The Deep Roots School of Foraging & Herbal Medicine

The Deep Roots School of Foraging & Herbal Medicine Southern Foraging and Herbal Medicine Education https://linktr.ee/deeprootsschool https://linktr.ee/deeprootsschool

Chemistry shouldn't be scary - it makes everything make more sense.Constituent solubility determines whether your extrac...
10/16/2025

Chemistry shouldn't be scary - it makes everything make more sense.

Constituent solubility determines whether your extraction captures the compounds you're seeking. Fat-soluble compounds like resins won't dissolve in water-based preparations. Water-soluble constituents won't extract into oils. (Oil and water still don't mix, shocker.)

Sometimes I want alkaloids that only pull well in alcohol. Other times I need mucilaginous compounds that prefer cool water and low proof alcohol for preservation. This is why I often make multiple preparations from the same plant.

Understanding phytochemistry helps you design extractions that capture specific compounds instead of hoping for the best. When you know WHY certain methods work for certain constituents, you make informed choices.

Tea for water-soluble compounds, oil for fat-soluble ones, alcohol for alkaloids, glycerine for aromatics. Each solvent has its strengths and limitations.

Have you made an herbal preparation that seemed like it should work but didn't? What extraction method were you using?

Want to learn the extraction science that ensures your medicine contains the compounds you're seeking? Our Advanced Medicine Making Course covers all the chemistry - comment AMMC OR I have a free Tincture Making 101 Class for you - just comment ELIXER!

Raise your hand if you've ever closed an herb book more confused than when you opened it."Good for anxiety, insomnia, di...
10/14/2025

Raise your hand if you've ever closed an herb book more confused than when you opened it.

"Good for anxiety, insomnia, digestive issues, inflammation..."HOW can one plant do ALL that?! Most herb books give you laundry lists without explaining the underlying WHY.

But when you understand how plants actually work in your body - the phytopharmacology, the energetics, the tissue states - everything starts making sense.

Take Blue Vervain: its dopaminergic activity explains the mood effects, its bitter compounds support digestion, and its antispasmodic properties address the physical tension that comes with rigidity.

You stop following recipes and start understanding principles. You move from memorization to real comprehension.

What's the most confusing thing about herbalism for you right now? Let me know what you're struggling with!

Ready to move beyond confusion and develop real understanding? The Herbal Medicine Monthly Subscription bridges the gaps - comment "herb" and we will send you more details!

10/13/2025

Y'all have questions about SEFC? And we're 2 weeks out, so let's do this.

Can I bring my kids?

Kids 11 and up are welcome to attend classes and participate in all the learning.

Is this for hardcore foragers or can I come if I'm new?

We've got people coming who can identify 100 plants and people coming who just learned what chickweed is last month. Both are welcome. We're doing everything from "here's how to not poison yourself" to advanced mushroom morphology. Just bring your curiosity.

Do I have to camp?

You can stay in cabins at Camp McDowell or bunk with other people—which is actually a great way to meet new plant nerds. If you want to camp, there's a nearby state park. Your call.

What's the vibe?

It's gonna be a blast. Campfire nights. A bioluminescent mushroom foray after dark. Music circles if you play an instrument. Days in the woods learning, evenings hanging out with people who actually want to hear about that weird fungus you found.

October 23-26. Camp McDowell, Nauvoo, Alabama. Registration at southeasternforagingconference.com—or comment "SEFC" and I'll send you the details.

Share a moment when herbs gave you real confidence in caring for your family.When you and the plant medicine stepped up ...
10/12/2025

Share a moment when herbs gave you real confidence in caring for your family.

When you and the plant medicine stepped up and you realized you weren't just playing herbalist anymore.

10/11/2025

Smilax and wild yam will trick you if you're not paying attention - let's be honest...lots of plants can trick you if you aren't paying attention.

These two are both vines, sometimes they both have heart shaped leaves, and parallel leaf venation.

Early in my learning, I was out with a teacher and spotted a vine with what I thought were whorled leaves and I was var sure I had found Wild Yam. It was actually a smilax.

The more botanically astute might be being condescending here...but ma'am, smilax have prickles...but they don't ALWAYS have prickles. Smilax variability is notorious - even within the same species, you can see huge differences in thorniness, leaf shape, and other features

Smilax has paired tendrils coming from the petiole (leaf stem), usually near where it meets the stem. Dioscorea doesn't have these. The roots are COMPLETELY different—smilax has tough, lumpy and simetimes pokey rhizomes and wild yam has more tuberous roots.

Heart shaped leaves and parallel leaf venation are just one piece - and that's the trick with botany. You need the whole picture—stems, thorns, tendrils, roots, habitat. One matching feature doesn't mean you've got the right plant!!!!!!!!!!!

Also, fun fact—smilax root (Smilax spp.) was one of the original ingredients in root beer. Before it became a sugary soda, root beer was medicinal.

Want to learn plant ID in the field with experts? The Southeastern Foraging Conference is October 23-26 at Camp McDowell. Four days of hands-on learning with the South's best foragers.

Comment SEFC to get the details!

Constitutional and tissue state matching is where herbal magic happens.We're looking at the energetics of the person, th...
10/09/2025

Constitutional and tissue state matching is where herbal magic happens.

We're looking at the energetics of the person, the energetics of the problem, AND the energetics of the herb. When all three align - that's when plants work most effectively.

During assessment, I ask about general tissue states. Do you run hot or cold? Wet or dry? Tense or relaxed? But I don't force people into categories if they don't fit clearly.

If someone has a spasmodic cough that hurts, it's probably tense and dry - needs moistening and relaxing regardless of their general constitution.

Generic herb-scribing like "red raspberry for all pregnancies" ignores individual physiology and tissue states entirely. We miss the forest for the trees when we only focus on symptoms without considering the whole person.

You're already doing basic assessment - you can see if someone's sturdy or sensitive, their age, general vitality. That's tissue state and constitutional evaluation right there.

Do you know your herbal constitution? Hot/cold type? Dry/moist? Most people have intuitive sense of this.

Ready to learn personalized herbalism that considers the whole person, not just symptoms? Our Herbal Medicine Monthly Subscription covers constitutional approaches to herbs -comment "KIT" for the details!

I get genuinely excited when research catches up to what herbalists have known for centuries.Take passion flower - we've...
10/08/2025

I get genuinely excited when research catches up to what herbalists have known for centuries.

Take passion flower - we've been using it for anxiety and insomnia forever, but NOW we understand it works on GABA receptors in the brain. The benzodiazepine-like effects without the side effects start making perfect sense when you understand the phytopharmacology.

Or Blue Vervain's dopaminergic activity explaining why it's so specific for people stuck in rigid, controlling patterns. The traditional "stiff-necked overachiever" indication suddenly has a neurochemical foundation.

This is what lights me up - when traditional wisdom meets modern science and it all clicks into place. Neither approach alone tells the complete story, but together? That's where real understanding happens.

What traditional remedy have you seen science finally "catch up" to? OR What plant calms your nervous system most?

Want to know which Deep Roots Course suits your learning goals? Comment "Quiz" and we will send you a link!

10/08/2025

Well-trained herbalists use careful language...."This might help." "It could support." "Some people find..."

There are two reasons for this:

First—it's illegal. I can't diagnose, treat, prescribe, or cure anything. I'm not a doctor - I'm an herbalist and i have a scope of practice just like many other types of care providers. We can educate, we can share traditional uses, we can talk about what the research says. That's it.

Second—anyone with actual experience knows your body is NOT the same as mine.

That sleep blend that changed my life? Might make you wired. That digestive bitter that works for your neighbor? Might not touch your issues. The dose that's perfect for me might be way too much or not nearly enough for you.

Good herbalists understand that plants are complex, bodies are complex, and there is no one-size-fits-all.

So when I say "this herb is traditionally used for XYZ" or "research suggests it may support ABC"—I'm not being vague to be annoying. I'm being honest about what I actually know and what I legally can say.

The herbalists making bold hyperbolic claims? That's who you need to watch out for.

The ones promising cures, guarantees, and miracles either don't have enough experience to know better, or they're willing to break the law to make a sale.

I'd rather leave room for nuance and keep it legal.

Want to learn more from me? Check out the Southeastern Foraging Conference! Nauvoo, AL, October 23-26th Comment SEFC for the details.

10/07/2025

Weekly Tea Time with the HMMS is lit.

Every week we hop into the online classroom—mugs in hand—and have some serious and fun talk about what's working, what's not, and what the heck is happening with everyone's tinctures.

It's part plant nerd hangout, part troubleshooting session, part "wait, you can use it for WHAT?"

Someone's sharing what they foraged this week. Someone else is asking if their tincture is supposed to smell like that (usually yes). We're comparing notes on sleep blends, talking through dosing questions, and figuring out the wiley world of medicine-making together.

No scripts - real people hanging out, connecting and sharing our questions, wins, fails, and fun projects!

This is what I wanted when I started learning herbs 17 years ago—people to learn WITH, not just from. Turns out, that's what y'all wanted too.

Already part of the Herb Crew? You coming to tea time this week?

Not a member yet? Comment "HMMS" below and I'll send you the details. You get your herb kit shipped monthly + access to these meet-ups, the full course library, this crew and so much more.

🍂 October Plant Walk at Moss Rock! 🍂Fall is here and the medicinal plants are putting on their final show before winter!...
10/07/2025

🍂 October Plant Walk at Moss Rock! 🍂

Fall is here and the medicinal plants are putting on their final show before winter! Join me Saturday, October 11th from 10:00-11:30 AM for our monthly plant walk at Moss Rock Nature Preserve.

October is one of my favorite times to explore wild medicines - we'll be hunting for late season treasures, root medicines, and the plants that are offering up their seeds and fruits for our winter apothecary.

We'll meet at the main entrance across from Vecchio Pizza (by the porter potties) for an hour and a half of hands-on learning that's equal parts science, tradition, and pure plant nerd joy.

Perfect time to bring your Foraging for Medicines Journal to document what we discover!

Don't have one? I'll have copies available for purchase and would love to sign your copy as the author.

You can also order online by commenting "Journal".

October 11th | 10:00-11:30 AM
Moss Rock Nature Preserve
$20 per person | $30 for couples/families/friend pairs

Link in bio to register!

What herb do you swear by even though there is little to no research backing it up?Sometimes traditional knowledge and p...
10/05/2025

What herb do you swear by even though there is little to no research backing it up?

Sometimes traditional knowledge and personal experience trump PubMed. What's your "there's no research but I'm not worried about it" plant?

10/04/2025

Hearts-a-bustin' (Euonymus americanus- say that three times fast!) is out here serving LOOKS! Those pink pods burst open and every year I think they look like an alien Christmas ornament.

This gorgeous native has traditional uses, and while most of the time I have the knowledge to work with tricky plants...this time I don't. You can't know everything. But it's an amazing and curious plant - those distinctive 4-sided stems and show-stopping pink capsules make it an easy confidence builder for plant ID.

Speaking of building confidence... want to level up from solo puttering walks to learning alongside the South's BEST foragers? The Southeastern Foraging Conference (Oct 23-26) is where you'll get hands-on instruction from published authors and master foragers - including plant walks, cooking classes, and hands-on experience where we show you exactly what to look for!

I'll be leading classes with 17 years of experience, Biology degree, FH and RH (AHG) certifications and I'm here to teach you!

Tickets available now - Comment SEFC for the details! 👆

Address

Birmingham, AL

Website

https://linktr.ee/deeprootsschool

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Why I do this…

Hello friends!

My name is Cameron Strouss and I am a Clinical/Functional Herbalist, Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild, Certified Aromatherapist, Master Gardener, medicine maker extraordinaire, and professional forager of 10 years and clinician of 7 years. (If you want my extended nerdy credentials click here.)

Whenever I take steps back into a place of quiet inquiry I am always quickly lead back to the deep nourishment of wild foods and herbal medicines, foraging, ancestral food/medicine ways, and the utter joy and sense of rightness that foraging brings me. I (and if I am allowed we) so often feel lost, alone, out of place and time, lacking deep connection with self, place, and community.

Little else in my life brings me such clarity - and so quickly - as spending an hour collecting food or medicine, with friends in my neighborhood. It scratches this human-animal itch that is much like the ache of scratching poison ivy. It is the most satisfying feeling I can express.