NOTE: This is an idea guide for gifts for the person who loves plants and creating beautiful things from them. This is a gift guide for the aspiring herbalist…and that may even be you!

I remember years back, when I first began learning about creating my own plant medicines and taking my very first classes in herbalism. I was overwhelmed with all there was to learn and also a little scared. What if this tincture I just created wouldn't work? Or worse...what if it was actually harmful?

But, OH, was it fun! And satisfying! And empowering! The more I experimented and learned and experienced successes, the more passionate I became about learning everything I could about herbalism. That hasn't changed, even years later.

It's my hope that my articles and posts will inspire you to start or continue your journey to natural health using herbal medicines you make yourself! I can think of very few skills more worth your time to learn in this modern day and age. Or, perhaps you know a friend who would love to start their herbal journey. I'm sharing my favorite herbal things with you, in case you'd like to consider any of these wonders gifts for a friend...or yourself!

Here are some resources pertaining to being or becoming an herbalist that have helped me immensely. These are things from the large to the small, and no matter where you are on your herbal path, you'll find at least some of these useful! Enjoy!

Do you or a friend wish to become an herbalist? Or maybe they (or you) already are? Are you wondering what to get that person as a gift? Here are my best ideas for gifts for the person who is or wants to be an herbalist. Herbal education, courses, b… — Do you or a friend wish to become an herbalist? Or maybe they (or you) already are? Are you wondering what to get that person as a gift? Here are my best ideas for gifts for the person who is or wants to be an herbalist. Herbal education, courses, books, supplies....it's all here in this gift guide for the aspiring herbalist! #herbal #education #school #herbalist #become #howtobe #learn #herbalism #herbal #books #healingharvesthomestead #healing

FTC Disclosure: There are affiliate links scattered here and there in this post. If you click through and make any kind of purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Herbal Items Every Aspiring Herbalist (or Practicing Herbalist) Should Consider...Many Make Great Gifts!

Herbal Education: Books and Courses

Unless you are one of the fortunate ones who grew up with an elder who educated you about herbal remedies, home cures, and how to identify, forage, and use native plants, you will need to find some classes and books to help you start you on your herbal path.

My Favorite Herbal Books

My most recent book is a complete 330+ page resource for both family herbalism and aromatherapy. It is a beautifully photographed book that will make a great addition to your herbal library! Available where books are sold.

An old time book I highly recommend for the newbie to plant medicine is Richo Cech's book, Making Plant Medicine. He clearly discusses methods for using a variety of plants, as well as dosing information.

Other favorite books include Medicinal Plants of the Mountain West and Medicinal Plants of the Desert & Canyon West, both my Michael Moore (and he has other books specific to various regions--these have been SUPER helpful); and his sense of humor makes the reading fun.

Herbal Antibiotics, Herbal Antivirals, and Sacred & Herbal Healing Beers, all by Stephan Buhner;

Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar, Volume 2 of The Earthwise Herbal by Matthew Wood (I like Volume 1, as well).

At some point in your studies, you’ll really need to invest in David Hoffmann’s Medical Herbalism as well as Robert Tisserand’s Essential Oil Safety, especially if you begin working with clients outside of your immediate family.

There are so many more, too, but these are some of my favorites in my herbal library of over 50 books!

If you’re new to herbalism…then my FREE Five Day Email Course is jam-packed with information that will set you up solidly and also provide easy, effective formulations you can start with today. If you’re busy (who isn’t?), you can simply save the notes for later in a folder on your computer. I do this all the time. You can get started HERE!

Get this FREE Home Remedy Guide. It comes with a handy Cheat Sheet for how to use the herbs, and it’s a great resource for your kitchen or apothecary! If you’re not ready for the five day email course, then this is a wonderful alternative!

Just a very few of my herbal books. I couldn't live without these! :-)

Courses:

If you are a Christian (or not) and want to study herbalism without New Age influences, then the School of Botanical Arts & Sciences (SOBAS) by Healing Harvest Homestead is your absolute best choice. It’s evidenced-based, experience-based herbal and aromatic education with different pathways and levels of study to meet your needs. Our lead instructor and founder, Heidi Villegas, is an experienced herbalist and aromatherapist with a background in product formulation and sales, a decade of work with clients and their needs, and has taught herbal medicine since 2012. Our other instructors have sound backgrounds as well.

Certification Pathways

If you desire to put in some hours and earn a legitimate certification proving your knowledge, then our Family Herbalist Certification program is a great place to begin. You’ll become a strong family and community herbalist with this course because you’ll not only learn apothecary, safety, and foundations, you’ll also get to learn about commonly used plants (materia medica, phytochemistry, formulation, growing/harvesting or foraging), and aromatic studies for the family.

If you desire a more lightweight option, but you’re ready to finally get that home apothecary planned, organized, and ready to go for your unique family, the our Ditch the Drugstore program is the perfect beginning. **This course is also included in the Family Herbalist Certification. Both programs include live Q&A sessions with Heidi, too.

If you love or are intrigued by essential oils and aromatherapy, then our Aromatherapy Specialist Certification program is the best place to begin. This course is currently (May, 2026) a level 1 course approved by the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapists, and will soon be upgraded to a level 2. It’s a great time to join because right now, we’re still offering it at our beta pricing from 2024. It’s a fabulous course and will give you experience working with clients, too.

Then…The Confident Herbalist Tribe!

This is our premium membership, which is available by subscription or you can purchase the lifetime option if you don’t want a subscription. This is a massively huge resource library of plant masterclasses and specialty topics in herbalism and aromatherapy. It includes a community (our village) that’s off social media on our own private platform, allowing for freer speech. With six years of questions you can search, as well as replays of live Q&A sessions and special sessions (hundreds of them), PLUS ongoing live Q&A chats each week, plant chats, and Special Sessions (right now, our topic is sleep), you can see how rich this membership is.

You can join for a $1 trial, discover your herbalism pilgrimage (or path), which is unique to YOU and what you desire, and get started today!

Supplies (bottles, tins, Mason Jars, large jars)

You can get most of your needed supplies right in your kitchen! But sometimes you’ll need to purchase special bottles and containers. I really like Specialty Bottle Company for these. You can also find everything you need right on Amazon. Be sure to sanitize these before using them!

Bulk Herbs and High Quality Essential Oils

It’s possible to grow most of what you need, although this takes time. Many of us can also forage medicinal herbs from our surrounding areas. Be careful with this, though, and know important safety guidelines.

But…as you grow in your herbal practice, you’ll likely need to purchase some of your herbs, and all of your essential oils. Here is a page I created with lists of my favorite resources. For essential oils, especially, be SURE to purchase only high quality oils from specific aromatherapy companies. All the time, I see “homesteaders,” “preppers,” and sales people who are NOT trained in aromatherapy at all recommending products that I would never, ever use on clients (or my family or animals). PLEASE be sure to vet the companies you purchase from, avoid all big box stores and even health stores and most importantly, white labeled products sold be random vendors.

My Lists of Valuable Resources

Tea Blends and Tea Supplies

It's super fun getting ready-made herbal tea blends! For a gift guide specifically for the Tea Lover in your life, click for my article.

You can buy tea blends for many medicinal purposes or just for enjoyment at Starwest Botanicals, along with accessories for making tea!

There's something wonderful about loose leaf herbal tea made with fresh, colorful plants.

Making natural handmade soaps with herbs, clays, and flowers is a creative way to be healthier and enjoy making your own natural soaps. This course is a video and text course with step by step instructions! You’ll not only learn how to make handmade natural soap, but you’ll learn about textures, salts, clays, and natural scents too! Yes! I want to make soap!

Carrier Oils for Herbal Salves

Or perhaps a homemade kit for making herbal salves would work? You just need some good carrier oils, organic beeswax, containers, and herbs for infusing.

There are quite a few recipes for herbal salves on my website, such as:

How to Make Soothing Lavender Salve,
How to Make the Best Pain Relief Salve, and
How to Make Homemade Vapor Rub, for resources and more information about how to make herbal salves.

And for a great book about making lots of things using beeswax, I just love Chris Dalziel's book, The Beeswax Workshop. You can read my article for a full book review, but you might get more gift ideas here! Beeswax is wonderful!

Becoming your trusted family herbalist is one of the best gifts you could ever give to yourself and family. It’s a way to leave a legacy of knowledge behind, too. You can enroll here.

Final Thoughts about Gifts for Aspiring Herbalists

Have I left anything out? I'd love to know if you can think of something else I need to include here. Or, if you have questions about anything? Or any other ideas---I love to hear from you guys!

You might also enjoy these articles on the blog:

Hugs, Health, & Herbs,

Heidi

P.S. I hope you'll sign up for the newsletter if you haven't done so already! You'll never miss a thing, and you’ll get immediate access to the free Resource Library! It’s filled with eBooks, guides, checklists, and lots more and is updated weekly! Enjoy!

A Gift Guide for the Aspiring Herbalist (Or Anyone Interested in Herbal Medicine and Natural Living)