Join Emily Kuchlbauer of Sunday Herbal and Kathryn Waple of the Seagate School of Holistic Herbalism for an immersive six-week course on the foundational aspects of Energetic Herbalism. Rooted in practices of Western Herbalism and informed by intuitive, body-based learning, this course offers the tools to build lasting relationships with plants. This course is suited for complete beginners to experienced herbalists who are moving away from this-for-that herbalism and moving towards a relational model of herbal practice.
Each week of this program blends practical learning with experiential connection. From taste-based identifications to materia medica and hands-on exploration of herbal extraction methods. Together we'll cover:
Introductions to herbal energetics, herbal tastes, and how to safely practice learning about plants using your senses.
Tissue states and constitutional awareness.
How herbal tastes reveals a plant's action.
Foundational herbal actions like astringents, nervines, adaptogens, and more.
Building a materia medica based on lived experience and the teachers who came before.
How to choose herbs in a holistic way.
How to make your own herbal extracts at home via Folk Methods and Scientific Methods including tinctures, water extracts, infused oils, salves, liniments, and vinegars.
After this course, students will have developed a framework for understanding how tastes and energetics inform plants' actions in the body, leading to a more holistic understanding of herbal practice. Whether you’re brand new to herbalism or seeking a grounded return to the basics, this course will help you develop your herbal instincts and deepen your connection to the healing therapies of plants.
Class Dates
Weekly starting September 8 to October 13th from 6-8 PM.
Course Syllabus
Class 1 - What is Energetic Herbalism?
Energetic herbalism is a framework that lies in its “simplicity and its sensuality: reading patterns of the person and matching the patterns to those found in plants” according to Kathleen Maier. In this class, we will provide an overview of the benefits, practices and history of the energetic model of herbalism as well as:
The Three Energetic Spectrum Overview
Thermal Dynamic Spectrum
Fluid State Spectrum
Six Tissues States and how they relate to herbalism
Practicing Herbal Energetics
A discussion on herbal lineage and the makeup of “Western Herbalism”
Class 2 - Introduction to Herbal Tastes
How a plant tastes is one of the first indicators as to how that plant might impact the body. The differences in plant flavor is impacted by phytochemicals found in the plant and/or the aroma a plant imparts. This week, we’ll be diving into the primary six tastes of Western Herbalism and what they signify. Including
Energetics of the taste
How that flavor supports or impacts the body
Examples of the six different tastes to be sampled in class
Class 3 - Introduction to Herbal Actions and Building a Materia Medica
Herbal actions are a classification system for how herbs take an active effect in the body. It’s important to note that herbal actions are different from the qualities of herbs.
As a beginning herbalist, learning herbal actions unlocks an entire new way of understanding how herbs work and is a critical part of herbal education. Building up your understanding of the glossary of herbal actions allows you to easily recognize and catalog your experience with herbs, and the experiences of many others who come before and after you. Figuring out how to use the language of herbal actions allows herbalists to expand beyond index herbalism and into a more relation based herbal practice. Rather than saying an herb is “good for headaches”, you’ll begin to understand why. Is it because it’s analgesic, antispasmodic, aromatic, and/or nervine?
Also included:
The Difference between vital actions and primary actions
How tissue states, herbal actions and tastes all intersect to promote balance in the body
Overview and how to start building your own Materia Medica
Class 4 - Introduction to the Folk Method of Making Herbal Extracts
Herbalism is a creative art form that can be as simple or as complicated as you would like to make it. The Folk Method is accessible, simple, and ideal for:
The beginning herbalist
The kitchen herbalist
Those who are primarily interested in working with herbs that are nutritive, act like foods in the body and do not need to be dose-specific.
The Folk Herbalist generally makes extracts for personal and home use, has an intuitive relationship with the plants they are working with, often grows their own medicinal herbs and is a keen observer.
Also included in this class are hands-on practice and detailed instructions on:
Developing a relationship with plants through water extracts (teas, infusions, decoctions, working with solar and lunar water extracts)
Benefits and methods for making Vinegar Extracts
Herbal Infused Oil Extracts
Class 5 - Herbal Extracts Using the Scientific Method
The Scientific Method is used to strengthen control and predictability in the strength and potency of herbal extracts. This method is used when there is a need for dose-specific accuracy and when making extracts for commercial production. There are two ways to utilize the Scientific Method when making herbal extracts. One is the Weight to Volume method (which may be used in combination with the Folk Method) and the Standard Method(which uses formulas to determine the ratios of the finished herbal extract).
This class also includes:
Making oil, vinegar and alcohol extracts using both the Weight to Volume Method and the Standardized Method
Class 6 - Making Salves and Liniments
Herbal infused oils and the salves made from them can be used to treat a variety of skin conditions. The oil itself has skin healing benefits that compliment those of the herbs extracted into it. Depending on what herbs are used, oils and salves can be applied anywhere on the body, including mucus membranes and the face. Using food grade ingredients and nourishing or tonic herbs means the oils and salves are safe to be ingested and again, depending on the plant, are appropriate for use externally by pregnant people, infants and pets.
Liniments are used externally and have a variety of indications. They can be used to draw, to warm, to dry; to disinfect wounds, to help heal cuts, burns, strains and sunburns, and to soothe strained muscles and ligaments (Green 301). The selection of menstruum and herbs will depend on the intention for the preparation. For example, vinegar would be a good menstruum for a liniment intended for use on sunburn, as vinegar by itself has skin cooling properties. Ethyl alcohol, vinegar and isopropyl (rubbing alcohol) are all used to make liniments.
Learn how to make and take home both salves and liniments in the fun, engaging and capstone class!
Registration and Tuition
Regular Tuition: $450*
Registration is open until the class is full or the start date.
Sliding Scale Tuition
Tier 1 Tuition: $425
Tier 2 Tuition: $400
We are pleased to offer Sliding Scale tuition rates for this class series. If you are interested in learning more about Sliding Scale as a tool for Economic Justice, please check out this article by Alexis J. Cunningfolk. The descriptions of the different tiers are pulled from her article.
Full Price Tuition represents the true value for the workshop series. "If you have access to financial security, own property or have personal savings, you would not traditionally qualify for sliding scale services."
Tier 1 is referred to as The Middle Costs and "reflects the practitioner's acknowledgement that paying the full cost would prevent some folks from being able to attend, but who do not honestly find themselves reflected in either descriptions for the highest cost or the lowest."
Tier 2 is referred to as the Bottom Cost and "represents an honest acknowledgment by the teacher and practitioner that there are folks whose economic circumstances would prevent them from being a part of classes if there was not a deliberate opportunity made for them to access services at a cost that is reflective of their economic realities."
We do not offer refunds, but you may gift or transfer your registration to another person.
About Emily Kuchlbauer of Sunday Herbal:
Emily Kuchlbauer is a community herbalist living in the Cape Fear region of North Carolina, ancestral territory of the Waccamaw, Catawba, and Cape Fear People. Emily’s herbal practice is a collaboration. A dialogue between plants, people, and the landscapes they inhabit. The foundation behind Sunday Herbal is rooted in half a decade of studies in botany, ecology, vitalism, anatomy and physiology, nutrition fundamentals, western herbalism and advanced herbal formulation. Through this foundation, Emily crafts bespoke herbal remedies and supports individuals seeking greater balance in their emotional wellness, energy levels, digestion, sleep, and overall vitality — with an approach that emphasizes simplicity, agency, and the profound connection between place-based seasonal cycles and human health.
Emily supports individuals of all genders in cultivating curiosity, embodiment, and self-trust, believing that sustainable well-being begins with practices that are both joyful and deeply personal. Through collaboratively mapping out enjoyable holistic herbal protocols, Emily’s offerings are less about seeking perfection and more about tending to the unfolding of vitality. Inspired by her upbringing on farmland in the Great Lakes State and her Bavarian ancestry, Emily’s practice through Sunday Herbal is infused with a deep reverence for the cycles of life and the intuitive wisdom of nature. Whether crafting an herbal protocol or creating small-batch, seasonal herbal products, her work gently reminds us: health is not a permanent destination but a daily journey of tending, noticing, and taking care.
Date & Time
Mon, Sep 8, 2025 - Mon, Oct 13, 2025
Venue Details
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Wilmington
4313 Lake Avenue Wilmington, North Carolina 28403
Seagate School of Holistic Herbalism
Kathryn Sisler Waple, Founder and Director of Seagate School of Holsitic Herbalism, Gray Cat Botanicals and the Southeast North Carolina Herbal Conference began her official journey with plants as an apprentice to Corinna Wood, founder and former director of Red Moon Herbs in 2007. After her apprenticeship, she moved back to Wilmington and founded Castle Street Community Gardens, which she managed from 2008-2011.
From 2014 to 2021 she was the Director of Nature Connect NC, an experiential outdoor homeschool enrichment program. In 2023, she founded the Southeast North Carolina Herbal Conference, which had a wildly successful 1st Annual event in November of 2024. She has been working with plants and teaching hands-on workshops in the community continuously since 2008. She hopes to inspire in students a lifelong desire to develop a deeper relationship with plants, and the confidence to work with medicinal herbs safely and effectively.
