Today I am pleased to offer a new course, a unique course, focused on dogs, on herbs and on common canine conditions you as a home herbalist will almost certainly encounter.
Why this course, and why now? There is a veritable avalanche of information today, online and in books, on the subject of “natural health” for animals. Some of this is a good thing, as working with herbs and diet can have a ripple-effect, not only healing the individual animal of any species, but bringing the one doing the healing work closer to a truly holistic view of the world. I’ve talked about this in my article “Healing Animals Heals Us and the Earth” – my deep belief in the Interconnectedness of all life, and how something as deceptively simple and small as changing your dog’s diet can bring much more healing to the world around us than we might ever dream. When I began this journey, there were only a few nutrition books for dogs and cats and none that I know of outside of Juliette de baraclai Levy, that focused on the unique needs of other species. Today, we still don’t have a lot of “animal herbals” but we have countless books on nutrition, countless sites – opinions – and the whole “natural health for dogs” has become a huge, multi-million dollar business.
Of course, that kind of outreach brings both good things and, some problems.
Here’s what I think about the natural health trend; it is great, wonderful and important that people are learning to feed their animals better diets, that vastly better foods are available commercially, that owners increasingly think of herbs for common complaints, that many vets are questioning the overuse of vaccinations and antibiotics, and rethinking the importance of a fresh food diet. It is also overwhelming for the average person to sort out what is reliable information, what I hear is increasing bewilderment. There is also a great limitation on the herbs people hear about, because the popular press focuses on two things; One, a specific group of commercial plants, which may be ideal for a given condition or individual, but also may not be, leaving the owner feeling disappointed and helpless, and Two, the use of herbs for conditions, in other words the use of herbs as “natural” replacements for veterinary drugs. (I’ve written about that here – https://thepossiblecanine.com/this-for-that-herbalism-is-there-a-place-for-it – there is a place for the Quick Fix approach, but it is also very superficial and limiting, if it’s the entirety of what an herbalist knows to do).
Since I have been writing for Plant Healer Magazine, and also sharing what I can on my Facebook Page and group, more and more people are approaching me with interest in the deeper work of a clinical herbalist. While some are interested in this work as a calling, and want ideas about where to start learning – what I hear most of the time is, that people would simply to know more, go deeper and learn about more plants and how to utilize them. This is “conditions-based herbalism”, yes — but it’s an important entry point and very empowering tool for the newcomer (and for the professional; I took a First Aid course myself last year, with the renowned Ithaca herbalist Sevensong, and First Aid is almost solely ‘conditions-based’ – I learned a lot!) To that end, the Practical Herbalism course was born.
I’m so very excited about this one – I’ve already shared a Course Outline and FAQs already – but let me go over a little bit more here, as to what this course entails.
What will you be able to do with this course?
Well, several things – a few listed below:
1) You’ll be able to understand how to select herbs to promote wellness, to use as tonics, and how to prepare and dose them safely and effectively
2) You’ll also know how to select from a wide range of herbs, to most effectively address common health conditions
3) You’ll be able to set up and develop a home herbal apothecary, starting with a few basic necessities and adding herbs, tinctures, oils and more as you go
4) Something I feel strongly about is Bioregionalism – in this course we will cover dozens of wild “weeds” that offer profound medicinal value and you will know how to identify them with 100% certitude – harvest prepare, and use for your dogs.
5) You’ll be able to make teas, infusions, decoctions, tinctures, glycerites, vinegars, pastilles and electuaries, oxymels, compresses, herbal honeys, poultices and fomentations…be forewarned medicine-making is addictive! And you’ll know when to use which and how to dose. Yes, this is a very comprehensive course.
6) Most critically, you will learn to think of about herbal actions, and energetics, and not *just* what condition it can be used for. Because we are going to learn about conditions system-by-system, you’ll come away with a much more sophisticated understanding of herbs than just “this-for-that” style (superficial) usage. Plant medicine is so much more than thinking of a herb as a natural, less toxic alternative to a drug. The art takes many years to master, but it goes much more easily if you know how to approach it. In other words – this course will not just teach you an amazing amount about the herbs we’re covering and the conditions everyone wants to know about – it teaches you how to go on learning.
7) For some students, this course will cover everything they wanted to know about caring for their own dogs and set them up with an apothecary and a set of recipes to rely on for life. For others, it will form a starting place from which to build and expand herbal knowledge. Practical Herbalism can be an end in itself or the foundation of much more learning.
The course will also include 75 tried and true recipes for natural shampoo and coat conditioner, bug spray, an assortment of tinctures and glycerites, “goo balls” and herbal honeys, salves, vinegars and more. It consists of 15 modules with assignments at the end, also review worksheets so you can check your knowledge before handing in work and interactive quizzes on the site, just for fun. You will also receive 25% off any of my other courses as well as an extensive list of resources – recommended websites on nutrition, herbs and canine health.
To register, you can purchase the course at the onetime reduced price of 250$, right on this site, and I will issue your Registration right away.
I look forward to meeting you! Please ask anything about the course in the comments, too.
I am interested in doing this course. I have three dogs and I work part time which is slowing down due to my health issues and I need an interest which is useful and not too energetic and this sounds very interesting, I have done open uni courses with chemistry and biology in the past so have a very small understanding of nutrition.
Thanks. Grace.
I am so excited to start.
Hi Grace – if you have any questions you can ask here or email me at catlane@thepossiblecanine.com. You can also go ahead and enroll, purchase the course at the Introductory Price, under Courses at the top of the main page. I will get your Registration right out to you and reserve a space. 🙂
Lisa – you and me both! 🙂