Registration is now OPEN Nov 30th-Dec 13th!
Class begins in early January
This course covers the rich subject of Kitchen Medicine, demystifying herbalism and bringing it back into the home.
We'll explore the amazing medicinal uses of the culinary herbs and ways to capture their properties for medicine, both in herbal preparations and in our food. Among the most ancient of plants included in humans' diets, these plants are still much-loved and utilized in modern herbalism today
We will also delve deeply into the subject of "food as medicine". Deep immunity- true health that comes from the core- is best built through nourishing foods and the tonic herbs. We'll learn how to eat and meal prep for our personal constitutions, understand the energetics of different foods, use the tonic herbs and medicinal mushrooms daily in the kitchen, and how to get the most nutritionally from the foods we eat. There will also, of course, be plenty of medicine-making and cooking demos as well!
If you've ever wanted to explore herbalism but have felt overwhelmed and unsure which herbs are safe and effective, kitchen medicine is a great place to start! Foods like garlic, ginger, onions, rosemary, and cayenne have been used therapeutically across the globe for thousands of years and offer an amazing entry point into herbalism and natural health.
Or maybe you're a seasoned herbalist looking to bring more familiar and accessible herbs into your practice. Either way, in this course you'll learn the many facets of kitchen medicine and become fluent in the language of "food as medicine" and the top medicinal herbs to work with in the kitchen!
COURSE FEATURES
6 Core Modules
Containing 15+ hours of audio and video lessons
Deep Exploration of Kitchen Medicine
Culinary Herbs, Adaptogens, Herbal Soups and Broths, Seaweed Medicine, Remineralizing, Nutritive Tonics, Medicinal Mushrooms, and more
Folk Medicine-Making in the Kitchen
Bitters, Cordials, Herbal Honeys, Oxymels, Herbal Ghee, Electuaries, Infusions, and more
Self-Paced
Lifetime access to the course. Modules release weekly but you never lose course access should you choose to complete at your own pace
Live Calls
3 LIVE calls for all your questions (replays will be available)
January 23rd, Feb 6th and Feb 20th, 2024
7pm EST
Over 250 pages of PDF Handouts and Recipes
PDFs included with each module containing photos and monographs/materia medica of herbs discussed, further reading material and resources, and 80+ recipes
Accessible Format
Closed-captioned videos and written transcripts for audio lectures included in course material
Extra Bonus Material
Harvesting & Drying Herbs for the Home Apothecary
Growing the Home Medicine Garden ebook (30+ pages)
For the Love of Nettles ebook (75+ pages)
Herbal Fermentation Guide
TOPICS INCLUDE
Medicinal Uses of the Culinary Herbs
Full Materia Medica for over 25 Kitchen Herbs
Have you ever wondered why Sage is always included in stuffing? Or why Parsley is used to garnish meals? Or why a flavorful, spice-filled dish like curry leaves you feeling so good? It's because the culinary herbs represent a class of highly medicinal herbs that have been incorporated into traditional foodways for millenia for their healing properties and much of this ancient food wisdom persists (albeit sometimes hidden) to this day! In this course you'll learn to be intentional with the herbs you use to spice your food in order to cultivate health and healing. The "materia medica" of a plant is it's full medicinal profile and we'll go deep into over 25 familiar household spices and unlock their secrets and medicine.
Medicinal Mushrooms
In the Kitchen, Recipes, and Medicinal Use
Medicinal mushrooms are incredibly popular right now and for good reason! They have been shown to both modulate and boost immunity, support the nervous system, prevent cancer, contain potent antioxidants, and more. Many of these mushrooms are delicious and can be easily incorporated into the diet and are accessible at most grocery stores. We'll learn about the top medicinal mushrooms and their full range of medicinal and culinary use and ways to work with them in the kitchen and beyond.
Food as Medicine
Food and Herbal Energetics, Remineralizing, and Eating for your Constitution
One of the biggest challenges to healthy eating is understanding which foods are best for your own personal constitution. Understanding this nuance is what can elevate a food from a simple ingredient to a medicine and is why one person might get a beneficial effect from a certain herb or food and another person might not! We'll learn how the herbs and foods we study effect the body based on understanding the 5 flavors, particularly the energetics and medicinal properties of each of the different flavors, because each of the flavors exerts its own medicinal influence on the body! In this context "energetics" refers to the way foods and herbs effect the temperature and moisture scale of the body, as well supporting different body systems such as the digestive, endocrine, nervous system and more. Students will be able to apply what they've learned to decipher which foods and herbs would be best for themselves (or their clients) with confidence.
Seaweed Medicine
In the Kitchen, Recipes, and Medicinal Use
Seaweeds, also known as sea vegetables, are among the most nutrient-dense foods on earth and have a long history of use as food and medicine throughout the globe. Kelp, Wakame, Dulse, Sea Lettuce, and Nori are just a few examples of the wide array of brown, red, and green seaweeds that can be added to soups, stews, spice blends, and more. They contain the "umami" flavor, also known as "savory factor," and they enhance the over-all depth of flavor to any dish and don't taste fishy, contrary to popular belief! Rich in immune-supporting polysaccharides as well as an impressive array of trace minerals, seaweeds pack a huge nutritional punch delivered in small doses (a little goes a long way because they're so nutrient-rich) and in this course you'll learn their medicinal benefits and easy ways to incorporate their flavors into your cooking and medicine.
Herbal Ghee
Medicinal Benefits and How to Make Your Own
Ghee is an ancient preparation from India that is said to brighten the mind and "build ojas," aka vitality. Modern research shows that it also helps repair the gut, contains healthy fats, boosts brain health, is anti-inflammatory, and supports digestion. It's a wonderful vehicle for delivering herbs deep into the body and we'll learn which herbs to infuse into ghee and how to make your own herbal ghee from the comfort of your own kitchen.
Adaptogens & Tonic Herbs
Infusing your Meals with Immune-Boosting and Stress-Busting Herbs
Adaptogens are the antidote to stress- be it it physical, emotional, environmental, or all of the above. It's no secret that the rigors of daily modern life have taken a toll on many people's lives and the adaptogens are the class of herbs that can best remedy the effects of depletion and burn-out. They help re-build energy, stamina, and vitality while improving sleep, supporting cognition and brain health, nourishing the nervous system, and decreasing stress and anxiety. If they sound like "wonder herbs" it's because they are! They are among the most revered tonic herbs (meaning safe for daily use) found within herbalism and include famous herbs like Ginseng and Reishi Mushroom. Many of these adaptogens are tradition food-as-medicines and we'll learn the medicinal properties, dosaging, and best preparations for getting these important and potent herbs into your daily life.
Gut Health
Optimizing Digestion, Enhancing Nutrient Absorption, and Healing the Gut
In herbalism there's a bit of an anti-adage to the classic "you are what you eat." Instead, we often say, "you are what you absorb!" Traditional medicine systems the world over view the digestive system as being inextricably tied to health and vitality. It's linked to energy, mood, inflammation levels, and even immunity. We'll discuss ways to optimize nutrient absorption, maintain healthy blood sugar levels, heal the gut, and support overall digestive health.
Folk Medicine-Making in the Kitchen
Bitters, Cordials, Honeys...
....as well as Oils, Vinegars, Oxymels, Finishing Salts, Electuaries, Infusions, Wild Sodas, Medicinal Ferments, Teas, and more. Stocking the home apothecary (and refrigerator, and cabinets, and pantry) with healing foods and medicines is one of the greatest joys of home medicine-making. The self-sufficiency and ability to provide for your family and community when in need provides medicine security and a deep sense of satisfaction. This course will teach participants how to make classic herbal preparations such as tinctures and herbal oils as well as food-as-medicine crossover preparations like herbal honeys, oxymels, cordials, and more.
Nourishing Soups & Broths
Bone Broths, Deep Immune Broths, Herbal Broths, and Medicinal Soups
If there was one herbal preparation I would never want to be without, it's herbal broths and soups. These are a staple in my home and I'm so inspired to share all I've learned about them in this course so they can become a staple in your home too. They weave together all the categories of herbs and foods we cover- culinary herbs, adaptogens, seaweeds, medicinal mushrooms, and more- and can deliver a huge amount of medicine with little effort in the preparation. Once you learn to prepare your own I'm sure you'll find yourself reaching for quarts from the freezer on a weekly basis at the very least! We'll go in-depth on my favorite herbs to add, how to do it, and what they're good for.
What students are saying....
"This is such a wonderful course- can't recommend enough! I took it last year and revisit the material all the time. It's a fantastic value and a great way to get inspired, feel empowered, and beat the winter blues!"
"I so, so loved this course. It's put together so beautifully and the information is incredible. This helped me feel so validated with the direction I want to continue going in herbalism."
"This online series is one of my favorite herbal experiences I’ve had! I’ve been studying herbalism for 4 years and wondered if I should take this course or not and I am so so happy I did. The content is so rich and there’s so much magic within this series."
"TAKE THIS COURSE! If you're thinking about it, DO IT! So good! I learned so much when I took it in 2020 and am still referring to the materials and teachings and recipes! Do yourself a favor and tap into what our grandmother's grandmother's knew- food is medicine! And magic."
"The sheer amount of information delivered in this course was incredible. With Jade's skilled teaching style, she made it possible for us to learn so much in such a short time. Highly recommend!"
This Course Is For You If....
- You love cooking
- You want to get more creative in the kitchen
- You lead a busy life and need a self-paced course
- You're new to herbalism and want to start-off by learning about familiar, accessible herbs
- You're not new to herbalism but want to deepen and re-inspire your kitchen medicine practice
- You believe in the power of kitchen medicine and want to learn how to elevate your spice shelf to a medicine cabinet, your crock pot into a cauldron, and your refrigerator into your home apothecary!
This Course Isn't For You If...
- You're not ready to dive into the rich world of kitchen herbalism
- You don't believe in the healing power of foods and herbs
- You're not ready to learn how to heal yourself and community with common household foods and spices from the kitchen
Example Curriculum
Your Instructor
Jade Alicandro has been in relationship with the green world since childhood and has been studying herbalism formally since 2005. She brings a deep love of kitchen medicine to her work as a clinical herbalist and when she’s not teaching students and apprentices you can usually find her roaming the hedges with her harvest basket in hand or at home in the kitchen brewing-up some potent food as medicine. She’s a mother of two, tender of a menagerie of farm animals (including chickens, goats, kittens and beloved family pup), cook, writer, online educator, and half-gardener to her mostly wild gardens where the plants more or less grow themselves. From 2012-2019 she ran the Greenfield Community Herbal Clinic, a low-cost clinic dedicated to affordable herbal care, and she maintains a long-distance and local clinical practice.
Her writings have appeared in Loam Magazine, The Botanical Anthology, Aromaculture Magazine, the Northeast Herbal Association Journal, The Other Almanac, Plant Healer Magazine, Herbaria, and numerous zines. She teaches throughout the country, presents regularly at herbal conferences, and has been an herbal educator with Herb Pharm since 2015.
The weeds will forever have her heart and her current favorite plants are Wild Rose (Rosa multiflora), Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) and Nettles (Urtica dioica). She makes her home in the rolling hills of western Massachusetts. Learn more about her work at www.milkandhoneyherbs.com or find her on social media @milkandhoneyherbs
Education
Jade has completed a 2 year training in Clinical Herbalism at Clearpath School of Herbal Studies, and is also a graduate of Blazing Star Herbal School, The Gaia School of Healing & Earth Education, the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine, FEAST Permaculture Design Certification, and the Goldthread Apothecary Clinical Herbalism 200 hr Training. She has also completed advanced clinical training and a clinical mentorship at the Commonwealth Center for Holistic Herbalism. She holds a B.S. in Plant Biology and a B.S in Wildlife Conservation from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the course start and finish?
The course starts in early January. Modules will be released weekly beginning the first week of January but feel-free to complete each at your own pace!
Do I have lifetime access to the course?
Of course! We know how busy life can get. After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own- so you can complete it on your own schedule when you have the time.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We are so proud of this course and the wealth of information it contains but if you are unsatisfied with your purchase and it doesn't meet your expectations, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.
Are there any live portions of class?
Yes! Between Jan 8th and Feb 20th we'll have three live calls for all your questions about the course material and to deepen the learning. Replays will be available and sent to every student as well.
Will a certificate be awarded upon completion?
Yes! Students will receive a certificate upon completion of the course.
I'll never forget a certain lesson my teacher assigned us one day during my first herbal apprenticeship many years ago...
She had us go up to her herbal library and research the medicinal uses of the culinary herbs. I was amazed and enthralled by what I discovered! Little did I know that the reason that we still cook with these herbs to this day is in fact a holdover from times when it was common knowledge that they were highly medicinal. Ever since then I've been a kitchen medicine fanatic. In this course we'll learn about the medicinal uses of over 25 common and well-known culinary herbs- all of which can be found in the grocery store and can easily be grown, even in pots on the patio!
This is one of my all time favorite things about kitchen herbalism- it's accessibility- and is one of the reasons I'm so passionate about it! In addition to learning about these potent kitchen herbs we'll also cover medicinal mushrooms, seaweeds, nutritives, and adaptogen herbs that lend themselves well creative endeavors in the kitchen. When you're done with this course you'll be able to whip-up medicinal dishes every time you cook!
The nexus of herbalism and kitchen medicine provides fertile ground for healing. I'm so passionate about this union and am grateful to have the opportunity to distill my knowledge about this subject into this online course. The information provided here-in will give beginner herbalists a beautiful entry point into herbalism and inspire seasoned herbalists with renewed respect for the healing power of kitchen herbs. May you all be well and hoping to see you all in the "virtual" classroom!
In community,
Jade
