Studying herbs can be a challenge. Especially when required to do so on your own. Our ever expanding collection of distance learning courses and e-learning programs presents you with the best practical ways to make herbs work in your life.

The SA Herb Academy short courses and e-learning programs are intended for busy people who cares about their health and the environment and who want to develop a working knowledge of the various fields in herbology.

We currently feature 6 different courses ranging between 4 and 26 weeks in duration and most only require 2 to 4 hours per week to complete. And because your study material is delivered via the internet these courses are extremely affordable.

Best of all, when enrolling in a SA Herb Academy course you are never on your own. You get your own facilitator and your fellow participants are also always there to help you make the most of learning about herbs.

So bookmark this site and come back often. Better still, get your own copy of the Online Course Prospectus and start your learning today.

"You have no idea how grateful I am that you do what you do. The classes you teach are the best that I have come across - well organized, hands-on learning, complete in material needed to learn the subject, and all this in such a short amount of time - that's incredible. And on top of that, and I am sure I speak for everyone, I enjoyed every step of it.

Before I took these classes, I was so overwhelmed because I didn't know where to start, and also depressed, because I was afraid that during this lifetime, I would never be able to do the one thing that makes me feel complete - I don't feel like that now. My person feels better. I am probably being a little too corny, but the happiness this has brought to me is like finding the missing piece of the puzzle. I even picked out a special kind of paper for my journal." - Wendy, USA

Herb Studies

Basic Botany For Herbologists

Basic botany and plant identification are absolutely essential skills in the repertoire of the herbologist. This 4 week online course provides a basic introduction to the field of botany, plant naming (nomenclature), plant classification (taxonomy) and external characteristics (morphology) from a herbologists perspective.

This course is intended for people who have little or no botanical background and who want to develop a working knowledge of herbs. Read more...

"This has been an inspiring journey of expanding knowledge and sharpening skills when it comes to herbology. I found it stimulating studying and knowing that there were others also studying and I was not alone. Well done to a well-organized course all round." - Karen, South Africa

"A wonderful course that I enjoyed very much. It equipped me with the basics to further my study of herbs for the rest of my life, for which I am very thankful. In particular, the structured manner in which it is presented, is very helpful. Fantastic resources and reading material supplied - enough there to keep me busy for a while! I do not have any criticism and will wholeheartedly recommend this course to others. Thank you. So, what's next? Please send instructions how to enroll for the individual herb studies.... I can't wait!!" - South Africa

The study of individual herbs is a core subject in any herbology course. Contrary to contemporary courses on this subject which follow a superficial theoretical approach, the Plant Journaling for Herbologists course encourages a practical ‘hands on' approach called 'plant journaling' to acquiring an in-depth working knowledge of herbs.

It is intended for the serious hobbyist, would-be professional and professional herbologist, who wants to use a tried and tested approach to acquiring a working knowledge of individual herbs. Read more...

"This has been a great journey for me -  I really loved the course and it was set out perfectly. If we had seen what was involved in totality we would have been overwhelmed I reckon. It was perfect to do one section at a time and focus on that. It was great all over. Thank you so much." - Tanja, South Africa

"This course is a practical guideline to really keep all my experiences of herbs in a specific and logic way and to be able to add more information in the future. This course is also an excellent reference to all new experiences that I will have in the future with different herbs. Before doing this course I did ‘journal’ some of my experiences and especially recipes down, but not in an orderly way, like I would be able to do now. I’ve also met people who share my interest in herbs, so I have friends whom I can chat to if I have any new questions about herbs. Their experiences, passions and feedback help a lot and make a big difference in my experience of herbs." - Hettie, South Africa

To help beginners all over the world the SA Herb Academy developed a practical learning program for people who want to learn how to start and run their own productive and successful small-scale herb and vegetable gardens.

It is a complete easy-to-follow, practical, food gardening program that comes with an exact blueprint that eliminates guesswork, shortens your learning curve, and ensures success anywhere – a city garden, a small holding, or a farm.

Joining this learning program your immediate rewards will be a feeling of achievement, organic herbs and vegetables that burst with flavour and overflow with health enhancing properties, shorter food miles and lower food bills.

Read more...

The Green Healers Apprentice

Herbal Medicine Making

The art and craft of making herbal remedies is all about using the best method and the best solvent to extract the health giving properties of a specific herb. In Herbal Medicine Making a team of highly competent and peer respected herbologists teaches you, step-by-step, how to make a popular range of both internal (oral) and external (topical) herbal preparations.

The program goes way beyond popular folk methods - those that you found in most popular herb books. These methods do work, and their simplicity often belies their effectiveness.  But to become a competent herbologist you also need to be familiar with the 'official' (pharmacopoeia / dispensatory method) and 'standard' (contemporary herbalist's method) of herbal medicine making.

To achieve the above our team of herbologists supply you with detailed instructions and supplementary information on best practices for folk, official and standard methods (where applicable).