Summer Herbal Certificate Program - Seed to Remedy

Summer Herbal Certificate Program - Seed to Remedy

For thousands of years plants have been used to promote healthy natural living. Aloe promotes healthy skin and soothes sunburn. Oat straw supports the nervous system for a sense of calm. During cold and flu season, sip elderberry syrup and fire cider. Soothing calendula salve can be applied as an antibacterial for skin abrasions. Learn about a variety of medicinal plants, including ones grown on site at the Gardens as well as those native to Colorado. Led by some of the region's most experienced herbalists, students are guided through every step with a hands-on teaching approach. Students learn in the classroom, in the Gardens and out in the field. This program offers a unique learning experience to transform each student into a confident, knowledgeable and resourceful steward of plants by introducing practical and powerful herbalism knowledge. To earn the certificate, students must attend at least nine classes in person.

Note: Foundation of Herbalism is recommended for students of this course.

Summer Herbal Certificate Courses

Recognizing Plant Patterns: Introduction to Identification and Herbal Safety - Summer

Cat Pantaleo
Tuesday, June 16, 2026, 4 - 7 p.m. Recognize plant family patterns to form a foundation for positive plant identification. This program focuses on discussing basic botanical safety guidelines as well as learning to observe and identify plant family traits. Discover the medicinal properties of various plants and prepare a simple remedy from plants we harvest.

Herbalism Hike and Plant Identification - Summer

Blake Burger & Kimberly Rose
Saturday, July 11, 2026, 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. OFFSITE LOCATION TBD
In our nature-deficit times, herbalism is a doorway and herbalists hold the key to re-connection and health. On this outing, we engage the opportunity and responsibility to be knowledgeable, ecologically literate, and nature-connected herbalists by focusing on bioregionalism and by awakening your native awareness. During this time outdoors, we integrate botany, ecology, plant identification, knowledge of local edible/therapeutic/survival plants, landscape observation, sensory awareness, and explorations in perception. Deepen your relationship to land while adding to your confidence as a regional herbalist.

Remedy Making - Fire Cider - Summer

Akil Kelley
Tuesday, July 28, 2026, 4 - 7 p.m.
Enjoy this spicey hands-on workshop. Just in time for fall, learn to create your custom versions of the time-honored, immune-boosting recipe, lovingly known as fire cider.

Plant Identification and Field Remedy Making - Summer

Akil Kelley & Cat Pantaleo
Saturday, August 1, 2026, 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
This is a full and fun day outdoors with the plants in their natural setting at Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms. Spend the morning on a local trail exploring the botanical diversity of the Front Range to review and practice plant identification skills learned earlier in the program. Review basic botanical terminology, plant families and ecology, and introduce the concept and practice of ethical wild crafting and stewardship. Spend the afternoon at the beautiful and bountiful Denver Botanic Garden's Chatfield Farms. Discuss the edible and medicinal properties of the plants we encounter as well as botanical first aid applications. As we wander through the gardens, practice identification and observation skills, nibble herbs and make simple remedies.

Home Wellness: Using Food as Remedies - Summer

Akil Kelley & Farnosh Family
Saturday, August 15, 2026, 9:30 a.m.  3:30 p.m.
Session I: Food-Based Remedies
Learn to create tasty and practical foods and beverages packed with herbal benefits, flavors and aromas that will leave you drooling for more! We explore various fermentation techniques, easy snacks, treats and healing libations for each season.
Session 2: Framework for Personalizing Recipes
Learn to adapt a recipe by adjusting the spices, herbs and ingredients according to the season and herbal considerations. Take home some recipes and use this framework to personalize your food throughout the year.

Tincture and Cordials - Summer

Farnosh Family
Tuesday, August 18, 2026, 4 - 7 p.m.
This class introduces the wonderful world of tincture making, the art and science of creating herbal remedies by soaking plants in alcohol. Using some basic principles of Ayurveda, prepare tinctures using different methods and discuss herb qualities, characteristics, and functions when considering formulation. Discuss and prepare herbal wines and cordials. Students take home a 1 oz bottle of tincture and a jar to make one at home as practice.

Gardening with Medicinal Herbs in Colorado - Summer

Blake Burger
Tuesday, August 25, 2025, 4 - 7p.m.
Gardening in Colorado is both extremely rewarding, but often challenging. Patience, adaptability, and skill are necessary virtues to be successful and fruitful as a gardener in Colorado. This class discusses soil and compost, seed starting, climate, propagation techniques, transplanting and more. Learn techniques to not only help your plants survive but thrive. We also learn about the best herbs and therapeutic plants to grow in Colorado's dynamic climate.

Nurturing the Skin You Live In: Skin Spa Day - Summer

Blake Burger
Tuesday, September 15, 2025, 4 - 7 p.m.
This class cultivates an understanding of the skin from a holistic approach. Explore skin conditions from acne to wounds and talk about our plant allies that soothe and deeply nourish the skin. Learn how to use demulcent herbs for irritated or inflamed tissue as well as astringent herbs. Discussion includes a review of the anatomy and physiology of skin to gain familiarity with patterns of health and trauma. Learn about key herbs and herbal remedies to support acute traumatic conditions like cuts, bruises, scrapes, infections, burns, inflammation, sprains, strains, fractures, breaks and more! Sample and create herbal remedies such as a fresh comfrey poultice, a lavender witch hazel liniment and a chamomile oat scrub. The second part of class his class covers which plant oils are great for your skin. Learn to make affordable skin care products that are all natural, garden fresh and excellent for your skin.

Natural First Aid - Summer

Cat Pantaleo
Saturday, September 19, 2026, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
This class introduces the myriad ways in which botanicals and other natural remedies can be utilized safely and effectively for first-aid situations, including burns, sprains/strains, poison ivy and insect bites/stings. Both internal and external applications are covered, including homeopathy and poultices. Students make products to add to their home first-aid kits. Class includes a tour of the medicinal garden at York Street.

Final Class Share, Make and Take - Summer

Akil Kelley, Blake Burger, Cat Pantaleo, Farnosh Family
Saturday, September 19, 2026, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Share with the class a celebration of make and take items based on the things we learned.

Highly Recommended Texts for the Certificate Program, available in the Helen Fowler Library:

"The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook: A Home Manual" by James Green
"Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West" by Michael Moore
"Botany in a Day" by Thomas J. Elpel
Optional Deeper Reading:
"The Complete Illustrated Guide To Holistic Herbal: A Safe And Practical Guide To Making And Using Herbal Remedies" by David Hoffman

Price: $845, $773 member

Instructors: Akilkuumba Kelley, Blake Burger, Cat Pantaleo, Farnosh Family

Instructor Bios:

Akilkuumba Kelley is a trained clinical herbalist with over a decade of clinical practice and a deep commitment to holistic healing. For more than 10 years, he has refined his therapeutic offerings and the medicine formulas he creates, crafting a wide range of herbal extracts designed to support health, vitality and overall well-being. Akil is also an experienced meditation practitioner and ceremonialist. His approach blends plant medicine with somatic awareness, energetic presence and intellectual understanding to create healing experiences that are both grounded and transformative. Akil integrates mindfulness and ritual as essential companions to herbal practice.

Blake Burger began his career at Denver Botanic Gardens as a seasonal gardener. After one year, he was hired full-time as a horticulturalist. Throughout his time at the Gardens, he has worked with tropical plants, native plants, vegetables and herbs. After receiving his Herbalist Certification here in Denver, Blake immediately began working with the vast array of medicinal plants growing in the Gardens. He founded the Denver Medicinal Plant Society in 2015, created and maintains several medicinal plant beds at the Garden's York Street location and laid the foundation for the Garden's first Herbalist Certificate Program. As a certified yoga instructor, Blake has led more than 1,000 yoga classes over six years and created a nationally recognized yoga program at the Gardens. Blake believes in a multifaceted approach to health and wellness: eat well, move your body, never stop learning, get outside and connect.

Cat Pantaleo, M.A., is a seasoned Holistic Health Practitioner with over 24 years of experience as a consultant, educator and nature guide. Integrating her expertise as a Certified Clinical Herbalist, Ecopsychologist, Nutritionist and Nonviolent Communication practitioner, she offers pathways to resilience, deep nourishment and authentic reconnection with the Wild Self. Cat’s work is fueled by a passionate commitment to restoring respect and reciprocity between humans and the more-than-human world, with her classes and workshops aimed at integrating plant and ecological knowledge, sensory awareness, explorations in perception and a deepening of relationship to oneself and the land. Time with Cat is an opportunity to awaken one’s innate capacity for care, cooperation, a sense of belonging and Earth-honoring living -so that all life may flourish.

Farnosh Family is an Ayurvedic practitioner who uses a blend of lifestyle changes, diet, and herbs in her practice. With a background in organic chemistry, she approaches herbology and cooking like the science that it is. In addition to her work using Ayurveda with clients, she has an herbal ghee company located in Denver called Ayurveda Mama. You can find more information about her on Instagram at @Sungheekitchenor on the website www.sungheekitchen.com.