Is Herbalism Biblical? What Christian Homeschool Families Should Know

Yes. Learning the plants God made, knowing them by name, and using them in the kitchen is as biblical as planting a garden, and Scripture talks about plants from its first chapter to its last. What is not biblical is giving a plant spiritual power of its own or using it for magic or divination, and that line is worth teaching your kids on purpose.

A lot of moms get stuck on this question, and for good reason. Much of what is sold as herbalism today comes wrapped in ideas a Christian family does not share. So here is where the Bible talks about plants, where the real concern is, and how to tell the difference when you are looking at a book or a curriculum.

Where does the Bible talk about plants and herbs?

All over. A few places to start with your kids:

• Genesis 1:11-12. On the third day God makes “plants yielding seed,” and He sees “that it was good” (NASB).
• Genesis 1:29. God tells Adam and Eve, “I have given you every plant yielding seed” (NASB). Plants are a gift, handed over on purpose.
• Genesis 2:15. The first job God gives a person is in a garden, “to cultivate it and keep it” (NASB).
• 1 Kings 4:33. Solomon “spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall” (NASB). Knowing plants was part of the wisdom God gave him.
• Psalm 104:14. God causes “vegetation for the labor of man” to grow (NASB).
• Exodus 12:22 and Psalm 51:7. Hyssop shows up at the Passover and in David’s prayer.
• Ezekiel 47:12 and Revelation 22:2. Trees beside the river of life, with leaves given for healing.

Nothing in those verses treats plants as suspicious. They are part of a made world, given to people to care for and use well.

Then why do some Christians ask if herbalism is a sin?

Because the concern is real, it just is not about the plants. Scripture clearly forbids divination, sorcery and charms (Deuteronomy 18:10-12), and a lot of modern herbal teaching leans on ideas that sit close to that line: a plant’s “spirit,” “energy” that lives in the herb, chakras, or systems where the plant is treated as the source of life instead of something God made.

I ran straight into this myself. I have been a devout student of herbalism for many years, and every school I attended was rooted in Far Eastern ideas like chakras and doshas. I did not want to walk away from the plants, and I was not willing to learn them through a framework that went against my faith. For grown-ups who want to go deeper, my book Back to Eden lays out the biblical foundation.

So the honest answer is that herbalism itself is not a sin, but some herbal teaching carries beliefs you would never want in your homeschool. I go deeper on that question in Is Herbalism Witchcraft?

How can I tell if an herbal resource is okay for our family?

Here is the test I use on every line of my own curriculum, and you can use it on anything you are thinking about buying:

Does this credit the plant, or does it credit the One who made the plant?

Watching what happens when you pour water over dried peppermint, smelling lavender, drawing the veins on a leaf, learning where a plant grows: that is observation of a world God made. It is the same thing a child does in a science lesson. Saying a plant has its own spirit, its own life force, or power that comes from somewhere other than God is attribution, and it does not belong in a Christian lesson.

A few quick things to look for when you flip through a book or curriculum:

• Does it talk about “energy,” “vibration,” a plant’s “spirit,” or rituals? Those are red flags.
• Does it point back to God as Creator, or does God show up only on the cover?
• Does it teach kids to observe the plant for themselves, or just memorize what the plant is “for”?
• Would you be comfortable reading the lesson out loud to your youngest?

Is it wise to teach herbs to young children?

Yes, as long as you keep it where young children belong: knowing plants. Kids can learn a plant’s name, what it looks like, how it smells and feels, where it grows, and how families have used it in the kitchen for a very long time. That is botany and nature study, and it is a great fit for little ones because it runs on their senses. It is also a natural place to teach how wonderfully God made their own bodies, the way Psalm 139:14 says: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (NASB).

A few common-sense habits help:

• An adult is right there for anything that goes in a cup or a mouth.
• Kids ask before they pick, touch or taste any plant outside.
• Use dried herbs from a source you trust, the same way you would buy spices.
• If your child has allergies or a health condition, talk with your child’s doctor first.

I lay out a simple week, one plant at a time, in How to Teach Kids About Herbs at Home.

How does Eden’s Table handle faith and herbs?

Eden’s Table is the Christian homeschool herbalism curriculum I wrote, and the faith is part of the structure, not a sticker on top. Every week is anchored in a Scripture memory verse and connects that week’s plant to God’s design in creation. Herbalism here is stewardship of Yahweh’s creation. It is not alternative medicine, and no created thing is given a spiritual property.

It comes in two grade bands, and both are on sale now:

• Sprouts, grades K-2: 36 plants learned by sight, smell and touch, with kitchen labs, memory songs and seven read-aloud stories across the year.
• Seedlings, grades 3-5: a different 36 plants, with body systems, herb profiles, and a hypothesis your child writes and then tests.

I taught in the classroom for twelve years, I have a Master’s in education, and I answer the email myself. If you want to see how the faith and the plant work fit together before you spend anything, Week 1 is free for both bands: five full lessons you can print and teach the same morning.

If you are new to herbs, most families start with Sprouts, even with kids in grades 3-5, because those 36 plants are the ones Seedlings builds on. Children in K-2 start with Sprouts. Kids in grades 3-5 who already know the basics can go straight to Seedlings. If you have kids in both, teach Sprouts to everyone together first, then Seedlings the next year. You can see every plant for both years on the scope and sequence.

Using an ESA or scholarship? Eden’s Table is an approved or registered vendor in seven programs, and the ESA page shows how buying works in each state.