Rediscover Healing Through Tradition

Dogon Herbalism 101 invites you to explore herbalism beyond the simple use of plants and remedies. Rooted in the indigenous healing traditions preserved through generations, this course introduces a different way of understanding herbalism; one that reconnects health with nature, culture, food, lifestyle, and ancestral knowledge. Throughout the course, you will begin to reconsider many of the ideas that shape the modern approach to health. Rather than beginning with “Which herb should I take?”, the course begins with deeper questions: What is medicine? What does it mean to heal? What relationship should we have with food, water, nature, and our own bodies? And what can traditional knowledge teach us about that relationship? Through discussions of Dogon herbalism and indigenous approaches to healing, you will explore the principle that herbs alone do not constitute a healing tradition; the knowledge, discipline, culture, and understanding surrounding their use give them meaning. This course is an introduction to that perspective. It is an opportunity to begin looking beyond herbal products and remedies and toward the traditions, ways of thinking, and relationships with nature from which herbal knowledge emerged. Before learning the plants, begin by learning the philosophy behind them.