Course
Online Course
Foundations of Herbology
A self-paced course in plant identification, traditional preparation methods, and the written history of the apothecary — recorded at our counter in Huntington Beach.
Access begins the moment you enroll
The Material
What you'll learn
Identification, preparation, and record-keeping — the working knowledge behind a wall of labelled jars.
How to identify common California coastal and inland plants by leaf, stem, flower, and habit
The working vocabulary of the apothecary — infusion, decoction, maceration, menstruum, ratio
Traditional preparation methods: water infusions, tinctures, infused oils, and dried blends
Harvest ethics and California permitting, and how to read a stand before you cut it
Drying and storage — airflow, screen spacing, humidity, light, and how each changes dried material
How to read and write a label: plant part, ratio, ABV, batch, and date
The written record, from the early Western herbals to the modern monograph
How to keep a plant journal and build a reference you will actually use
How It Works
From enrollment to certificate
Four steps, start to finish. Everything after the first happens on the course site.
Enroll
One payment of $450 on surfcityherbs.com. Your login for the course site is created at checkout and the confirmation lands by email.
Start straight away
Every module is open from the moment you enroll — nothing is held back on a schedule. Work through them in order, or go straight to what you need.
Quizzes after each module
A short quiz closes each module, so you can check what stuck before you move on. Module quizzes can be retaken as often as you like.
Certificate of completion
Finish the modules and pass the final exam, and the course site issues a certificate of completion. See the questions below for what that does and does not mean.
What's Included
What comes with the course
Video lessons
Twenty to thirty recorded lessons, filmed at the shop counter and out on the bluffs. All of them open at enrollment — watch them in any order, as many times as you want.
Downloadable notes
A PDF for every lesson — plant lists, method sheets, and reference tables, formatted to print and put in a binder. Yours to keep.
Module quizzes
A short quiz at the close of each module, retakeable as often as you like at no extra cost. They are there to check your own understanding.
Certificate of completion
Issued by the course site once the modules and the final exam are done. A record that you completed this course — not a professional credential.
Curriculum
Six modules, start to finish
Each module closes with a short quiz. Open a module below to see what it covers.
Module One — Vocabulary
What the words on an apothecary shelf actually mean, and why one plant turns up under four different names depending on who wrote the label.
4 lessons
Module Two — Field Identification
Leaf, stem, flower, and habit. Working through a key start to finish, and the plants most often mistaken for one another along this coast.
6 lessons
Module Three — Harvest & Permits
What California requires on paper, what a stand can stand to lose, and how to cut so that it comes back the following season.
4 lessons
Module Four — Drying & Storage
Screens, airflow, spacing, and the marine layer. How dried material changes in the jar across a season, and how to tell when it has.
4 lessons
Module Five — Preparations
Water infusions, tinctures, infused oils, and dried blends, with the ratios worked through from raw weight to finished jar.
6 lessons
Module Six — Records & Labels
Keeping a plant journal, writing a label another person can read a year later, and building a reference of your own.
3 lessons
Questions
Before you enroll
Self-Paced or Scheduled?
Is the course self-paced or scheduled?
Entirely self-paced. There is no cohort and no start date to wait for — every module opens the moment you enroll, and you work through them in whatever order and at whatever pace suits you. The one fixed thing is the finish line: you have 90 days from purchase to complete the course.
If You Don't Pass a Quiz
What happens if I do not pass a quiz?
Module quizzes can be retaken as many times as you like at no cost — they exist to check your own understanding, not to grade you. The final exam is different: it is a single attempt, and if you do not pass it, a retake is available as a separate $50 purchase.
How Long You Have
How long do I have to finish?
Ninety days from the date of purchase. The clock starts at checkout rather than on any fixed calendar date, so enrolling on a Tuesday in March gives you until ninety days after that Tuesday to work through the modules and sit the final exam.
Refunds
What is the refund policy?
Refunds are not available more than 90 days after purchase — the refund window closes at the same point as the 90-day completion window. If something needs raising before then, contact the shop while the window is still open.
What the Certificate Is
What is the certificate, exactly?
A certificate of completion. It records one thing: that you finished this course and passed its final exam. It is not a professional credential and not a license, it is not recognized by any licensing or accrediting body, and it does not qualify you to advise, treat, or practice on anyone. The course is for your own knowledge.
Background Required
Do I need any background in botany?
None. The first module starts with vocabulary and the second builds identification from the ground up. If you have never keyed out a plant before, this is written for you.
Enrollment
Learn the plants on this coast
One payment, six modules, and a certificate of completion at the end. Taught from the room where everything on our shelf gets made.
Enrollment and payment are handled on surfcityherbs.com.
Access begins the moment you enroll