Medicinal Trees and Their Healing Properties

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This course takes you through the key details of how woody botanicals produce their medicinal effects. From forest bathing to pain control, from digestive complaints to dealing with stress, and much more. This course is ideal for all who want to know more about trees and shrubs with healing actions. It will help you understand how trees contribute to the health benefits of forest bathing. And it can enable you to safely forage remedies from medicinal trees and shrubs. If you have ornamental trees and shrubs in your garden you can discover if they are medicinal! You will begin to appreciate key plant constituents and how they work for health and wellbeing. This course will enable you to benefit from healing trees and shrubs in a temperate climate.
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Medicinal forest gardening

Meet Your Tutor

Medical Herbalist Anne Stobart

Your tutor is Anne Stobart, an experienced medical herbalist, researcher and herb grower. Anne previously managed a herbal medicine degree programme for clinical herbal practitioners at Middlesex University in London. Her teaching and research interests include herbal therapeutics, herbal history, permaculture design and medicinal forest gardening. Anne lives in South-West England where she co-founded Holt Wood Herbs, a medicinal tree and shrub project in Devon. She has published various books including Household Medicine in Seventeenth-Century England (2016), The Medicinal Forest Garden Handbook (2020) and Trees and Shrubs That Heal (2023). Anne is the founder of the Medicinal Forest Garden Trust.

Benefits of the Medicinal Trees and Their Healing Properties Course

You will learn key principles explaining the medicinal actions of trees and shrubs

  • * Understand a range of herbal actions such as anti-inflammatories and astringents for better health and pain control

  • * Know tree remedy uses for self-help in common complaints such as colds and constipation

  • * Find out about the healing benefits of aromatic trees and forest bathing

  • * Recognise key phytochemical constituents in trees and shrubs to help conditions ranging from allergies to stress

  • * Awareness of threats to tree diversity and health and ways to support more sustainable supplies

  • * Improved identification and foraging skills for woodland trees, shrubs and other plants offering medicinal actions

  • * Discover ways to support immune defences against bacterial and viral infection

  • * Understand importance of using tree remedies safely and how to find further professional advice

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How long is the course?

    There are 10 lessons, each with several short videos, a downloadable tree information sheet, a quiz or suggested activity, and further reading. Each lesson takes about an hour or two to complete, depending on which activities you want to do. You will have online access to the learning materials for a full 12 months from your enrolment.

  • What experience do I need?

    No experience is needed, other than an interest in trees and health. All suggestions for activities include instructions.

  • Must I have access to trees or woodland?

    No, this course provides plenty of examples and images of medicinal trees and shrubs. You may like to locate some of the trees and shrubs mentioned in gardens, hedgerows, parks and the countryside. Some of the optional activities involve looking out for them in your area.

  • What assessment is there in the course?

    There are no examinations or tests. The course does include activities such as quizzes or tasks to help you get to grips with the content. All of these activities are optional.

  • Can I get help if I need it?

    The course is carefully structured to build up knowledge and understanding as you work through it. An extensive glossary is included with explanations for technical words. There are opportunities for discussion and queries online at the end of each lesson.

  • How much does it cost?

    To enrol for the course costs a one-time payment of £45.00. Your enrolment lasts for 12 months. This includes access to all the videos, text, downloads and further reading.

  • When can I start?

    Straight away! This course of 10 lessons and associated downloads and activities is all accessed online. So you can start at any time once you have signed up and enrolled for the course.

Course curriculum

    1. Read This First!

    2. Introduction Video

      FREE PREVIEW

    3. Introduction: Survey About You

    4. Amazing_Trees_Amazing_Healing

    5. BIBLIOGRAPHY

    1. Lesson 1 Outline

    2. Lesson 1 Part 1 Video

      FREE PREVIEW

    3. Italian Cypress Information Sheet

      FREE PREVIEW

    4. Lesson 1 Part 2 Video

    5. Quiz about Aromatic Plants and Chemicals

    6. Further Reading About Aromatic Plants and Distillation

    7. GLOSSARY

    1. Lesson 2 Outline

    2. Lesson 2 Part 1 Video

    3. Witch Hazel Information Sheet

    4. Lesson 2 Part 2 Video

    5. Quiz About Tannins

    6. Further Reading About Staying Safe With Herbal Medicine

    1. Lesson 3 Outline

    2. Lesson 3 Part 1 Video

    3. Aspen Information Sheet

    4. Lesson 3 Part 2 Video

    5. Activity - Looking at Tree Bark

    6. Further Reading About Tree Bark

    7. TREE BARK EXAMPLES

    1. Lesson 4 Outline

    2. Lesson 4 Part 1 Video

    3. Juneberry Information Sheet

    4. Lesson 4 Part 2 Video

    5. Activity – Make a Fruit-Based Potion

    6. Further Reading on the Benefits of Trees

    1. Lesson 5 Outline

    2. Lesson 5 Part 1 Video

    3. Spicebush Information Sheet

    4. Lesson 5 Part 2 Video

    5. Activity – Design a Digestive Tea

    6. Further Reading on Sustainable Herb Supplies

    7. MEDICINAL TREE AND SHRUB LISTING

About this course

  • £45.00
  • 2.5 hours of video content
  • 10 lessons

More benefits of the course

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  • Confidence in Herbal Safety

    Become confident that you understand why some herbal remedies need special care. And you will appreciate which plants should be completely avoided. Learn how to obtain dosage advice for particular plants.

  • Receive a List of Medicinal Trees and Shrubs

    You will receive a list of 39 medicinal trees and shrubs at the start of the course. These are the plant species mentioned in all of our courses.

  • Help Others to Learn Too!

    Every sign up for this course helps to fund the Medicinal Forest Garden Trust! The Trust is all about encouraging safe use and sustainable cultivation of herbal medicines.

Here is what students say about the course

  • What did you enjoy?

    I particularly enjoyed the activities as they have given me the confidence to try out some 'medicinal foraging'... Overall I liked all of the course and am pleased that there was a section on sustainability... I really enjoyed this course as aside from the more well known medicinal trees e.g. elder and lime, there were ones that were new to me... I've enjoyed furthering my knowledge of medicinal plants, and have become more confident in being able to treat myself with natural remedies. It is very empowering to be shown ways that we can help ourselves.

  • What did you learn?

    As a Forest Bathing practitioner I was aware of functions of some of the trees but this course has added to that knowledge... Realising the medicinal benefits of trees and shrubs that I already have in the garden or on the allotment that I have planted for other purposes such as food or benefits to pollinators and other wildlife... Thank you for the course, it was very informative and clearly presented, with useful resources for further study.

  • What will you do?

    I will design medicinal trees into my existing forest garden and include in any future designs... It has also encouraged me to look at trees in parks and gardens that I visit in a new light and to consider their medicinal value too... I will now consider planting a specific medicinal area in my garden... use trees such as willow that I have already, and obtain some new plants such as prickly ash, to expand the range of medicinal plants.

Get Started!

Enrol now for the Medicinal Trees and Their Healing Properties Course. You will have access straight away to all of the course materials.
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