Doc's Blog!
The HomeGrown Herbalist School: How It Began & Where It’s Going!
Dec
As a boy I was always a nature lover. I spent my youth exploring creeks and woods and wild places in Iowa, Pennsylvania and South Jersey. I became very interested in edible plants, wild foraging and primitive skills. Euell Gibbons and Larry Dean Olsen were my heroes. After high school I went to Peru as a Christian missionary. The night I arrived, the sweet little Peruvian lady that was hosting me for the night looked at my broken-out face and said “Pobrecito, vete al mercado and comprate mate.” (Poor thing, Go to the market and buy some mate). So off to the market I went. When I arrived I found countless folks sitting on blankets with their wares spread out for display and sale. I only had one problem, I had no idea what “mate” was. I asked the first lady if she had any. She looked at me confused and concerned. “These are frying pans” she said. “Try over that way” and pointed across the market. I worked my way through the market and asked several other vendors and learned about all kinds of things that aren’t mate; candles, alpaca wool, sandals…there are really a lot of things that aren’t mate! Finally I came upon a cute little grandma sitting on a blanket next to a large pile of leaves. I asked her if she had any mate. She cocked her head and looked at me like I was crazy, or blind or maybe just really dumb…I’d been getting a lot of that through my search. But then she pointed to the large pile of leaves and said “Mate“. I was much relieved and bought some. I took the leaves back to the house and gave them to the little lady that had sent me looking for it. She put a pot on the stove and boiled some water. Then she took the pot off the stove, threw the leaves into the pot and, draping a towel over my head, had me hold my face in the steam. The next morning my face was markedly less inflamed and irritated and my skin was much clearer. During my time in Peru I had a number of very similar experiences involving the use of medicinal plants for healing. I was deeply moved by the connection those people still had with the bounties of natural medicines that grew all around them.
When I came back to the States, I decided to go to veterinary school. During veterinary school I got a deep education on plants…plants that could make animals really sick if they ate them. But never a word on any plant that could actually help or heal an animal. It’s like the topic wasn’t even on their radar. Nonetheless, I knew differently. When I started my veterinary practice I began using medicinal plants a bit to complement my other therapies and thought they did a good job. But I wasn’t doing anything serious. Then I got the case that changed everything.
It was a Labrador retriever in liver failure. She was so jaundiced that her eyes and gums were dark yellow. Modern medicine really had nothing for what was ailing her. The owners weren’t ready to let her go so I was just keeping her comfortable with some meds and hydrated with an IV until she passed. I really had no other tools. A friend of mine came to the clinic one day and saw the dog. “Wow, what’s wrong with her?” he asked. I told him about the liver failure and that there really wasn’t anything that could be done other than keep her comfortable. “You should call Mickey” he said “He could probably give you some herbs to straighten her out”. Mickey was a friend of mine from church. He was a retired rodeo cowboy but I didn’t know he was an herbalist. I called him and told him about the dog. “Sounds like she needs some #27” he said, “I’ll bring some over“. He came to the clinic and gave me a ziploc bag full of ground herbs and told me what to do. The dog wasn’t eating at all. So, I mixed the herb powder with a little water and syringed the slurry into her mouth several times that day. The next day she was eating. Three days later she went home completely resolved. I’d never seen anything like it.
That experience lit a fire in me. I started using herbs on absolutely everything. I read dusty old herbs books. I deeply studied modern research on the phytochemistry of medicinal plants and I discovered through my own practice and cases, that herbs are astoundingly useful medicines that can often do things that pharmaceuticals can’t begin to do. I started lecturing at meetings and conferences. People started insisting that I write a book so I did The HomeGrown Herbalist. Then people started insisting that I start a school. I told them I didn’t have time to create an herb school. They said they didn’t care and that I could just do it as I was able and that they’d pay in advance. I told them they’d be lucky if I got one lesson written every month or two…or three. They said that was fine. I told them they were crazy. They agreed and started writing me checks and signing up for a school that didn’t even exist.
That’s how The HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine was born. In order to not let folks down who’d been crazy enough to pay for something that didn’t exist, I got to work. Now, years later the school has over 260 lessons deeply covering all kinds of topics like how the body works, how disease process work and how herbs can interact with those scenarios. There are over a hundred lessons just on individual plants and how I use them. There are in depth lessons on wound management, venomous bites, herb safety during pregnancy and lactation, herbal gardening, medicine making and the illnesses and issues of every single body system. Because of my veterinary credentials and my years of practice as a naturopath for humans clients (did I mention that I went to naturopathy school along the way?) the teaching in the school isn’t theoretical or hypothetical. It isn’t “cut and paste” herbalism from internet blog articles. It’s real in-the-trenches herbal medicine with a very hands-on, real-world applications derived from years of experience with real cases. Many of those cases were things that most herbalists never get to address. Gunshot wounds, snakebites and serious disease cases of all kinds were my daily fare as a veterinarian and I used herbs on all of them. Also, because I’m a veterinarian, the school offers a clearer, deeper understanding of real biology and what the body and the herbs are actually doing and how things actually work. Understanding the body and the herbs’ mechanisms of action makes a much more powerful healer than memorizing long lists of plants and all the things they’re used for.
Because of the early nature of the school and the fact that folks were paying in advance for something that didn’t exist yet, my enrollment fees have always been very low. In the past years I’ve poured enormous resources into the creation of the school and with a team of amazing computer scientists, graphic designers, editors, writers and instructors we have created an amazing platform. The dynamics of the search function on the school really are unrivaled by any other program. If you need to know something right now, you can find it immediately. We also have a student forum where we discuss cases and questions of all kinds. Having a forum is a huge time commitment for me and the other instructors but the treasure trove of learning and sharing that can happen there is well worth the effort. Our instructors and staff include a veterinarian, clinical herbalists, naturopaths, a midwife, a computer genius and a crazy herb nut and researcher with a Ph.D. in physiology.
Students have lifetime enrollment and we continue adding and updating content constantly. Why? Because through our practice and research we continue learning amazing things that need to be shared.
If you’d like to learn more about the use of medicinal plants, I encourage you to enroll in the school and begin that lifetime journey. This would be a good time to do so because the expense of recent additions in content, technology and instructors and the fact that the school is now a complete program rather than something that will exist “some day” will result in a substantial price increase in January of 2024.
Now is the time. Lifetime access to an amazing educational resource for an absurdly low price is available right now. We spend our money on lots of things. Most of them are transient and won’t improve our health and quality of life. Most of them won’t empower us with the skills to make a real difference for others. We invite you to join us. It’s a wonderful journey and we’d love to have you come along. :0)
The HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine
Doc Jones
I’m a student in the HGH School of Botanical Medicine and so excited, amazed and humbled by the depth and intensity of this school!! Affordable! So thankful for your dedication to sharing herbal education with the rest of us. Praying over your school & your precious family, as well.
In His Service,
TJudd
The school is well worth the investment. So much to learn as and when you need it.
Glad you’re enjoying it Celia.
I’ve had a really bad headache and flu symptoms for two days. The headache was the worst, so I adapted your paneaway formula with tinctures I had on hand in my apothecary, and lo and behold, the headache was gone in 30 minutes!!
Good work Janet. :0)
Fascinating Account!
Dear Doc,
I love this story! And your school. You know the saying ‘Live and Learn’, well, that is what it’s all about, isn’t it? I certainly appreciate that you are teaching what you have lived and learned. So that I can keep living well and learning much. And even teaching those around me a thing or two, also.
May God bless and keep you and yours,
Merry Christmas 🙂
Susan
Can I store my vodka in the garage in the summertime in MS, will it go bad from the heat?
Room temperature is best. I wouldn’t store it anywhere hot.
While I am sure the price is a steal, I have a hard time forking over that amount for digital content. A wonderful resource to be sure but is there any printed material included in the price?
The lessons in the school typically have a written version and a video of me going through the written lesson. The written versions can be downloaded and stored on a hard drive or printed any time.
Very neat story. 🙂 I signed up years ago … I’m not sure how many … but internet access is difficult for me, so I haven’t gotten far. I’m hoping to get unlimited data on my phone for a few months this winter so I can really get into it and make some progress. I have listened to some of the modules repeatedly (I got them onto my phone several years ago), but I wish hr information would stick better…
Thank you for what you are doing. It is really great. 🙂
Oh… in Paraguay, they call the drink they make from those leaves “tereré.” The leaves are put in a cow horn container made for the purpose. With a container of water handy, the cow horn is filled and passed to a person in the circle/group, who drinks the cold tea with a bombilla (special metal straw with a strainer at one end). The empty vessel is passed back and refilled with water and passed to the next person, who drinks the tea and passes it back. And around and around it goes. Paraguayans aren’t worried about germs. The same bombilla is shared by all. 🙂
In Argentina, mate is drunk hot and sweetened. That’s more my style. But…. don’t clamp your lips tightly onto a bombilla that is in hot mate. I learned that the hard way. 😉
Doc, I’m absolutely loving your school and all the information I’m learning and applying to my life. I wish the sponge I call my brain was younger and more absorbent so I could hold more info. Your story is fascinating to read. I will be delighted to garner one tenth of the plant knowledge you have and pass it on to my family and friends. I am currently trying to help a couple of young girls at my church learn about Herbal Medicine and my oldest granddaughter is gaining interest. Wish me luck. Thank you for the school.
Doc, Would you make a T-shirt with your HGH School logo that reads “HomeGrown Herbalist School Alumni” for those who have completed your school and are Proud graduates. I’d buy two!!!
Kelly Benjamin
I would wear it!
I’m excited to get started. I’m waiting for my book to arrive I just ordered it yesterday. I love my plants, garden, and am an artist as well. This will launch me into my retirement of helping people heal and be healthy. I’ve been on a quest for knowledge and understanding with my plants. And having all of my passions intersect your school is just what I need.
Doc Jones what is a substantial increase in terms of dollars?
I’d love to join your school but really don’t know that I can afford the payments now as I’m retired on a VERY limited income.
Doc,
Did you ever find out what herb that Peruvian lady sent you for?
If not do you have a go to for acne?
Hello from NC,
I am a new “hippie” and just learning about herbal meds for the first time!! I have just signed up for the Herbalist class and am extremely anxious to get into it; as I learned a tremendous amount from the “When there is no doctor” class. I am 57 and have Hypertension (taking 3 pills a day to get my diastolic below 95) and have sudden onset Diabetes in 2022 with a discovery A1C of 13.3. Every time I see my doctor, it seems they add another pill to my regimen. Also, they add Macrobid for a UTI EVERY time.
Is it realistic to try to replace ALL my prescription medications with herbal meds? I feel the pharmaceutical companies are forcing the doctor to add more pills so they can justify that they have tried everything.
I have managed to lose 40 pounds and my current A1C is 5.0. I don’t like keeping a large makeup bag full of chemicals they call prescriptions. Thank you for taking time to produce this class and taking the time to respond to so many questions!!