Login
Grass Roots Remedies Co-operative /Wild Things: A Year of Wild Food & Medicine (Year One) 2023
Enrollment is closed

Wild Things: A Year of Wild Food & Medicine (Year One) 2023

  • Closed

An online version of our popular 8 month course exploring wild food and medicine. Please note that we offer Wild Things on a sliding scale from £350-£650 - see below for how this works.

The course is now closed for 2023. Email jillian@grassrootsremedies.co.uk to be the first to know when bookings open for our 2024 course.
Buy now

Welcome to our course - We can't wait to start learning with you...


The Wild Things Course is an eight month exploration of British wild food and medicine plants growing in a variety of habitats through the seasons. 

It provides opportunities to gain confidence in low impact foraging, beginners botany and ecology, and to develop a sensory approach to using wild plants both as food and medicine. There will be a combination of theoretical sessions, practical remedy making tutorials and introductions to many different plant species which you are encouraged to go out and meet in person yourselves.
Increasingly today our food and medicine is flown to us from far regions of the globe. Health food shops are stocked with ‘superfoods’ from rare and diminishing habitats, and we are commonly offered endangered species like Arnica & Echinacea. We have lost our connection to our local bioregions, and with it all of the history and traditions that our landscape and the plants that grow there can offer us. This course is about re-connection & about building sustainable, healthful practices through a deepening relationship with our local ecosystems.

The plants that are covered on this course are those that are common and abundant in the Northern British Isles. While the theoretical elements and practical remedy making sessions will be applicable wherever you are, we suggest this course will fit best for people living in the British Isles or in a similar climate. 

Course Outcomes

  • Develop an understanding of the ethics and practice of ecological harvesting and gain confidence in ​low impact foraging
  • Try out recipes and ​ learn practical remedy making​ skills for home use
  • Learn about the edible and ​ medicinal properties of some of our common British plants​ and when to harvest them
  • Develop a ​sensory approach to herbal medicine
  • Beginners botany and ecology​ and the ability to confidently identify common species
  • Gain an understanding of how to live more harmoniously with the seasons

Course Format

This course consists of 15 fortnightly sessions spanning from March to October to cover a range of seasons. Each fortnight we will release a new session which alternate between 'indoor' online theoretical content mixed with practical remedy making skills & sensory herbal tea tastings, and 'outdoor' virtual plant walks exploring the common and abundant plants of that season. In total there are 8 'indoor' sessions and 7 'outdoor' sessions making up the 15 online lessons. 

Each session comes with a guided sensory tea tasting - we will post 15 mystery herbs out to you at the start of the course to explore with us over the 8 months. 

The course handbook covers 40 common plant species, and beyond this we will meet others on our virtual walks as well.

What The Course Includes

  • Handbook '40 Herbs By Season of Harvesting, Herbal Action, Body System & Suitable Preparations'
  • 15 in depth herb monographs covering Plant ID, Parts Used, Edibility & Nutrition, Constituents, Medicinal actions & Therapeutics, Uses, History & Folklore, Preparations, Growing and Harvesting
  • 7 herb walks following the seasons presented through videos, audio recordings & photographs
  • Classroom sessions on these topics: Botany Basics, Introduction to Traditional Western Herbalism, Introduction to Sensory Herbalism, Ecology Basics, Plant Communities, Sustainable Foraging, Foraging & The Law (UK), Spring Tonics, Herbal Actions, Sensory Approach to Plant Chemistry, Introduction to Seed Saving & Invasive Species, Preserving the Bountiful Autumn, Foraging in the Dark Months, Home Medicine Chest Creation
  • Practical Tutorials on: Exploring the Tastes of Herbs, Spring Tonics, Identifying Edible Weeds in Your Garden, Harvesting Drying & Storing Herbs, Infusions & Decoctions, Tincture Making, Infused Oils, Herbal Ointments, Herbal Salts, Raw & Cooked Herbal Syrups & Herbal Infused Vinegars 
  • 15 'Mystery' herbs posted out to you for sensory herb tastings 

How Much Does It Cost?

The Course has four options for pricing, offered on a sliding scale i.e. you pay a price in keeping with your ability to do so (see below for more information). They range from £350 to £650. We also have a limited number of subsidised places on offer.

Option 1: £650

Option 2: £550 (please use PRICE550 coupon at the check out to deduct £100)

Option 3: £450 (please use PRICE450 coupon at the check out to deduct £200)

Option 4: £350 (please use PRICE350 coupon at the check out to deduct £300)

We have a limited number of subsidised places available at £220 as well (please use SUBSIDISEDPRICE220 coupon at the check out to deduct £430)

Add on - £100 extra for attending the 7 herb walks in person. You will be given the option to purchase this extra offering after you have purchased the online course (you won't have to out your card details in again).

How Much Should I Pay?

We acknowledge that the average annual full-time salary in Scotland is roughly £20,000 but there are many other factors which determine how much expendable income and financial security folks have. Below are some guidelines to inform which course fee is most appropriate for your situation. We appreciate that everyone’s situation is different and this is a guideline only. We won’t ask for any proof of your personal circumstances and trust each person to judge for themselves which price feels right for you.

For example, if some of the statements below describe your situation you may choose to buy a low cost place for £350 or a subsidised place for £220:

- have access to benefits or are employed but have very limited expendable income 
- have limited savings and/or limited access to any financial support from others 
- be a carer and/or have dependants 
- have no recourse to public funds
- have chronic health issues which impact your financial security

For example, if some of the statements below describe your situation you may choose to buy a medium cost place for £550 or a solidarity place for £650:

- be able to comfortably meet your basic needs, have savings and an expendable income
- any debt that you have doesn’t impact your daily life 
- comfortably rent a property or own your own
- own a car and can comfortably afford fuel 
- be able to afford to go on holidays

Courses purchased at the solidarity price enable us to carry out our community work & offer subsidised places on the course to folks who would not be able to access it otherwise. We are trusting everyone to respect this model & thank you all for playing your part in increasing the accessibility of the course.

Why Do We Use A Sliding Scale?

Our core aim in Grass Roots Remedies Co-operative is to try and make herbal knowledge, skills & consultations accessible to everyone. As well as running herb walks, courses & workshops we also provide a community clinic in Wester Hailes, South West Edinburgh which runs by donation to local people (the only one of its kind in Scotland), and a sliding scale community clinic in Granton, North Edinburgh both of which have free workshops running alongside them.

We use a sliding scale in our workshops and courses: a sliding scale is a mechanism where people pay different fees according to their income & access to resources, so that services can be made accessible to as many people as possible, and folk are less financially excluded. A sliding scale means that everyone pays a similar proportion of their income for the same service.

This increases access for people who are systemically excluded from participating in community activities such as people of colour, people with disabilities or health conditions, immigrants, women-led groups, LGBTQ* & working class communities.

By paying a higher rate on the scale if you can afford it, you are enabling us to carry out our core work of providing free and low cost education & herbal consultations in areas of deprivation. We really appreciate your continuing support.

Course Contents & Release Dates

Please note, these dates are when content is released so the course flows over the season - students do not have to study a lesson on its release but if unavailable. Students have unlimited access to each lesson from its release date.

Content will be released roughly fortnightly from March until October (with a few weeks break around Midsummer).

  1. Optional start of course Zoom - Wednesday 15th March 6-8pm
  2. Indoor Session 1  - Friday 10th March: course introduction, basic principles, sensory herbalism introduction & mystery herb 1
  3. Herb Walk 1 - Friday 24th March: virtual herb walk 1 & mystery herb 2
  4. Indoor Session 2 - Friday 7th April: ecology & plant communities, sustainable foraging practice, spring tonics & mystery herb 3
  5. Herb Walk 2 - Friday 21st April: virtual herb walk 2 & mystery herb 4
  6. Indoor Session 3 - Friday 5th May: herbal preparations introduction, harvesting, drying & storing, infusions & decoctions & mystery herb 5
  7. Herb Walk 3 - Friday 19th May: virtual herb walk 3 & mystery herb 6
  8. Indoor Session 4 - Friday 2nd June: herbal actions introduction, herbal tinctures & mystery herb 7 
  9. Herb Walk 4 - Friday 14th July: virtual herb walk 4 & mystery herb 8
  10. Indoor Session 5 - Friday 28th July: a sensory approach to plant chemistry, infused oils & mystery herb 9
  11. Herb Walk 5 - Friday 11th August: virtual herb walk 5 & mystery herb 10
  12. Indoor Session 6 - Friday 25th August: seeds, herbal ointments & mystery herb 11
  13. Herb Walk 6 - Friday 8th September: virtual herb walk 6 & mystery herb 12
  14. Indoor Session 7 - Friday 22nd September: preserving the bountiful autumn, herbal syrups, herbal infused vinegars & mystery herb 13
  15. Herb Walk 7 - Friday 6th October: virtual herb walk 7 & mystery herb 14
  16. Indoor Session 8 - Friday 20th October: foraging in the dark months, home medicine chest & mystery herb 15
  17. Optional end of course Zoom - Wednesday 25th October 6-8pm

Blended Option - Join us for Herb Walks in Person

For folks living in or close to Edinburgh & Glasgow we offer a 'blended' option for study.
The blended option gives you full access to the Online Course, plus attendance at 7 in person herb walks. This costs £100 extra to online course fees. Students have the option of attending herb walks in & around Edinburgh or in & around Glasgow, for an extra £100 on top of Online course fees.

Our blended option creates the opportunity for those living locally to study at home at your own pace and come and meet the plants and other students in person on outdoor herb walks

Please note you will sign up to a specific group in Edinburgh or Glasgow for these walks & not be able to switch groups half way through. We may have to change herb walk dates due to unforeseen circumstances & will let students know as soon as we can if this happens.

You will be given the option to purchase this extra offering for £100 after you have purchased the online course (you won't have to out your card details in again).

This year we have a choice of 3 different groups at different times to suit a range of schedules:

Dates of Edinburgh Group 1 Walks 2023: Mostly Thursdays 6.30-8.30pm

***PLEASE NOTE EDINBURGH GROUP 1 IS NOW FULL***

  1. Saturday March 25th 1.30-3.30pm - Blackford Glen (east side)
  2. Thursday April 20th - River Almond Walkway
  3. Thursday May 18th - Blackford Glen (east side)
  4. Thursday July 13th - Blackford Glen (west side)
  5. Thursday August 10th - Roslin Glen (Midlothian)
  6. Thursday September 7th - Blackford Glen (east side)
  7. Saturday October 7th 1.30-3.30pm - Gullane Beach (East Lothian)
Dates of Edinburgh Group 2 Walks 2023: Fridays 9.30-11.30am ***PLACES AVAILABLE***
  1. Friday March 24th - Blackford Glen (east side)
  2. Friday April 21st - River Almond Walkway
  3. Friday May 19th - Blackford Glen (east side)
  4. Friday July 14th - Blackford Glen (west side)
  5. Friday August 11th - Roslin Glen
  6. Friday September 8th - Blackford Glen (east side)
  7. Friday October 6th - Gullane Beach
Dates of Glasgow Walks 2023: Fridays 12-2pm ***PLACES AVAILABLE***
  1. Friday March 24th - Pollok Park 
  2. Friday April 21st - Queen's Park
  3. Friday May 19th - Lennoxtown 
  4. Friday July 14th - Lochwinnoch
  5. Friday August 11th - Cathkin Braes
  6. Friday September 8th - Pollok Park
  7. Friday October 6th - Seaside location tbc

If you would like to sign up to our in-person herb walks, don't forget to purchase our optional in-person walks for an extra £100. You will be given this option once you have paid for the online course.

About Grass Roots Remedies Co-operative

We are an Edinburgh & Glasgow based workers' cooperative whose central philosophy is that herbal medicine is the medicine of the people and should be accessible to everyone. We offer a series of practical courses and workshops, run the low cost Wester Hailes Community Herbal Medicine Clinic, the North Edinburgh Community Herbal Clinic, and produce simple resources to enable folks to practice herbalism at home. We also run Plant Medicine School Scotland, in collaboration with The Plant Medicine School over in Ireland.

For more information check out our website here: www.grassrootsremedies.co.uk

You can read about our co-op members who are also the Wild Things course facilitators here: https://grassrootsremedies.co....
InstagramWebsite

What have previous students said about the course?

Participant of Wild Things Year One 2020 (Online)

In the year of 'lockdown' and disease this course has been liberating and life-giving. Knowledges from my grandmothers rekindled in herb walks and warm, gentle talks, in practical teaching and the unfolding of an ever deepening knowledge of plants around me. Everything presented clearly and with a bubble of soft laughter. I've long loved plants, and have been an allotment holder for over 20 years but this course - with its deep commitment to social and environmental ethics - has brought fabulous new dimensions alive. My work is often trying. Engaging with refugee justice and struggling against the hostile environment. Here were women and a community of herbalists making a healing environment. An antidote to ills of many kinds, an opening up of new worlds in the micro, local strips of forgotten land. My home is now full of lotions, potions, tinctures, vinegars, teas and elixirs, my hands soft with oils and balms and salves. Just months and months of joy. Thank you

Participant of Wild Things Year One 2021 (Online)

The course definitely achieved all it set out to offer and more. I felt it fully immersed me in the world of plant medicine and offered much food for thought. It re-awakened my interest in the power of our native plants and enabled me to connect more deeply with them. Thank you for empowering me to harvest sustainably the foods around me and look after my family's health within each season. Many thanks.

Participant of Wild Things Year One 2020 (Online)

The online Wild Things course gave a thorough and fascinating introduction to folk medicine. I loved the emphasis on getting to know local plants throughout the seasons, learning how to recognise our own personal response to each plant, and always respecting the role each plant plays within the ecosystem. Each lesson gave an inspiring introduction to a topic and then suggestions of how to delve deeper to follow individual interests.

Participant of Wild Things Year One 2020 (Online)

I thoroughly enjoyed 'Wild Things' and would recommend the course to anyone interested in nature. I have become someone who excitedly calls out the names of plants I recognise when on a walk. As well as plant identification there are sessions on sustainable foraging, preparing and using herbs. The course is a lovely remedy to the stress of living during a pandemic.

Participant of Wild Things 2018 (In Person) Course

Grass Roots Remedies encouraged us and ignited interest and passion for the wonderful world of plants, herbs and the magical properties that they contain. Now, I am often exhausted by travelling through nature as (even more so than previously) I want to stop and examine every growing thing and wonder what family it belongs to, what properties it has, the medicine it can provide for us and the connection it provides us to our ancestors of the past.

Participant of Wild Things 2019 (In Person) Course

I loved learning about herbs throughout the year, and particularly enjoyed noticing seasonal change during the course. Each session was delivered with an enjoyable mixture of botanical science, folklore and practical activities. There was a good balance of the local and the global, and each session left me wanting to explore more. The facilitators shared their knowledge and experience expertly – making it accessible and understandable, but always able to answer more in-depth questions. I would highly recommend this course

Frequently asked questions

You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers.

When do enrolments open & close?

We open enrolments for the course usually around December of the year before the course starts in March. If you'd like to be notified of when enrollment is available, sign up below or email us at jillian@grassrootsremedies.co.uk. We close enrolments at the end of April each year so folks coming across the course later in the spring won't miss out. 

How long do I have access to the course?

You will continue to have access to the course after the course ends. Once the course finishes we will no longer be answering your queries in the comments section, but you will have all the course material at your fingertips for years to come, so you can revisit our lessons again and again. We have done this as we feel that you will get the most out of the course material this way & trust that you will respect this & not share our Wild Things resources with others (even your bestest of friends). The educational arm of our co-op allows our community herbal medicine clinics to exist & we are trusting everyone to respect this model to sustain them & provide this health service to folks in the future. Thank you for playing your part in sustainable community herbalism!

Do I have to study each online lesson on the dates they are published?

No. These dates are just when content is released through this seasonal course. Once a lesson is released you can study it anytime afterwards at your leisure.

I want to purchase the in-person herb walks, how do I do that?

You will be given the option to book on to one of the three different herb walk groups after you have purchased the online course. The option to purchase the herb walks for £100 will pop up once you have purchased the course. Edinburgh group 1 will be displayed first and you can select this group or click 'no thanks' to be given the option to book on to Edinburgh group 2. Glasgow is the third and final option.

Are the herb walks accessible on public transport?

All of our Edinburgh Wild Things Year 1 herb walks are reachable by bus with a 10-15 minute walk to the exact meeting point. Our Glasgow herb walks are also all accessible by public transport routes. These are mainly train, though Lennoxtown is via bus from Buchanan Street Station

Can I attend some herbs walks in Edinburgh & some in Glasgow?

No. You will sign up to either the Edinburgh group or the Glasgow group for the set of herb walks & will not be able to switch groups half way through unless you contact us with plenty of notice regarding a change of circumstance.

What is your refund policy?

If you have booked onto the course but have changed your mind we can fully refund minus a 5% transaction fee up until 28th February 2023. No refunds can be given after this date.

I'm pregnant, breastfeeding or have a medical condition. Is this course safe for me?

One key component of the course is our guided sensory herbal tea tastings - we will post out 15 mystery herbs at the start of the course and provide you with guidance on meeting them with all of your senses. For each herb we will provide any contraindications in advance so you can decide for yourself if it is suitable for you to taste them or not. If you have any questions about this, you'll be able to check in with us, and there's no pressure to taste any of them. You can always sit with the herb and just smell it instead. We will provide full monographs on each herb afterwards anyway.

I live outside of the British Isles, is this course suitable for me?

The plants that are covered on this course are those that are common and abundant in the British Isles, with an emphasis on the North. While the theoretical elements and practical remedy making sessions will be applicable wherever you are, we suggest this course will fit best for people living in the British Isles or in a similar climate.
If you live outside the British Isles we will not be able to post the 15 Mystery Herbs to you. You are welcome to join this course and explore these in your own way.

Can I buy individual herb walks as I know I won't be able to make some of the dates?

You can only buy the herb walks as a set. The set of 7 herb walks is offered at a discounted price of £100.

Can I bring my dog on the herb walks?

Although many of us in the co-op love dogs & hang out with them in our homes too, we ask you to leave your furry friends at home. There is always so much to talk about on herb walks that we often don't walk very far. This can lead to dogs getting frustrated at us silly humans. We also don't know how other people in the group feel about dogs.

Can I bring my baby/kids on the herb walks?

The Wild Things course material and its herb walks are pitched for adults, and can be boring for kids. Depending on how many folks sign up to the blended course option, the herb walks can also become too large with extra folk being brought along. We ask you to leave your loved ones at home wherever possible, and ask us in advance if you don't have another option.

I already have some herbal knowledge, is this course for me?

The Wild Things year 1 course brings together a diverse range of subjects (found in the course outcomes section above). The course also focusses on wild plants only, many of which may be new to you. The herbs covered are:

nettle, dandelion, garlic mustard, sticky willie, few flowered leek, wild garlic, chickweed, coltsfoot, birch, pine, white dead nettle, hawthorn, elder, comfrey, meadowsweet, horsetail, plantain, daisy, st john's wort, lime flower, sweet cicely, raspberry leaf, rose, yarrow, self heal, mugwort, sea buckthorn, burdock, blackberry, valerian, marsh mallow, wild cherry bark, cramp bark, willow, oak, birch polypore fungus, turkey tail fungus, old man's beard lichen.

What if COVID-19 restrictions mean that a herb walk can't go ahead?

Wherever possible we will look to reschedule herb walks if they are disrupted by national & regional restrictions. We won't be able to reschedule a herb walk for folks that become ill or live in geographical areas under different restrictions.

Do I get a qualification for completing this course?

Wild Things is a self-led course for your own learning, enjoyment & skills. There is no formal qualification awarded as a result of completing the course. If you would like a Certificate of Completion for your CPD or for another reason at the end, we are happy to provide these on request.

Is there funding for this course?

We aim to keep Wild Things as affordable as possible through the use of a sliding scale, however, we know cost will still be a barrier for some folk. Wild Things may be eligible for funding from other sources, particularly vocational training funding. Both SkillSeeder www.skillseeder.com/funded-training and Foundation Scotland www.foundationscotland.org.uk/apply-for-funding/funding-available have offered this sort of funding in specific instances in the past - please contact them to find out more. You may also want to find out if your local authority offers vocational funding, or if you are available through any state benefits that you receive or from your employer. Please note that Grass Roots Remedies Co-op is not involved in the administration or allocation of any of these funds, so please enquire directly to the funder.

I still have a question, how can I contact you?

We are happy to answer any questions you might have. Send us an email at jillian@grassrootsremedies.co.uk.