Why You Should Study One Herb At A Time (And What May Happen When You Don’t!)

When I first started learning about herbs, I got most of my information through reading blog posts from a few favorite herbal bloggers, browsing online health forums, skimming through a handful of older herbal books, and my own limited experience with herbs. And while those things did help inspire my curiosity in herbs and teach me a little about a lot of different herbs, I rarely retained the information I read. There was just so much info on so many herbs! It was hard to keep up with.

Eventually, I realized I didn’t know enough about any one herb, and I wasn’t quite sure about the information I did know. I found myself having to constantly look things up.

• “What can I use echinacea for besides a cold?” → Grab a book and look it up.
• “What’s the best way to prepare calendula flowers?” → Do a quick Google search.
• “Is sage only drying when used internally or externally as well?” → Again, books.

The problem with this type of learning is that we find ourselves relying on books and notes more than our own understanding, experience, instincts, wisdom, etc. And while books and notes are not bad (in fact, I’m a little obsessed with books), they’re meant to teach us. If we’re not learning from what we read or are taught, something’s off somewhere. Relying on books or other online sources too much can handicap us when it comes to truly learning about herbs.

By slowing down and spending time with one plant through dedicated study and usage, you can grow your understanding of that plant in a short amount of time.

This is where my new e-course challenge, 5 Day Herb Focus, can help.

About the 5 Day Herb Focus

This 5-day challenge is designed to help you study one herb alongside other like-minded folks. Everyone will choose one herb they want to study (including me), and at the end of 5 days, we will all have created an “herbal monograph” — which is basically a profile that tells you all about the plant. This monograph will serve as a picture of our plant and will be something we can refer to time and time again. As you come across new information on your plant, you can add it to your monograph, to keep it current and updated.

While creating an herbal monograph may feel like a time-consuming undertaking, this challenge breaks it up over the course of 5 days so as not to overwhelm you.

• Each day, you’ll receive a short lesson with a step-by-step assignment, complete with any tips/resources you’ll need to complete the day’s tasks.
• You will also find little prompts within the challenge designed to encourage you to get “hands-on” with your herb. (Once you decide on an herb to study, be sure to harvest or order that herb so you can use it during your studies.)  
• You’ll also find community connection prompts at the end of each lesson that will direct you to a private Facebook group where we can get to know each other better and share what we’re learning each day. 

Registration is open now and class begins October 1st. Click here to learn more and register! This course will absolutely run again in a few months… maybe next year. I’m not exactly sure on the date, but you’ll get another chance if now’s not the right time.

Come As You Are: All Are Welcome!

The 5 Day Herb Focus is for everyone.

• You do not need to have years of herbal experience (although that’s great if you do) or a library full of herbal books.
• You can choose an herb to study — one that you’d like to get to know better, or you can follow along with the example that’s used in the lessons.
• You can keep things simple and do all your research through Google, or you can go more in-depth and incorporate books and resources into your study.

And A Giveaway

I also thought it would be fun to do a giveaway so if you’re interested in this group study experience and you’d like to help me get the word out about it, I have 3 places up for grabs — all you have to do is share the course badge (you should be able to right-click and save it to your computer or device) above on ONE social media platform (the one you most prefer). Include a link to the course page in your caption — growingupherbal.com/…/5-day-herb-focus-challenge — (or my Instagram profile if you’re sharing there) and then come back here and leave a comment letting me know you shared it.

And that’s it, friend!

Comments will close on September 23rd, and I’ll contact the 3 winners on the 24th. If you win and you’ve already enrolled in class, I’ll simply send you a refund!

If you’re ready to grow your understanding of herbs in a real way in a short amount of time, this challenge is for you.

Learn more and register right here!