Teaching allows herbalists to frame the perspective and inclinations that they approach herbalism through so that the people who come to talk with us about herbs are coming into it from a more educated place. jim can teach on topics he has the most experience with and prefers to focus on, and he can address 'pop herbalism" misinformation and oversimplification in classes so that from going into it, the people he works with get that detoxes don't fix everything, herbs don't really balance hormones, and that quick herbal fixes to long standing issues are few and far between. Classes allow herbalists to give people a sense of what they do and what to expect from working one on one, so that the people who seek us out are specifically looking for what we have to offer; this helps ensure that the clinician and client are a good fit for each other.

In this online workshop, jim will offer some insights on teaching and practice gleaned from his experience, with some practical class teaching skills thrown into the mix.

In 1994, jim mcdonald's life changed when he drank tea from a wild plant he harvested from the land he lived upon. Since those first sips of strange tea, his life in the woods and meadows of southeast michigan has been centered on the plants & ecosystems of that land, and how he might share their virtues to restore wellness with those around him. jim's approach to herbcraft is deeply rooted in the land he lives upon, and blends traditional european folk influences with 19th century eclectic and physiomedical vitalism, which he conveys with story, experience, humour, common sense, and lore to students, clients, random passersby and readers of his websites www.herbcraft.org & herbcraft.podia.com. He's taught classes throughout North America, is one of the organizers of the Great Lakes Herb Faire and is currently alternately writing “Foundational Herbcraft” and the “A Great Lakes Herbal”, in addition to articles for journals and other publications. jim is a community herbalist, a manic wildcrafter and medicine maker, and has been an ardent student of the most learned teachers of herbcraft …the plants themselves.

This class is a part of the Clinical Craft Series hosted by Sovereignty Herbs and the Herbal Practice Connexion.