Jam, Jelly, and Canning
Jam, Jelly, and Canning For many years Martha Garcia, Charles’ mother made jams and jellies in a small two person company. She also preserved many of the fruits and vegetables grown in he…
Latest Posts from the Blog
A Summer Tale of Yerba Mansa
I was born and raised in a time when neighbors did not lock their doors at night, when summer nights were punctuated by the rumbling of the nearby Contadina cannery, and pickup softball games could la…
A Memory of Autumn: Ritual of the Orchards by Charles Garcia
Ritual of the Orchards A few years ago I returned home to the central valley of California for a short visit and to pay my respects to the ghosts of memory that occasionally haunt me for good or ill r…
Grandma Garcia’s Healing Foods & Remedies Class 1
A class with deep emotional influences for the instructor. Charles will share the many foods and drinks used by his mother to keep her family and neighbors well in hard times in California’s Central V…
Cough & Cold Remedios
Another popular class never attempted on ZOOM. Learn to make effective cough and cold syrups using commonly acquired herbs, fruits, and honey. Duration: One class (90 minutes) $55
Hispanic Brujeria (Sorcery), Curanderismo & Ritual Healings Class
Coming October 2021! A popular stand alone class concerning the beliefs in traditional Hispanic folklore that include dark magic, shape-shifters, hexes, curses, spells, ghosts, vampires, brujos, curan…
Curanderismo
About the Academy
The California School of Traditional Hispanic Herbalism officially opened its doors in January of 1998 in the San Francisco East Bay city of Richmond, California, to teach and preserve the healing traditions of the Hispanic curanderos and curanderas (folk healers) of California. Many of these classes had been informally taught for two years prior to the creation of the school.
Primarily offering classes in herbalism, the school also stresses an understanding of Curanderismo, the healing techniques and philosophies of Native-Hispanic California. The cross-cultural influences of European and Asian herbs, along with the use of native plants, made California Curanderismo a unique and potent healing medium. These practices also include the use of intuitive diagnosis skills, psychoactive plants, ritual and magic.
Classes
Due to COVID restrictions all classes are hosted online using Zoom videoconferencing software.
All class times are Pacific time zone.
Hispanic & California Native Herbs
A unique course focusing primarily on the herbs and herbal methods used by early Hispanic settlers and Native Californians.
Cough & Cold Remedios
Learn to make effective cough and cold syrups using commonly acquired herbs, fruits, and honey.