I would gently point out that there is something about hunting plants you intend to use on a scorching hot summer day, drenched in sweat among the ticks and mosquitoes... or all day in a freezing winter rain... that adds to plant medicine, it doesn't take away from it.
It gives a strong connection to the plants, an understanding.
Yes, I understand.
I'm not there yet, but I see it. I have oils and tinctures in the works from plants I've either grown or foraged - and that's amazing to me. I talk to everything in nature, and in a sense have a relationship with it. But to collect parts of a plant to use for medicine, that's a different connection, one that I'm growing into. And I'm grateful for that. (I do have some dried herbs I purchased for the sake of being able to do things within the course, rather than waiting on the seasons because if I have to wait, I'll never get back to it, lol.)
I want to get to the point that I know when to collect the leaves of X and the roots of Y - to have that in the calendar of the seasons the same way gardening and animal husbandry has seasons. That is part of self-sufficiency, and self-sufficiency is a part of preparedness. But I think beyond self-sufficiency and preparedness, living with the cycle of seasons has a sense of primal completeness. I don't know - I don't think I'm explaining my thoughts very well.
As for the courses, I don't actually interact with anyone through the course. They are really nothing more than lots of material to read online, followed by quizzes, etc. Sometimes there are videos. The benefit to me is the structure. I can read the material, then read chapters from recommended books, then do the projects. And it's done in such a way that I can dip my toes in, then build upon what I learned in the previous lesson. So there is no mentorship, no connection with another human being. But I'm still getting something out of it.
In a way, the real motivation for 'doing' herbal medicine came from their private FB group for students (of all their courses). There was a lot of give and take, sharing and learning going on there. A real gem and a wealth of information. My Evernote screen capture got a serious workout! But in the past couple weeks the group became nothing more than a current events dump as the administration bent over backwards to express its support. Now it's impossible to find anything about herbal medicine on there, and the few people that say "hey, let's talk about herbal medicine on this herbal medicine FB page" get blasted and shamed for their privilege, and the administration allows that. So I left the group.
I was going to apologize because this is a preparations thread, and this post isn't entirely about preparations. But then I thought, actually it is. You know?
I ordered some solar lights today to shine on our new flag at night.
