Full-time Certificate Program | Part-time Classes | Download Forms

FULL-TIME CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

The Blue Otter School of Herbal Medicine full-time program runs for four months and is designed for students who are ready to fully immerse themselves in the world of plants, spirit, medicine and self. Our students leave grounded in basic practitioner skills, plant knowledge, energetics and a love of and delight in the plants.

We will be working in the garden, tending to stands in the wild, spending time in nature, making herbal medicines, spending time in classroom instruction and taking the plants internally. Additionally, we will be spending time in meditation, getting our hands dirty and laughing.

Curriculum includes (you may download the full syllabus below):

• Materia medica – physical and spirit medicinal properties of the plants
• Energetics – energetic interactions of plants with each other and with people
• Cultivating techniques – starting plants from seed or root, planting and harvesting techniques, growing plants, soil preparations
• Medicine making – how to make herbal preparations
• Body systems – basic foundation for understanding the body’s physical functions
• Case studies – working cases to learn assessment and herbal formulations
• Animal care – using plants for the health of animals
• Practitioner skills/ethics – what it means to be a practitioner and work with people

Schedule
School is in session April through July. Classes are held Monday through Thursday 9:30am - 4:30pm, with a one-hour break for lunch. We will have some field trips that take us outside of these hours. There is a one week break from school midway through the four month session.

Tuition
Tuition costs $4,000. Students are responsible for their own food and lodging.

Instructors: Karyn Sanders and Sarah Holmes

Application process
Applications to the school are accepted year round and must be submitted by February 1 for the current school year. After this date, contact us to inquire if there is still space available. We fill up quickly, so early applications are encouraged. Later applications will be considered on a space-available basis.

In addition to the written application there is a phone interview with the instructors. Applications may be downloaded here or requested by phone, mail or email. Contact us for exact deadlines and schedule as the dates vary each year.

Visiting
Prospective students are welcome to sit in on a class or meet with the instructors with prior arrangement. Siskiyou County is beautiful and most people enjoy their visit to the area. We only offer this to students seriously considering the full-time program.

PART-TIME CLASSES
Beginning Herbalism | Advanced Herbalism | Gourmet Herbal Vegetarian Cooking | Herbal Backpacking Ventures

Beginning Energetic Herbalism
Our Beginning Energetic Herbalism course meets one weekend a month for six months and is designed for people new to herbs, beginning herb students and intermediate students interested in Native American energetic herbalism.

This course will provide you with the information and tools to begin, or expand, your use of herbs in your life for you and your loved ones. This course alone will not prepare you for professional practice; if this is your goal, consider our full-time program.

Curriculum includes:

• medicinal and spirit properties of plants
• energetics
• medicine making
• herb walks
• plant meditations

Schedule:
This course is held one weekend each month during May through October. Class hours are Saturday 9-5 and Sunday 8-2; for a total of 72 hours. Please refer to the Calendar or contact us for the current dates.

Tuition:
$1,250. Tuition does not include food or lodging. A $150 non-refundable deposit payable to Blue Otter School of Herbal Medicine is required to hold your space in the class. The balance of tuition is due two weeks before the first day of class.

Instructors: Karyn Sanders and Sarah Holmes

A registration form must be submitted with your deposit and may be downloaded here or requested below.

Advanced Herbalism
Our part-time advanced program is only open to students who have successfully completed our full-time program. This course will be offered every few years to allow our graduates an opportunity to advance and deepen their skills.

We will be focusing on working with chronic and serious illness, advanced medicine making practices, advanced formulation, continued pulse-work, interview skills, plant cultivation/gardening, deepening work with self and practitioner skills.

Schedule: one weekend/month for eight months – contact us for current dates
Instructors: Karyn Sanders and Sarah Holmes

Gourmet Herbal Vegetarian Cooking
This class will focus on basic gourmet cooking techniques such as: cutting skills, reductions, flashing, how to create recipes, cooking and creating herbal foods. Come learn how to incorporate your medicine into amazing looking and tasting meals!

A registration form must be submitted with your deposit and may be downloaded here or requested below.

Schedule:
10-4 with one hour lunch break. Bring your own lunch. Students will get to taste all food made, but full meals are not provided.
Tuition:
$250
Instructor: Karyn Sanders

Herbal Backpacking Ventures
Spend a weekend backpacking in the mountains and learning about herbs. In addition tobackpacking in a beautiful setting we will be identifying plants, learning about medicinal uses of plants, discussing a minimal impact on our environment and doing plant meditations.

Three trips are offered each summer. See Calendar or call for current dates.

You may sign up for one or all of the trips. A registration form must be submitted with your deposit and may be downloaded here or requested below. Each trip is limited to 6 people.

Schedule:
Friday morning through Sunday afternoon
Tuition:
$375 per trip (includes group dinner on Friday and Saturday) $75 non-refundable deposit holds your place on the trip; the balance of tuition is due three weeks prior to the trip

Instructor: Sarah Holmes

DOWNLOADS (in Microsoft Word format)

Full-time Certificate Program Application Form
Full-time Certificate Program Syllabus
Beginning Herbalism Registration Form
Backpacking Registration Form
Gourmet Cooking Registration Form