Level 1: In-Person

In-Person Herbal Foundations Certificate Program

The Herbal Foundations Level 1 Certificate Program is our most popular program.

  • This program is offered live at our shop and classroom in Providence, Rhode Island.
  • Herbal Foundations in person program  is organized as a series of six once-a-month Saturday classes focused on the how-to of Western Herbalism, and taught by Farmacy’s own Mary Blue. She has been teaching this class 2-3x per year since 2006.
  • If you are interested in an online version of this course, please click here.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to check out our FAQs!

Upcoming Program

WE ARE CURRENTLY ACCEPTING STUDENTS FOR:

2024 Herbal Foundations Summer Program
10AM-3PM
Dates: Saturdays 10am-3pm- May 4 , June 8, July 13, August 10, September 14, October 12

This program offers:
In-depth coverage of herbal actions and herbal terminology, regulatory and legal guidelines, local plant identification, herbal first aid, and herbal body system support

The how-to of solvency and medicine-making, formulating decoctions/infusions, tincturing, syrups, salves, liniments, creams, poultices, infused oils and more!

Herbal protocols for dental health, immune health, endocrine health, digestive health, reproductive health, respiratory health, elders, children, birthing people, and transgender people

Everyday uses of over 50 plants and an introduction to concepts of nutritional healing

Plant walks and herbal garden activities (season dependent)

This program comes with:

  • Access to Herbal Foundations Online, including 20 hours of video lectures, questionnaires, and notes to advance your herbal education. This requires an hour of homework per week.
  • Samples of herbal products made in class, including tinctures, salves, poultices, syrups, and bulk herbs
  • A hardcopy of Mary Blue’s Herbal Foundations book to advance your herbal education
  • Hands-on-training and exercises supporting plant identification, herbal formula making, and product formulation
  • A certificate of herbal education
  • A complete Materia Medica of plants you research during the program (this requires about an hour of homework per month).

Payment Options

Prices

The in-person Level 1 Herbal Foundations Program is offered at a sliding scale. A 50% deposit is required to hold a space in the class. We do accept payment plans.

Yearly Income

Price

Under $20,000 per year

$1,000

$20-$30,000 per year

$,1300

Over $30,000 per year

$1,500

 

Scholarships

Farmacy’s Herbal Scholarships are designated for individuals from marginalized backgrounds, including people of color, immigrants, those who have historically faced obstacles in accessing herbal education and healthcare, transgender, queer, and gender nonconforming individuals, people with disabilities, and those with annual incomes below $10,000 (excluding college students whose tuition is covered by their parents). Scholarship applications for our programs are accepted on an annual basis in January. We are pleased to share that all scholarship positions for our 2023 programs have been allocated.

Apply here for the scholarship program.

Internship/Work Trade

We accept work trade as payment for our Herbal Foundations Level 1 class. We have a limited number of spaces available for each work trade slot. Work trade hours are completed through our internship program, and all hours must be completed before they can be used for class credit.

Learn more about our internship program here.

Policies

Cancellation Policy:
Cancellation within 2 months before event/class/internship: full refund.
Cancellation within 1 month before event/class/internship: 50% refund.
Cancellation within 2 weeks before event/class/internship: 25 % refund.
Cancellation within 2 weeks of event date OR after event/class/ internship has started: 0% refund.

Missed Class Policy:

  • Students are required to come to the first class of the program.
  • If they cannot attend the first class, they will need to transfer to the next program.  Please make sure you can attend when you register.
  • Students have access to classes they sign up for.
  • Students will need to request a “hardship notification form” to be eligible to make up a missed class during the next session.
  • We allow for only ONE make up class for folks who have requested the hardship form: they have had a death in the family, had a serious disease diagnosis, have tested positive for COVID the day before class.

Classroom Values:
In our classes, we prioritize the incorporation of social justice and health justice principles. We are committed to establishing a space that is inclusive, welcoming, and accessible to all who wish to explore the world of herbalism. We kindly ask that both instructors and participants interact with one another in a manner that demonstrates respect and inclusivity, irrespective of gender, class, race/culture, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status, political beliefs, age, ability, or appearance. In all Farmacy programs, we acknowledge and work to dismantle systemic oppression, in order to address and work towards dismantling the deeply ingrained inequalities and injustices that persist in society.

For more information, FAQ and Testimonials, click here.

Testimonials

FAQ

How do I sign up for the Herbal Foundations Certificate Program?
Fill out the registration form linked to this page, with a $500.00 deposit to hold your space. Due to the popularity of the program, we can’t hold a space if you do not put a deposit down.

How can I make up a class if I miss one?
Due COVID restrictions on how many people we can have in our classroom, and the popularity of the program, students only have access to the class during the session that they sign up for.

What does  “certification” mean in the Herbal Foundations Certificate Program? 
Our program awards students who complete the program with a “certificate of completion”. THIS DOES NOT MAKE YOU A “CERTIFIED” HERBALIST. This is a level 1 program, and earning a certification of completion from our program allows you to confidently move forward in the world as a beginner herbalist. There are no government regulations regarding certification for herbalists, and there is currently no standard of herbal education amongst herbalists  in the US. The certificate of completion with Farmacy Herbs and Mary Blue carries the reputation of this 15 year old herbal program in New England and beyond.

To receive a certificate, students must:

  1. Attend all in person classes
  2. Complete all homework assignments
  3. Complete the final project.

How do I apply for a scholarship? 
We will have our scholarship applications available in February & March for the following years programs. Click here to check out if we are accepting applications.

Where are the classes held? 
90% of the summer session is held at our classroom/ shop in Providence (we have a 1 class on the farm).  100% of the winter session is held at our classroom/shop space in Providence. 28 Cemetery St. Providence, RI.

How long are your classes, and how often do they meet?
Level One in person Herbal Foundations program meets one Saturday a month from 10:00AM to 4:00 PM from May to October in the summer and November to April in the winter. Specific dates are listed above. Students are welcome to shadow in our production kitchen 1x per month. Herbal Foundations Online releases an hour of videos, notes and quizzes every Monday for 6 months.

Do you have a payment plan?
Yes we do. You need to put $500.00 down to save a space and payments need to be paid in full by the first class of the program.

How does the sliding scale work?
See our Scholarships page for a full description.
We do not require any proof of income. It is on the honor system.
If you are a student and your parents pay your expenses, then you fall under their income level.

What is your refund policy?
Cancellation 2 weeks before class: full refund
Cancellation 1 week before class: 75% refund
Cancellation 1 day before class: 50% refund
Cancellation day of class/ through the first week of class: 25% refund
After one week of class: 0% refund

Can I do work trade?
Work trade needs to be completed before the hours can be used as payment. This requires pre-planning and starting your work trade 6-8 months before the program begins. Work trade for level 1 is only  available  between the months of April – November.  Therefore, you need to start your work trade in April to apply them to the November-April winter program. Work traders need to go through an interview, have references and have their own transportation.

How do I know if the program is full?
We usually keep a note on the top of this page if the program is full. If the registration link is available on this page, there is space. There are sometimes last minute cancellations and we will have a waiting list form posted if there are cancellations.

Can someone answer my specific questions?
Yes! Give us a call at 401-270-5223 or email us at farmacyherbinfo@gmail.com. Come by the shop, see our classroom! All of the folks working here have been through the programs here and are happy to answer questions.