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Dear Students, at Sage Consulting & Apothecary, we are responding to the Corona Virus situation as it unfolds. It has recently become obvious that offering the 2021 Herbal Foundations Program is not going to go forward this year. We want you to know that we appreciate you and your interest in our exciting program and we look forward to seeing you next year.
For those of you who have applied for a scholarship, we will be reviewing the applications - there are so many good ones! - and we will be announcing the winner in 2022 before next year's program.
We are so sorry for any inconvenience and we hope to be able to offer some weekend programs in the summer when all of this is behind us.
is an intensive certification course of 27 exciting herbal classes, providing a rich educational foundation of holistic self care. Classes will be streamed and recorded from a live classroom experience. Students will have the option to attend the classes live, and to have questions answered during class. They will also have the option to listen to each class from a recording at their leisure. The program is updated to offer additional classes and an even more enriched and interactive learning experience. We are especially proud of our exceptional faculty, which includes clinical herbalists with over 100 years of combined experience as well as an Associate Professor from UCCS and a teacher with 32 years experience. Topics covered include herbal materia medica taught by body system, herbal constituents, identification in the field, harvesting, processing, preparations, herbal actions, formulating, nutrition, herbal gardening, herbal research methods, aromatherapy and more. The classes are held on Sundays, from April 5th – Oct 11th, with five holidays and breaks between classes.
What to Expect
These classes provide a solid foundation of herbal training for those wishing to incorporate herbal healing into their own lives or to begin a career in the healing arts. Students will have the opportunity to absorb and share information in an exciting atmosphere of participation and community. Graduates are given the tools necessary to create herbal protocols and preparations for many common health imbalances within their circle of family and friends.
Earn a Certificate
Students will have the option to complete homework and assignments in order to earn a certificate of completion, or may complete the program without homework if desired. Students planning on earning a certificate will be responsible for weekly homework and other assignments, as well as designing and creating their own herbal preparations and herbal protocols for student projects. Students should prepare to spend 2-3 hours per week on study and homework and should plan to attend classes and complete assignments.
OUR FACULTY:
Valerie Blankenship: Classes are taught by Sage Consulting & Apothecary’s Herbalist and Clinician, Valerie Blankenship, with over 30 years experience as Clinician, herbal educator and formulator. She also teaches classes at UCCS and for the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism.Valerie is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist’s Guild. Membership requires an intensive, peer-reviewed application process with the professional herbalist’s organization. She was chosen as one of the Best Holistic Practitioners in the Colorado Springs Community for the past seven years. Valerie will be joined by the following Instructors:
Yaremi Dávila is a pharmacist who was trained in herbal
preparations at the beginning of her career. She is a graduate of the Sage Herbal Foundation Program. She is currently applying her knowledge and experience in Quality Control to the herbal field. Yaremi believes that food is the best medicine for our bodies.
Kat Mackinnon is the clinic program director and former botany director at the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism (CSCH). She is a registered professional member of the American Herbalist Guild, and in addition to her work for CSCH teaches her own classes through Meet the Green, including online courses on plant identification and herbalism.
Brigitte Mars, an herbalist with over 40 years experience. She teaches all over the country and is the author of many books and DVDs, including The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine, Beauty by Nature, Addiction Free Naturally, The Sexual Herbal, and Rawsome!, as well as the herbal phone app, iPlant.
Jeanie Taylor with over 32 years teaching experience, a life-long gardener with a Permaculture Design Certificate and 2015 graduate of the Sage Herbal Foundations Program, which she considers “a live-changing learning experience”.
Joan M.L. Zinn, owner and operator of Medicine Hill Herbs, is an herbalist, healing consultant, editor, writer and teacher. She works from her consultation studio space, surrounded by herb gardens in Centennial, Colorado. She is presently consulting on and editing a textbook on herbal medicine. She teaches for the Institute of Bioenergetic Medicine.
April 5th • AM: Herbal Properties and Actions – Valerie Blankenship
We will begin with a brief look at the history of herbalism in the US. Next we will cover the actions and properties of herbs, and review some of the most important herbs in each category. This is an organized, cohesive method for learning about herbs that will provide you with the necessary tools for the development of your herbal knowledge base.
April 5th • PM: Materia Medica Part I – Valerie Blankenship
In this class we will take a look at some of the most interesting and important herbs and discover what makes them valuable as medicine. You will learn to identify the herbs by recognizing their distinguishing characteristics and learn how to use them for healing.
April 12th • EASTER BREAK (No Class)
April 19th • AM: Materia Medica Part II – Valerie Blankenship
This class is Part II of the previous class
April 26th • AM: Aromatherapy Basics – Margaret Harris
In this fun, interactive class, we will cover the principles and applications of aromatherapy. You will be learn how oils are produced, how to tell a poor quality oil from a high quality one, and how to use oils therapeutically. You will be introduced to the scents, applications, and dilutions for 10 or more important essential oils and learn practical applications and dilutions for each.
May 3rd • AM: Herbal Medicine Making I – Oils, Salves & Poultices –
Joan Zinn
Immerse yourself in this hands-on class, where you will learn to make your own herbal medicines for yourself and your family! You will be making herbal oils, salves and poultices in Part I. In addition to learning how to make these herbal medicines, there will be a fun, bonus preparation, plus lots of recipes.
May 10th • MOTHER’S DAY (No Class)
May 17th • AM: Healing Digestive Disorders – Margaret Harris
This class will cover the digestive system and how to maintain its health. We will look at major digestive imbalances, including constipation, diarrhea, IBS, colitis, parasites and candida. Included in the class will be information on food combining, juicing, raw food diets, cleansing and weight loss basics.
May 26th • MEMORIAL WEEKEND (No Class)
May 31st • AM: A Low Elevation Herb Walk in a Magical Garden – Brigitte Mars
(We will meet at a local garden) You will learn to identify and use many edible and medicinal plants that grow wild in the Colorado area. You will be introduced to the art of wildcrafting, plant lore, botanical pharmacology, and medicinal uses to the plants. Learn the basics of holistic healing where nature is the classroom. Plant walks emphasize understanding the medicinal actions of plants through taste and smell, as well as through traditional and clinical indications.
May 31st • PM: Herbs for Women’s Health – Brigitte Mars
Learn to use food, herbs, essential oils and other natural remedies to improve menstrual and breast health, libido, fertility and to ease through the menopausal years smoothly.
June 7th • AM: Life-Changing Fermented Foods – Valerie Blankenship
Fermented foods have been used by traditional peoples all over the world for thousands of years. If used on a regular basis, fermented foods can provide amazing health benefits to help reverse many wide-ranging conditions. In this exciting new hands-on class, you will learn the traditional methods of preparing cultured foods of all kinds in your own kitchen. Together, we will prepare a delicious fermented dish for you to take home for your own use.
June 21st • FATHER’S DAY (No Class)
June 28th • PM: Healing Cardiovascular Disorders – Margaret Harris
This class will cover the cardiovascular system, including the heart, arteries, and veins. We will examine the root causes of heart disease, varicose veins, high and low blood pressure, poor circulation, and cholesterol imbalances and how to reverse these disorders using herbal strategies and proper diet.
July 5th • AM: Harvesting and Processing Medicinal Herbs –
Jeanie Taylor
An experiential class, where you will learn how to properly harvest, process, and dry medicinal leaves, flowers, roots and seeds, each in their correct season to capture medicinal constituents at their peak.
July 5th • PM: Gardening with Medicinal Herbs – Jeanie Taylor
Get inspired to grow your own food and medicine. We will discuss site evaluation, soil building, appropriate herbal and edible plantings, pollinators, and garden maintenance. We will visit a local garden with many examples of herbs and edible plants.
July 19th • AM: Herbal Medicine Making II – Tinctures & Percolations – Yaremi Dávila
You will be learning how to calculate and prepare tinctures and percolations in this herbal preparations section. You will learn the medicinal properties of some important herbs, and you will leave with lots of useful recipes.
July 26th • AM: Healing Kidney & Bladder Disorders – Joan Zinn
In this class will explore the function of the kidneys, bladder, and urinary tract and the common disorders associated with them. Bladder weakness, kidney infections, UTIs, and kidney stones will all be covered. You will learn how to properly treat these imbalances using herbs from several important categories, including demulcents, astringents, antibacterial & diuretics.
August 2nd • AM: Healing the Immune/Lymphatic System –
Valerie Blankenship
Your immunity is an integrated system with many moving parts. In this class, we will focus on the amazing lymphatic system, a critical part of the immune system that is able to identify and destroy foreign pathogens, providing you with protection from infection and autoimmunity by strengthening the immune system.
August 9th •AM: Dietary Basics – Valerie Blankenship & Yaremi Dávila
(We will meet at Valerie’s house in Woodland Park) Good nutrition is at the foundation of vibrant health and disease resistance. Using the fundamentals that you learned in the Digestion, Fermentation, Pancreas and Immune classes, you will discover the fundamentals of nutrition from the Vitalist viewpoint. In this fun, interactive class, you will learn how you how to choose and prepare the highest quality foods in a healthful manner for ultimate health.
August 16th • CLASS BREAK
August 23rd • AM: Herbal Research – Margaret Harris
Are herbs researched? Absolutely! But the quality of the research and the interpretation of the data is a mixed bag. Become an informed consumer of herbal research and information. Learn the differences between poor quality vs high quality research of medicinal herbs and how the nutrition field and the food industry may influence that research.
August 30th • AM: Healing the Pancreas – Valerie Blankenship
In this class we will learn the causes of diabetes and hypoglycemia. Proper nutrition and supplementation with herbs and other nutrients can reverse these disorders if caught in time. We will review what optimal blood sugar levels are, and you will get to take a glucose test in class to determine whether your blood sugar is in balance.
September 6th • AM: Healing Musculoskeletal Disorders – Joan Zinn
Our bones, joints and muscles and teeth provide the framework for our entire system. What happens when inflammation and degeneration begin to weaken our valuable musculoskeletal system? How do we address the pain and stiffness experienced with arthritis and thinning bones? In this class, you will learn to use herbs to balance the conditions and diseases of your muscles, bones, and teeth.
September 13th • AM: Herbal Medicine Making III: Infusions, Decoctions, Syrups, Herbal Honeys, and Capsules – Valerie Blankenship
In this interactive herbal preparations class, you will expand your medicine making skills by learning the correct way to prepare medicinal infusions, decoctions, double and triple decoctions, medicinal syrups and capsules. In addition to these preparations, there will be a fun, bonus preparation, plus lots of recipes.
September 20th • AM: Herbal First Aid – Valerie Blankenship
This class is always a student favorite. You will be surprised at your ability to address many first aid emergencies using natural ingredients and preparations. Many of the first aid supplies can be found in your own kitchen! Included will be treatments for spider and animal bites, allergic reactions, poisonings, and heart attacks, as well as more common issues including cuts and scrapes. You will also learn the Heimlich maneuver.
September 27th • AM: Healing Respiratory Disorders – Joan Zinn
Delve into the patterns of acute and chronic respiratory disease, and learn how to regain the health of the upper and lower respiratory system using diet, herbs and special therapies. You will also learn about the side effects of common medications given for colds, flu, allergies and asthma, and how to apply safe, effective herbal alternatives.
October 4th • AM: Cannabis – Valerie Blankenship
This is an exploration into the hot topic of Cannabis. We will cover its fascinating history throughout the years, including its use by the medical establishment. You will learn the differences between CBD and THC, and how they are used together, the differences between hemp and marijuana, how hybridization may cause side effects, lab accuracy issues and dosing for a variety of health concerns. In addition, we will cover the interesting story of Phoenix Tears.
October 11th • AM: Student Research Projects and Graduation Celebration
Student projects consist of special topics chosen by the students themselves which are researched and presented to the class.
REGISTRATION
To sign up for this program, please call Sage Consulting and Apothecary at
719-473-9702, or visit us online at www.sagewomanherbs.com, or at the store/apothecary, 2727 N. Tejon St., Colorado Springs, CO 80907.
Class Dates and Times
Classes will be held: Sundays from April 5th - October 11th
Class Times:
AM Classes held: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
A few Sundays will have 2 classes held: 9:30 pm -
4:00 with 1 hour lunch break
Location
Classes will be held in the classroom at 2727 N. Tejon St., Colorado Springs. There will be field trips to Woodland Park, Mesa Gardens, a garden in Centennial and nearby community gardens where local herbs are grown for our apothecary.
Fee Schedule
The following fee schedule must be adhered to in order to successfully graduate from the program and receive a certificate:
Discount
Pay in full by March 28th, 2020 and receive a $100 discount!
March 7th................. $300 due
(non-refundable deposit)
March 28th............... $250 due
May 2nd …………………….$250 due
June 6th......... ………..$250 due
July 4th.......... ………..$250 due
Total ............. ……….. $1,300
Refund Policy
We ask that applicants carefully consider their commitment to this program. This course will be closed after the first day of class and we will not be able to fill any vacated seats. Therefore, we offer a 50% refund of the full program cost for withdrawing within the first 30 days. No refunds are offered following the first 30 days of the program.
Book List
The following books are recommended for students of the Sage Herbal Foundations Program. Although not required, they are reliable sources written by knowledgeable herbalists with clinical experience and are highly useful for research in and out of the classroom.
Other Recommended Resources
Henriette’s Herbal Homepage
http://www.henriettesherbal.com/ A wonderful resource of Herbal FAQ’s, downloaded herbal texts and so much more. Created by Henriette Kress.
Southwest School of Botanical Medicine: www.swsbm.com
The late Michael Moore was a brilliant and generous herbalist whose website is loaded with herbal information, downloaded herbal classics, medicinal plant images and more. You can also download his Herb Manuals for free.