into this new "course" to take the final exam (don't worry! you can do it!!) and that is the last step to generate your certificate!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Jul 15
Closed-Captioning progress!

It's important to us to closed-caption every single one of our courses, so that everyone can access them. This is important not just for deaf and hearing-impaired students, but also parents with sleeping kiddos, folks studying in public places, folks who like to read and listen at the same time - closed captioning can help everyone learn!

It's actually a pretty lengthy process to make it happen though. Sure, we could do some kind of automated captioning, but the robots are not herbalists! The AIs make so many mistakes that the captioning really isn't even useful. 

Which means that a human has to create every single file, and then it has to be double-checked to make sure it's accurate, and then it can be uploaded. Noelle, our wonderful closed-captioner (and many other helpful things!), works on this every day, with a few volunteers to help. 

We try to put out updates every so often so that you know which courses have the captions complete and how the others are progressing - here you go:

There are a few courses not on the list yet, because they haven't been started, but they're on the way, don't worry!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Jul 11
New First Aid videos for you!

Are you enrolled in the Herbal First Aid course

If so, go check out the NEW VIDEOS i've uploaded!

There are new videos for wound care, with an example MRSA infection and a wound on our dog's paw - so you can see the full progression of both of these wounds (plus some of my favorite animal bandaging tricks!)

And there are new Let's Practice videos, and the Capstone Assignment is open for you, ANNNNND a new video on caring for a dog bite wound!

I hope you love it!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Jul 05
Check out the new Herb-Drug Interaction resources!

Have you noticed the new Herb-Drug Interaction resources? You'll find these helpful PDFs in the "Materia Medica" chapters at the end of each of the Community Herbalist courses. 

So far, we've uploaded them in the following courses:

Holistic Nutrition
Digestive Health
Better Sleep
Cardiovascular Health
Urinary Health
Seasonal Allergies

We'll be uploading the rest of them over the course of the next two weeks!

We hope you'll find this a helpful foundation to navigate this increasingly common issue! Each of these "cheat sheets" presents a very safe starting point and considers all of the most commonly prescribed pharmaceuticals and OTC meds relevant to that course. 

More in-depth and nuanced information is taught in the Herb-Drug Interaction & Herb Safety course, which is part of the Clinical Herbalist program, but these "cheat sheets" give you the information you need to get started safely, so that you can practice and do no harm! ❤️️


New Content
Jun 24
More new videos for you!

Have you been trying out the "Let's Practice" videos pairs at the end of each Community Herbalist course? 

It's a whole chapter of video pairs that have a case study first, with information about someone who needs herby help. 

You can practice on that case, and then watch the next video in the pair to see what we would do in that situation.

They'll give you confidence in your practice, and help you see how much you've learned!

Go check out the new ones in the Musculoskeletal Health course


New Content
Jun 22
New Content for YOU! 🌿

I added brand new videos about managing Covid and Long-Covid symptoms in the Immune system and the Musculoskeletal system, including things like persistent inflammatory joint, muscle, and bone pain, as well as support and rebuilding immunity after Covid infection, and countering the damage that Covid can do to our immune responder cells. 

Head on over and check it out! 

New Content
Jun 15
New in Neurological & Emotional, and in Integumentary!

Woweewow - i uploaded a bunch of new herbal goodness for you! The Neurological & Emotional Health course now has all of its Covid videos, and i know some of y'all were excited about the POTS & dysautonomia video - it's there, so go have a peek! 

Plus, all the "Let's Practice" videos are there, and the Capstone Assignment - so far, no one has tried that one, but you could be the first!

And the Integumentary (Skin) Health course also has all of its Covid videos, as well as new "Let's Practice" videos and the Capstone Assignment. Jump on in and let's see what you learned!

Remember: the only one who sees your Capstone Assignments is me! So you don't have to worry about getting everything perfect - this is not a test! 

❤️️

It's just a chance to think through a whole case and get some feedback about how to work it, so that you feel confident helping your family and friends!
Once you submit an assignment, i'll read it (i usually read them on Saturdays), and then i'll send you email with my thoughts, and we can chat about anything that was hard for you! 

Enjoy!!!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Jun 03
New Covid materials in Cardiovascular & Integumentary!

Lots of new goodies for you today!

The last of the Covid-19 videos have been added to the Cardiovascular Health course - so now you can learn all about repairing the vascular damage that Covid causes, microclotting, pulmonary emoblism, long QT syndrome, "covid toes", and how to manage cardiovascular issues in Long Covid. 

AND:

The Integumentary Health course Covid-19 videos are uploading right now! So if you've been wondering why covid causes skin rashes, eczema flare-ups, and can even induce sclerederma or scleroderma - well go check it out!

PS: hey nifty, Rose can be helpful BOTH for skin health AND heart health! do you know how? you'll learn all about it in these two courses! 🌸🌸

New Content
May 26
New updates in the Holistic Lyme course!

We are updating the Holistic Strategies for Lyme course, and i think you're going to love it!


The first thing we did for this course was to break up the videos - they were previously very long, and that can be challenging for folks who are looking for specific material by topic, and it can be challenging if you don't have a long period of time to dedicate to watching the videos! So now the videos are broken down by topic, and shorter so that it's easier to fit into your schedule :-)

Next, we're adding new Quick Guides, a printable PDF version of the Materia Medica, and other printable resources! So if you're the kind of person who learns best with printed documentation to go along with the videos, here it comes!! 

And, we'll be making new .mp3 files to match every video - these are files you can download and listen to anywhere, so you can review on the go!

Finally, we're adding a new "Let's Practice" chapter, like we've been adding to all of our courses. It will have case studies for you to practice on and a Capstone Assignment so you can get feedback on your work! Once that is complete, we can generate a certificate for you :-)

The first step: the new video organization - is already complete, and the next parts will be uploading over the next few weeks!


Go check it out and see how you like it!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
May 21
New Cardiovascular Covid videos!

❤️️  I uploaded new Cardiovascular Covid videos for you! They're in the COVID-19 chapter of the Cardiovascular Health course

There are four new videos covering the impacts of covid on the cardiovascular system, ways you can combat that damage, specific supports before, during, and after covid, and dealing with microclotting. 

There are still a few more videos for that chapter coming next week, too!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Apr 19
New in Digestive Health!

I uploaded new videos in the COVID chapter of the Digestive Health course! They cover both acute Covid symptoms in the digestive system, as well as long covid gut issues too! 

I can't wait to see what you think!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Apr 01
Closed Captioning for our courses!

We are working to provide closed-captioning for every single course! I wanted to share some information with you about that process, and about our progress so far!

In order to caption videos, we first send every video to a service that uses a machine transcriber to create the .srt file - that's the file that has all the timestamps so that the captions line up right. 

But of course, the machine transcriber isn't very good at herbalism! So then, the amazing Noelle and a team of volunteers goes through every file while watching the actual video, to make all the necessary corrections and to make sure everything is lined up correctly. 

Then the file can be uploaded and you can use it!

You'll see a file in the Welcome chapter of every course that has captions ready for you - it's got instructions on how to switch them on!


Here's a list of the courses that have captions already, and where the captions are in progress:

Four Keys to Holistic Herbalism
Materia Medica
Medicine Making
Herbal Community Care Toolkit - 75%
Energetics -75%
Formulation
Nutrition
Phytochem - 60%
Puberty - 50%

And Digestive Health has just started - it's at 10%

New closed-caption files are being added every day!


New Content
Mar 31
New Acute & Long Covid Respiratory Health

Are you enrolled in the Respiratory Health course, or the Cold & Flu course?

I've just uploaded MORE new videos about supporting lung health in acute COVID cases, helping respiratory recovery from COVID, and supporting folks with respiratory symptoms in Long Covid. 

Check them out today!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Mar 24
New Activities, Recipes, and Growing Tips!

Are you taking the Materia Medica course? If so, you've probably noticed the new features we've been uploading! You'll find new activities, recipes, and growing tips in the first ten chapters - and there are more to come, every week!

These new lessons will help you to get even more hands-on, up close, really personal knowledge with the herbs you are learning!

I hope you enjoy them!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Mar 13
New Covid & Long Covid videos!

I'm currently uploading new updated videos on Covid and Long Covid in lots of different courses! 

There's foundational information about how to support all the stages of Covid - prevention, as well as infection, recovery, and Long Covid - as well as information about how Covid impacts all the different parts of the body and how we can mitigate those impacts. 

You'll find new, fully updated Covid materials in the following courses:

Cold & Flu

The Herbal Community Care Toolkit

Respiratory Health

Immune Health

Cardiovascular Health

Digestive Health

Neurological & Emotional Health

Each chapter already has a few hours of video covering the foundational approaches, and over the next two weeks i'll be uploading more videos about each specific system. I'll also be uploading a Covid chapter in Children's Health!

So jump right in and check back frequently as i upload even more good stuff!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Mar 11
But wait, there's more!

Yesterday i uploaded the new Respiratory Health materials and today i uploaded new videos in the Immune Health course - and the new Capstone Assignment!

I can't wait to hear how you like it!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Mar 01
New in Respiratory Health!

Hello, Herby Friends!

I just uploaded new new new videos into the Respiratory Health course! You'll find a whole new chapter at the end with the "Let's Practice" video series - case descriptions you can work on and corresponding videos with solutions that are appropriate for that case - so that you can test your knowledge!

I also just added the Capstone Assignment for the Respiratory Health course, so if you've completed the material in that course, you can work on the Capstone and send it in for our feedback! I can't wait to see what you cook up!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Feb 28
New Material in Cardiovascular and in Urinary Health!

There are new videos for you in both the Cardiovascular and Urinary Health courses!

You'll find the NEW "Let's Practice" chapter at the end of both courses now, with case study videos and the Capstone Assignment so you can practice your skills!

Have fun! :-)

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Feb 23
Hey , you don't want to miss this

We've created a new Community Space that has much better features than our old one, and i hope you love it!

All you have to do is look up at the top of the page and click on the COMMUNITY link:


And you're in!

So jump on in and let's get this party started!

*Don't worry - the old community groups are not being deleted for a while so if there's something there that is still helpful for you, you have plenty of time to go get it.

But the new features in this new Community Space should really improve the chat-ability and make it more fun and easier to connect with other students!

Not a student yet? No problem! You can create an account and start chatting - and when you do, why not grab a free course? You might enjoy the Four Keys to Holistic Herbalism and the Herbal Study Tips course - both are totally free!

Enjoy!

love and chamomile,

katja

New Content
Feb 02
New Capstone Assignments!

Hi!
I just uploaded new Capstone Assignments! These assignments help you pull together everything that you've learned in your courses, and we'll send you feedback on your work!

A couple weeks ago i posted the "test balloon" capstone assignment in the Digestive Health course and it's going great! 

So just now i added:

If you're getting close to finishing one of these courses, then bop on over and check out the new Capstone Assignments and show off everything you've learned!

love and chamomile,

katja