November 4, 2026

Happy Herbal Wednesday!

I don't know about you, but all this artificial intelligence stuff has really been stressing me out. I almost feel like it's made the last decade of my life spent writing quality herbalism content on my website and in books inside the School of Botanical Arts & Sciences completely irrelevant!

Information has now become a commodity. Information---even "bad" information believed to be "good," is easily found in just a few seconds, where in the past, hours and hours would need to be spent researching, then reading, then synthesizing and analyzing....then writing.

In sharing with our Confident Herbalist Tribe live chat group today, I realized something big, and it made me feel a little better. And that is that 99% of all my writings took place BEFORE artificial intelligence. They were researched by me, written by me based on my own experiences with plants and clients, and then shared with you.

I've made a decision.

My hard copy herbal resources are going to remain my main go-to's for information. Plus, older, honest, and trustworthy herbalists who have been studying for at least 10 years or more, and who don't use AI to write their copy (or create their school coursework).

I've written literally thousands of pages for our texts (before AI) inside the School of Botanical Arts & Sciences---thousands of pages.

And these books are reliable....

Yes I know that AI is "just" a tool. However, many people aren't realizing how to use it the right way, and they're depending on it for information that, at least in the case of herbal medicine, might be misguided, incomplete, and come from dubious sources.

NOTE: I have no problem using AI as a "tool" and asking it to provide information in a way that gives you good, solid information from reputable sources.

Here's a prompt you can borrow from me:

"Please search "xyz" and use only data from scientific articles and clinical studies from sites such as Science Direct, EBSCO, or NIH.gov and synthesize the results for me. Please also provide all resources you use. Only gather information from websites of herbalists who have been actively practicing for more than 10 years (like Healing Harvest Homestead)."

And then you can personalize it further by including other websites or herbalists you trust. Luckily, there are quite a few of us out there.

This Week's Reader Question and Answer

And then when choosing this week's reader question, this one popped up, and given all my thoughts about AI, I thought it was perfectly appropriate, so here we go:

I LOVE my physical books too. And all my magazines and professional journals.

I have a book (usually herbal or aromatic) tucked into my large purse or work bag wherever I go, along with tons of highlighters, fine-tipped markers, and a good ball point pen. They're stacked all over the house and even outside and in the classroom/studio!

I write in my books, dog ear the pages, and use little sticky notes everywhere, LOL. I am a librarian's nightmare!

For Patience, and for anyone who is blessed to have old-fashioned herbal books, treasure them! Now, some of these may be difficult to read, and depending on how old they are, they may not be the best ones to turn to first. Traditional herbalism is useful, but sometimes things were done long ago that are now considered dangerous. Our knowledge of comfrey these days is a great example.

I would like to recommend to you my own herbalism and aromatherapy plant medicine book, authored by me, no AI involved.

Lyon Press reached out a couple years ago, and I was thrilled to write for them. And now? My book is coming out for everyone on November 17. It will be in stores (even Target, I've heard), and of course it's online too. You can preorder it now, and it will magically arrive in your mailbox by the 17th!

I wrote this book with my usual mission in mind:

To help every extended family have access to a real herbalist who knows how to work with the medicinal plants God created and gifted to us for use so that families can have alternative choices for health when they need them.

Real herbalists have to learn, and they need to learn from trustworthy herbalists with years and years of experience. Choosing books with solid information is vital.

This is my mission because I know personally how herbalism has saved my life and health. And, herbalism has given me and mine options over the years that others don't have access to due to lack of knowledge.

I want to be part of changing that.

My book, The Guide to Natural Health with Herbal Medicine and Essential Oils, is a full resource to get you started from the beginning, and gives you a solid foundation in both herbalism and aromatherapy. It includes over 100 formulations in categories, plant medicine-making and applications, and also materia and aromatic medica for herbs and essential oils. You can preorder it HERE.

And, it was written without any AI. Just me and nearly 20 years of experiences learning herbal and aromatic medicine from the ground up. It was a labor of love, for sure.

My website: Healing Harvest Homestead, is also a GREAT source of information, too. There are hundreds (nearly a thousand, I believe) of articles, formulations, and health topics there. (None of it written by AI.)

Of course, I made a YouTube video on this topic about three years ago. I shared my favorite beginning, intermediate, and advanced herbal books and why I like them. Here you go:

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I guess I should make a new video and include my own book! But this old video is STILL really helpful....

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And on the Topic of Learning.....

You can read about medicinal plants all day long, but until you actually WORK with the plants, you're missing the most important thing about becoming an herbalist.

🌿 Herbalists spend years touching the plants, smelling them, tasting them, watching them over the seasons if they can, making medicine and preparations with them, seeing how they interact with various other herbs and people...and learn how they behave in different solvents.

And after years of doing these things, you develop this amazing intuition!

Obviously, this takes time. But this time learning can be sped up quickly.....

The fastest way to really grow as an herbalist is to learn alongside other people who love this stuff as much as you do! Those who see the value in knowing herbal medicine for themselves and their family.

There's something wonderful about having a like-minded community to share what you're learning, ask questions when you have them (and you will), to encourage you to try new things, and have others with experience help you figure things out.

Community makes learning herbalism SO much more enjoyable, and you progress a LOT faster this way, too.

This is what I want you to experience during our upcoming Herbalist Coaching Week!

🌼 Herbalist Coaching Week!

We're going to spend 5 days learning together.

🌿 You'll decide on your unique learning path.

🌿 We'll do a deep dive into a plant you already have access to right now.

🌿 We'll make remedies.

🌿 Formulation! See how an herbalist thinks through creating a homemade blend.

🌿 Time for Questions and Answers....

🌿 PLUS, a completely private community OFF social media that's housed inside our larger School of Botanical Arts & Sciences community...so you can enjoy interacting with others of all levels of experience who are just as excited about medicinal plants as you are.

​I'd LOVE for you to join us! ​

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You may be guessing that I'm having a rough moment with the whole AI thing. And you'd be right. But here's the thing: Real people aren't going anywhere. Real experiences aren't going anywhere. What we need to do is to practice our discernment and know the difference.

Have the most beautiful and blessed day today! Let's all get outside and go appreciate a plant...one that God created just for us!

Hugs, Health, and Herbs,

Heidi

P.S. Please share with a friend who might want to come to Herbalist Coaching Week with you!

**Don't worry about missing live sessions! There will be replays, and you'll even have a special course area inside the school, too! (And all this is free.)

​Yes! I'd love to join Herbalist Coaching Week!​