The Herb Society is open to all who are interested in herbs and their many uses.

A number of our members are studying herbs, often working towards a qualification or certification. To support these people, who are often managing their studies alongside other work and commitments, The Herb Society runs a Student Group. This is a discussion group that meets online to share thoughts, experiences and learnings, typically focusing on a specific herb each meeting.

We reached out to our student group to share their stories. Thanks to Kayleigh for sharing her inspiring story:

I’m a great believer that everything happens for a reason; you know the saying “a butterfly flaps its wings in one corner of the world and changes the weather half a world away”, so what led me to cart myself up to Edinburgh once a month arriving at ungodly hours of the morning to study Herbology, and furthermore why Herbology, well let me explain!

Many, many moons ago (119 moons phases, to be exact), I started my burgeoning career in horticulture by working in a garden centre, just as a general retail assistant. Still, it offered me the opportunity to get up close and personal with all manner of plants. I loved it; I went on to take my GCSE in photography (which shows how young I was), focusing on macro photography of plants, particularly those in the glasshouse at RHS Wisley.

I then made the decision to travel the world, like many young people, and I had a wonderful six months visiting various corners of the globe. Eventually, and regrettably, I returned to the UK in the cold, frozen midst of January, and you know who isn’t hiring in January – anyone in horticulture! So, I did what any rational person, and many of us, have done: I entered the corporate world. I hung up my secateurs in exchange for a wheely chair. For 10 years, I worked my way through various administrative jobs, including cardboard furniture (not a success), mobile accessories (terrible for the environment), a builders’ merchant (hard to find enthusiasm about plumbing), and an estate agent (only managed three months!), before I saw an opening at the Royal Horticultural Society, a perfect blend of admin and horticulture.

Why did you decide to study herbs?

In 2022, I joined the RHS (full circle moment), and as my horticultural knowledge was a little rusty, I decided to look for a course to get me back up to speed. I looked into the Field Studies Council, but nothing quite tickled my fancy; I looked at mycology, fascinating but infinitely vast and a little overwhelming; I thought about visiting Alnwick Poison Garden, although there probably wasn’t a great deal I could use poisons for (at least more than once) and then I found it… A certificate in Herbology at The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

So, I started my routine for the next six months: I would travel up to Edinburgh on Friday night, arrive at 1am, and start the course at 10am before doing the reverse on Sunday to start work again the following Monday. That first weekend, in a small room hidden away at the back of the botanics, filled with various herbal concoctions and a plethora of fragrances, I fell in love. I fell in love with learning about Hippocrates and Culpeper, I fell in love with the weird vernacular names of plants like snoxums and sneezewort, I fell in love with the superstition and the folklore behind these plants that endured through millennia and evolved alongside us. The trials and tribulations, the recipes and remedies, old and new! I fell in love with everything there was to do with herbs!

How did you choose which course or level of study to pursue?

I completed the Certificate in Herbology in June 2023, and without missing a beat, I enrolled in the Diploma in Herbology at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. This course began in October 2023 and concluded in May of this year; I’m currently awaiting my grades (fingers crossed!). The Diploma was much more comprehensive and required a fast-track introduction to academic writing, which was a new challenge for me—learning to reference properly became quite the undertaking!

The Diploma delved into the study of herbs, emphasising their medicinal properties and practical applications. We got hands-on experience by designing and creating our own Physic Garden and preparing herbal remedies from our harvests. The curriculum also encompassed critical aspects of Herbology, blending traditional and contemporary practices. I found the historic ‘Hortus Medicus Edinburgensis’ and its Materia Medica particularly fascinating. Throughout the course, we explored various topics, including Phytology, Green Pharmacy & Pharmacology, Physic Garden Horticulture, Ethnomedica, and Herbal Ecology, which provided a solid foundation in each area should we wish to explore further!

Glorious old herbals at RHS Wisley Library

What the  the top 3 things that surprised you about studying herbalism?

1. People who work with herbs are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet!
2. You can dedicate your entire life to studying herbs, and you will never know everything, but just keep learning. Be open to change; you never know what is around the corner, and much like herbs, we must adapt to the situation we’re in. A calm day doesn’t make for strong roots! And to the same extent, if you try something and you realise that it’s not for you, that’s ok too! Don’t get bogged down in the sunk cost fallacy – no experience is a wasted experience, and you never know where it will lead you next!
3. How many incredibly vast ways there are to use herbs, not only do you have all the incredible ways they can be used medicinally, but balms, salves, tinctures, oxymels, glycerites, lozenges, robs, comfits, infusions, decoctions, powders, capsules and so much more! But then you can use them in so many other forms, like creating cordages for the fibres, using them to dye, or creating plant pigments for painting; it’s a whole word waiting to be explored!

What would you like to do after your studies?

That’s an excellent question! At the time of writing this, I am two days away from the anniversary of running my first workshop (Herbal Tea Blending). Since I started the course in January 2023, I’ve set up “The Historical Herbologist”, become an ambassador for The Herb Society and worked with a few big name brands promoting herbs, mental health and the nature! The study of herbs, regardless of its form, is endlessly fascinating, with a plethora of avenues to explore. We have such a deep and multi-faceted relationship with them as humans that I defy you to not find a way to fall in love. By definition, a herb is “Any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavouring, food, medicine, cosmetics or perfume” You can study the history, the practical applications, and medical herbalism; you can use them in art, in the garden, in the kitchen; possibilities are endless! My plan for next year is to further my knowledge by enrolling in a medical herbalist course and expanding my workshops by running weekend retreats, but other than that, I’m open to wherever the universe takes me next!

Kayleigh Sinclair is ‘The Historical Herbologist’

—

If you are enrolled on a course to study herbs, or thinking of doing so, look out for more of our student stories for inspiration, and we look forward to welcoming you to our student group if you feel so called. For more details about this membership benefit, do get in touch with [email protected]