The FULL FEE for the Diploma Course is $1800, payable through a Deposit of $225 on booking followed by 7 monthly installments of $225 starting on the first day of the course (Oct 18th, 2026). (Deposit is 50% refundable until Sept 1; non-refundable thereafter. Installments can be cancelled in case of withdrawal after Oct 18th.)

The EARLY-BIRD FEE for the Diploma Course is $1700, if paid in full before Sept 1st, 2026. (Early-Bird Fee is 80% refundable until Oct 18th; proportionately refundable thereafter.)

* Diploma Course enrollment includes FREE participation in our Special Guest Webinar Series starting on Thurs, Oct 22nd. We look forward to hosting 6 expert Herbalists and Aromatherapists who will share their expertise in a series of lively 2-hr webinars open to our wider community, but FREE for Diploma course students.

Sundays, October 18, 25; November 1, 8, 15, 22; December 6, 13, 20, 2026; January 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; February 7, 14, 21, 28; March 7, 14: April 4, 11, 18; May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; June 6, 13, 20, 27, 2027

All class webinars are recorded in case you miss one — though we encourage everyone who can to join live to enjoy our engaging webinar sessions. We also host periodic 'Office Hours' which provide a chance to meet-up with us to ask questions and discuss topics. Office Hours are adapted to students' time zones and availability, as far as possible.

Each 3-hour Sunday morning Zoom webinar runs from 11 am–2 pm Eastern Time (US):

8–11 am Pacific Time; 9 am–12 noon Mountain Time; 10 am–1 pm Central Time; 11 am–2 pm Eastern Time; 12–3 pm Puerto Rico time; 1–4 pm Rio de Janeiro time; 4–7 pm London time; 5-8 Central European Time/ 11pm–2 am (Mon) Hong Kong time; 12-3 am (Mon) Tokyo time/ 1-4 am (Mon) Sydney time.

Each 3-hour session includes one or two 5-15 minute breaks.

Yes, the weekly Diploma course webinars, Special Guest Webinar Series, and occasional Office Hours are all recorded to watch in your own time.

Our experienced course instructors have decades of experience to share as practitioners and teachers of Herbal Medicine & Aromatherapy. AC Hill and Gabriel Mojay, LAc share a long-held passion for Plant Medicine and natural healing as well as for sustainable, regenerative herbcraft, engaging and empowering learning, and community building.

Gabriel brings to the Institute four decades of experience as a practitioner and teacher of Clinical Herbalism and Aromatherapy. His approach to medicinal plants has a strong aromatic and energetic emphasis based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), combined with an appreciation of the scientific activities of herbs and essential oils. Gabriel’s internationally published book Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit reflects, too, his interest in plant symbolism.

AC brings to the Institute her experience as an Herbalist, herb farmer, product-maker, educator and podcaster who has been growing herbs since 2012. From her herb farm in central New York, on traditional lands of the native Oneida, she grows hundreds of varieties of medicinal herbs, fruits, trees and fungi. Under the brand title Traveling Herb Farmer, AC creates small-batch, hand-made herbal remedies including salves, liniments, tinctures, teas and more, at TravelingHerbFarmer.com

Read more about AC and Gabriel in the 2026 Diploma Course program, downloadable from the page About Us.

The Actaea Institute is listed among Herbal training programs registered with the American Herbalist Guild's Directory of Herb Schools. The American Herbalist Guild (AHG) is the largest community of Herbal professionals in the USA. The Institute is also a member of the United Plant Savers (UPS).

The Diploma Course is supported by an extensive downloadable catalog of about 2,500 illustrated, referenced slide notes featuring images from our extensive herbal plant image library.

Students can download and study the course slide notes in conjunction with reviewing the weekly recorded live webinars made available in the Student Login area of our website under 32 Lessons that form the backbone of the program.

In addition, there are three books we ask students to obtain for the program:

1. Clinical Herbalism: Plant Wisdom from the East and West by Rachel Lord (Elsevier, 2022)

2. Aromatherapy for the Spirit by Gabriel Mojay (Inner Traditions, 1997)

3. Land Healing: Physical, Metaphysical, and Ritual Practices for Healing the Earth by Dana O'Driscoll (REDFeather, 2024).

During the Diploma Course, Students read key chapters from Clinical Herbalism to support their studies as we progress through the Course Syllabus and Five Elements and body systems. For each chapter, students complete and submit an informal quiz of Review Questions.

There are periodic tasks students are encouraged to undertake between webinar sessions, helping them to incorporate herbs into their every day lives as well as gradually build their own herbal apothecaries.

Students have a course project they start work on about half-way through the program. We ask people to choose a treatment focus (eg. common skin conditions) or medicinal/aromatic plant to write about, in an article or 'monograph'; or, a more practical project involving growing, medicine-making and/or formulating; or, a project of a herbal/aromatherapy business nature.

To compete and receive the full Actaea Diploma, students complete 20 Health Assessment Case Studies. Each of these involves an initial 60-min interview using the Institute Consultation Form to assess the health of the volunteer client, together with a 30-min follow-up session.

Students start their Case Studies in May 2027, and are asked to complete the required 20 Case Study Reports by the end of the year, 6 months after the final webinar session.

Students who attend or watch at least 80% of the webinars, who do the required reading and end-of-chapter quizzes, but who do not complete a course project or submit case studies, are issued with an Actaea Certificate of Completion rather than the full Diploma.

From our perspective, some students enjoy the experience of live classes together with gaining skills and knowledge to improve their own and their family's health — while other students aim to open or develop a clinical practice as a Clinical Herbalist and Aromatherapist. 

We therefore accommodate both orientations by offering our full Diploma in Herbal Medicine and Aromatherapy together with a Certificate of Completion for those who do not complete the full requirements of the Diploma. 

An important part of the program is directing students how to source common herbs local to them. We also encourage the use of wild-growing 'weeds', often found right outside your door!

Our students join us from bio regions the world over, so part of the fun is finding useful herbs in your own neighborhood, together with sourcing herbs and essential oils from reliable on-line sources or in-person herb shops.

You can withdraw from the course at any time. The Diploma Course fee installments are non-refundable for the months that you attend the program; however, monthly installments can be cancelled in cases of course withdrawal, with no further fees incurred. If you paid in full at the Early-Bird rate and decide to withdraw at any point, we will refund you 75% of the equivalent sum due if you had been paying in installments.

To learn more about the Diploma Course, we invite you to download the full program below, and or email us to arrange an informal interview on Zoom: [email protected]