Students build relationships with the plant medicines that they will be using to create medicines for their patients. During the classes, students use organoleptic skills to experience the herbs that they are studying, including tasting, smelling, feeling, and observing. Each herb is tried in various forms including teas and tinctures. Monographs of the herbs are provided and there is discussion about the clinical usage of each plant.

This course examines in depth the following herbs: Achillea millefolium, Alchemilla vulgaris, Asparagus racemosus, Baptisia tinctoria, Ceanothus americanus, Centaurium erythraea, Eschscholzia californica, Euphrasia officinalis, Dioscorea villosa, Equisetum arvense, Galium aparine, Gentiana lutea, Geum urbanum, Glechoma hederacea, Hypericum perforatum, Hyssopus officinalis, Ligusticum porteri, Melissa officinalis, Nepeta cataria, Pimpinella anisum, Plantago spp., Rhamnus purshiana, Salvia officinalis, Salvia rosmarinus, Sambucus nigra, Solidago virgaurea, Stellaria media, Thymus vulgaris, Tilia x europaea, Urtica dioica, Usnea spp., Verbascum thapsus, Zanthoxylum americanum, and Zea mays.