Welcome back. Weeks 1 and 2 are in the books. You made your first healing salve, designed your own scent, and built two perfume products from scratch. Tonight we go deeper into the medicine of plants. Here's how to stay connected between classes.
Your course materials, slides, and resources are all in one place. Use the password you were given in class.
Open Student PortalKeep using RetreatRX between classes for herb-drug interaction checks and journaling your herbal practice.
Get RetreatRXYour herbal reference guide has profiles for all 14 herbs we cover in this series, plus safety information and reflection pages.
Download PDFThis week we work with Hawthorn, Turmeric, and Calendula. Check the Materia Medica below to get familiar before class.
Same as last week: your notebook, an open heart, comfortable clothing, socks, and a bonnet or hair covering. All materials are provided.
Take a moment to arrive. This helps me hold space for where you are tonight.
This 4-week series is your starting place if you want to safely make your own salves, teas, and simple blends. Build a small home apothecary with confidence. Learn herbal skills in a space that honors God, ancestors, and community.
No prior experience is needed. You will leave each week with remedies you made yourself and simple ways to keep practicing at home.
Medicine Crafts Collective is a Christ-centered space. We believe the herbs of the field are gifts from God, and we honor the ancestors who carried this healing wisdom forward. Our work is grounded in scripture, guided by prayer, and offered in service to community. We worship the Lord and walk in His provision for our health and wholeness.
Complete all 4 sessions to earn your Level 1 Home Herbalist Foundations Certificate, 8 hours of documented hands-on training. Every graduate's certificate is embossed with the MCC seal.
Born from Elijah Broke the Gate, a grief-rooted, hope-centered wellness company that supports women and families who experience child loss through storytelling, garden therapy, apothecary work, and holistic healthcare advocacy. JC Jackson is currently enrolled at Notre Dame of Maryland University School of Integrative Health, pursuing her degree in clinical herbal medicine.
Visit Elijah Broke The GateUnderstand basic safety, preparation methods, and simple dosage
Know how to make salves, tea blends, and oils or simple blends
Have a small set of recipes and skills you can repeat at home
Practice bringing ancestral and spiritual care into your herbal work
Foundations of Herbal Safety
Detailed agenda provided in your welcome packet 48 hours before class.
How's the pace right now?
Crafting aromatic salves tied to ancestral scent memory
Detailed agenda provided in your welcome packet 48 hours before class.
How's the pace right now?
Making remedies for heart and nervous system support
Detailed agenda provided in your welcome packet 48 hours before class.
How's the pace right now?
Weaving ancestral and spiritual practice into herbal work
Detailed agenda provided in your welcome packet 48 hours before class.
How's the pace right now?
Herbs featured in this series. Always check for interactions before using any herb with medications.
Sacred resin from the Boswellia tree; anti-inflammatory, grounding, and used in healing rites for over 5,000 years. Native to Somalia, Oman, Yemen, and the Horn of Africa.
Generally safe topically. Avoid during pregnancy in high doses. Patch test recommended.
Check Frankincense InteractionsAncient resin from Commiphora trees; used in Egyptian embalming and purification. Anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial. Native to northeastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Safe topically in small amounts. Avoid in pregnancy. Not for ingestion. Patch test recommended.
Check Myrrh InteractionsGrounding and protective; used by Sumerians and Egyptians for embalming, medicine, and spiritual purification. Origin: eastern Mediterranean and parts of Asia.
Safe for most adults topically. Avoid in pregnancy. Not for children under 2. Dilute well.
Check Cedarwood InteractionsThe "upside-down tree" with deep ancestral roots in Madagascar and mainland Africa. Baobab oil is nourishing and rich in vitamins A, D, E, and F. Used across African traditions for food, medicine, and ceremony.
Baobab oil is gentle and safe for most skin types. Non-comedogenic.
Check Baobab InteractionsGentle nervine and digestive soother; calms tension and supports restful sleep.
Generally safe; may interact with blood thinners and sedatives.
Check Chamomile InteractionsAromatic nervine; eases anxiety, headaches, and restlessness through scent and infusion.
Generally safe externally and in tea; may enhance sedative effects.
Check Lavender InteractionsSkin-healing and anti-inflammatory; a foundation herb for salves and wound care.
Very gentle; avoid if allergic to plants in the daisy family.
Check Calendula InteractionsWarming digestive aid; relieves nausea, supports circulation, and eases cold symptoms.
May interact with blood thinners; use moderately in pregnancy.
Check Ginger InteractionsUplifting nervine; soothes anxiety and supports cognitive clarity and digestion.
May interact with thyroid medications and sedatives.
Check Lemon Balm InteractionsHeart tonic; strengthens cardiovascular function and calms emotional grief.
May interact with heart medications and blood pressure drugs.
Check Hawthorn InteractionsStimulating herb; supports memory, circulation, and digestion. Rich in antioxidants and aromatic compounds.
May interact with blood thinners and aspirin-type drugs; avoid large doses during pregnancy.
Check Rosemary InteractionsCooling digestive aid; eases nausea, headaches, and congestion. Uplifting and clarifying.
May interact with antacids and acid reflux medications; avoid with cyclosporine.
Check Peppermint InteractionsWarming analgesic; eases toothaches, supports digestion, and provides antimicrobial protection.
May slow blood clotting; interact with blood thinners and diabetes medications. Use moderately.
Check Clove InteractionsPowerful anti-inflammatory; supports joint health, digestion, and cellular protection through curcumin.
May interact with blood thinners, diabetes meds, and some cancer medications. Consult before combining.
Check Turmeric InteractionsNeed to check a different herb?
Open Interaction Checker Powered by RetreatRX | Elijah Broke The Gate Apothecary DivisionBefore you go, take a breath and reflect on what you're carrying home.
Real students. Real medicine made by hand. Selected images from Cohort 1, shared with the permission of every student pictured.
Houston, TX · Spring 2026 Cohort
Testimonials from our graduating cohort will appear here as students opt in through our private feedback form. We honor consent first, words second.
Coming SoonCohort 1 student reflection
Posted with consent
Coming SoonCohort 1 student reflection
Posted with consent
Coming SoonCohort 1 student reflection
Posted with consent
Testimonials are collected through the Cohort 1 feedback form and added only with explicit student consent.
M.S. Candidate, Clinical Herbal Medicine · Notre Dame of Maryland University School of Integrative Health
Founder, Elijah Broke The Gate LLC & Elijah Broke The Gate Apothecary Division
JC Jackson is a graduate student in the Master of Science in Clinical Herbal Medicine program at Notre Dame of Maryland University School of Integrative Health (NDMU SOIH), with an expected completion of December 2026. Her coursework brings together pharmacognosy, herb-drug interaction safety, and traditional Western and ancestral materia medica. JC is the founder of Jesse's House Holistic Assisted Living and Elijah Broke The Gate LLC (EBTG), a grief-rooted, hope-centered wellness company that uses creative arts therapy, garden therapy, and holistic practices to support women and families who've experienced child loss. Medicine Crafts Collective is run through Elijah Broke The Gate Apothecary Division, a department within Elijah Broke The Gate LLC.
A woman of faith, JC sees her herbal practice as a calling, one that walks hand in hand with her relationship with God. She believes the earth's medicines are a gift from the Creator and that honoring the ancestors who healed before us is an act of gratitude, not worship. Medicine Crafts Collective was born from this conviction: that everyone deserves access to safe, simple remedies rooted in tradition, faith, and community.
BluBottleBrand Botanicals · Piney Woods, East Texas
Justin Duncan is the founder of BluBottleBrand Botanicals and the field guide for every Medicine Crafts Collective land day. The Level 2 Field Day takes place on family-held land in the Piney Woods of East Texas, roughly 1.5 hours from Houston. Students walk the land with Justin for a guided wildcrafting hour, learning plant identification, ethical harvest practices, and how to read the land before you take from it.
The field day is mandatory for Level 2 graduation; the land-use fee and Justin's instruction are included in tuition. Follow Justin on Instagram @blubottlebrand.
All in-class materials are included with your ticket. Herbs, oils, containers, and tools are ready for you.
A notebook, an open heart, comfortable clothing, socks, and a bonnet or hair covering for when we're making medicine. That's all you need.
You'll receive a welcome packet with your agenda and instructions 48 hours before class.
Jesse's House Headquarters
Houston, TX
Your companion app for this entire series. Check herb-drug interactions, explore our products, and stay connected.
Look up any herb and see potential medication conflicts, backed by peer-reviewed research. You'll reference this during every session.
Explore EBTG Apothecary Division products: topicals, teas, and blends.
Watch the "Making Elijah" documentary trailer and connect with our community.
RetreatRX | Elijah Broke The Gate Apothecary Division
Three levels. Two ways to learn. One credential that travels with you. Move at your own pace, in person or virtually, all the way to the Apothecary Council.
4 weeks of hands-on herbal medicine-making, safety, and ancestral practice. The starting place.
Self-paced. Pre-registration open at $147. Start anytime.
Pre-register for Virtual Level 1Salves, syrups, oil infusion, and a Piney Woods field day guided by Justin Duncan, our Level 2 wildcrafting plant guide from BluBottleBrand Botanicals. Three sessions, May 12 to May 23, 2026.
In development. Virtual Level 2 builds on the Virtual Beginner foundation.
Announcing later in 2026Five advanced sessions, a Saturday market day, and induction into the Apothecary Council. Choose your graduation track: Business Builder or Home Apothecary Architect.
June 2 to June 23, 2026 · Houston + Piney Woods market day. Tuition $340 / $300 Level 2 graduate.
Preview Level 3 detailsA virtual edition of Level 3 will follow once Virtual Level 1 and Level 2 are established.
Announcing in 2027Level 3 is the destination of the Medicine Crafts Collective pathway. Five sessions of advanced preparations, a Saturday market day where you sell or showcase your own medicine, and induction into the Apothecary Council, our lifetime alumni body of credentialed graduates.
For students building a business. Walk away with a live landing page or simple website built alongside JC, using AI tools for research and content.
For students building a personal practice. Walk away with a designed Home Apothecary Blueprint, a printable PDF of your medicine cabinet, recipes, sources, and seasonal calendar.
Tuition includes all five sessions, the Saturday market day, your chosen track deliverable, and induction into the Apothecary Council.
Per-class breakdown: four standard classes plus a higher-value Saturday market day. Loyalty codes will be issued after Level 2 graduation. Enrollment opens after the Level 2 Cohort 1 graduation on May 23.
The Council is the lifetime alumni body of MCC Level 3 graduates. At your June 23 induction you receive your embossed Medicine Maker certificate and a permanent seat on the Council. Council members get first access to future MCC offerings, occasional alumni gatherings, and the option to assist at future cohorts' market days.
Earn your seat. Carry the work.
Download your welcome packet to review before your first class. It includes your schedule, what to bring, herbal safety guidelines, and featured herb profiles.
Download Welcome Packet (PDF)
Making Medicine with Ancestral Wisdom
A 16-page digital resource built for beginners and seasoned plant lovers alike. Featuring watercolor botanical paintings, ancestral roots content, peer-reviewed herb profiles, and a step-by-step salve recipe you can make at home.
Cohort 1 just graduated. Cohort 2 of Level 1: Home Herbalist Foundations is opening this fall. Drop your name and we will email you first when seats are released, before public enrollment.
Level 2 is open to anyone who has graduated Level 1 of Medicine Crafts Collective in person, or who is enrolled in (or has completed) the MCC Virtual Beginner: Home Herbalist class. Pre-registration in the virtual class counts as enrollment. We do not accept brand-new students into Level 2 without one of these prerequisites.
Three sessions in May 2026: Therapeutic Salves on May 12, Syrups and Honeys on May 19, and a Saturday Field Day with Oil Infusion and Graduation on May 23. You will leave with finished medicine and a certificate documenting completion of the Level 2 Apothecary Intensive.
Yes. The May 23 field day is a required part of Level 2. It is approximately a 1.5 hour drive from Houston, taught on private Piney Woods land in East Texas by Justin Duncan of BluBottleBrand Botanicals. The land-use and guide fee is included in your tuition. Wear closed-toe shoes, long pants, and bring water. There is no version of Level 2 that skips field day.
New student tuition is $280 (broken down as $80 + $80 + $120). Cohort 1 graduates pay $240 by entering code COHORT1-40 at Square checkout. If you refer a friend who is new to MCC, they save $10 with code FRIEND-10 (paying $250) and you receive a $20 credit toward Level 3.
An $80 deposit is non-refundable from the moment of payment. There is no cutoff date for that policy: it applies from the moment your seat is held. We do not set a minimum enrollment number, so the cohort runs regardless of size and your deposit secures your seat once paid.
Sessions 1 and 2 meet at Jesse's House Headquarters in Houston, TX. Session 3 is on private family-held land in the Piney Woods of East Texas, roughly an hour and a half outside Houston, guided by Justin Duncan of BluBottleBrand Botanicals. The exact field-day address and carpooling information are shared with confirmed students by email after registration and waiver are received, about a week before class. We do not publish the address.
Yes. Medicine Crafts Collective is a Christ-centered organization. We see herbal medicine-making as a gift from God. We honor the ancestors who carried healing knowledge forward and we worship the Lord. This is not New Age, witchcraft, or ancestor worship. It is ancestral wisdom held in the hands of faith. Everyone is welcome regardless of background, but we want you to feel at home knowing where we stand.
Level 1 Cohort 1 has graduated and Cohort 2 enrollment is not yet open. If you would like to be notified when seats are released, complete the MCC Virtual Beginner pre-registration on the EBTG store, or email us through Eventbrite. Your name will be added to the early notice list.
