Reclaim the lost art of herbalism—and become the person your friends & family turn to for healing, naturally.
A modern, grounded path to learning herbal medicine
without overwhelm, guesswork,
or years of scattered research.
Enrollment is now open
to become a Founding Member.
This seasonal learning journey begins
with the rhythm of the current season.
Meet Your Guide
Malcolm Saunders — Herbalist, Educator & Founder of The Light Cellar
For over 20 years, Malcolm has explored the worlds of herbalism, nutrition, food, and natural medicine—not only through study, but through direct experience, teaching, and everyday practice.
What began as a personal pursuit eventually became a lifelong path, sparked by a simple question:
How do we nourish ourselves—and the people we love—in a way that is natural, grounded, and sustainable?
Over time, that question led deeper into the study of plants, traditional food preparation, wild harvesting, herbal medicine making, and the relationship between humans and the living world around them.
Through thousands of conversations, classes, plant walks, and workshops, Malcolm has helped people reconnect with the plants, foods, and seasonal rhythms already surrounding their lives.
The Urbalist Membership Experience is the culmination of that work:
a practical and grounded approach to herbalism designed to help people learn through direct relationship, observation, and real-world application.
Inside The Urbalist, Malcolm will help you:
• Expand how you think about food, medicine, and nourishment
• Rebuild your relationship with what you consume
• Develop your own understanding instead of blindly following trends or rigid systems
• Learn practical ways to work with plants, seasons, and natural medicine in everyday life
• Become more self-reliant, observant, and connected to the natural world around you
This is not about perfection, dogma, or becoming dependent on another “health expert.”
It’s about learning how to trust your own experience again—and developing a deeper relationship with nature, health, and yourself.
Begin Your Herbalism JourneyImagine What This Could Be...
Imagine walking outside and recognizing medicine growing around you.
Imagine understanding how to work with the plants, trees, and seasons already surrounding your life.
Imagine feeling less dependent on algorithms, trends, and conflicting health advice…
Because you’ve developed real knowledge, practical skills, and trust in your own experience.
Over time, you become:
• The person who notices what others overlook
• Someone capable of supporting themselves and their family naturally
• More connected to the rhythms of season, place, and life itself
This is not just about learning herbs.
It’s about changing your relationship to health, nature, and your own capability.
Introducing The Urbalist Membership Experience
A seasonal path to learning herbalism through direct relationship with the living world around.
Inside, you’ll find:
• A guided journey through the rhythms of the four seasons
• In-depth teachings on edible and medicinal plants, trees, fungi, and natural medicines
• A growing A–Z library of plants and herbal knowledge
• Practical ways to work with what you learn in everyday life
• Seasonal harvesting guidance and real-world application
• Perspectives and teachings from the Alberta herbalism community
• A community of others learning to reconnect with nature, food, and medicine
• A slower, more natural rhythm of learning that helps the knowledge actually stay with you
Inside The Membership You’ll Explore
- Seasonal plant modules and guided learning pathways
- Wild edible and medicinal mushrooms
- Plant profiles and herbal traditions
- Herbal preparations, recipes, syrups, teas, tinctures, and remedies
- Ethical foraging and field learning
- Seasonal observations and practical applications
- Community discussions and shared learning
- An expanding library of herbal knowledge
The membership continues to evolve alongside the seasons themselves.
Herbalism, No Matter Where You Live
The Urbalist —short for Urban Herbalist—is about learning to work with the plants growing around you, even in the middle of a city.
An Urbalist is someone who chooses to become their own herbalist:
learning to identify, harvest, and work with the plants found across urban, rural, and wild landscapes alike.
You don’t need to live off-grid, own land, or disappear into the mountains to reconnect with herbalism and the natural world.
You’re an Urbalist if:
• You’re seeking real-world skills, not just theory
• You want a deeper relationship with food, plants, and medicine
• You value what is fresh, seasonal, local, and alive
• You believe nature still has something to teach us—even in modern life
While this work is rooted in Calgary, Alberta, the approach applies anywhere.
You’ll learn how to observe, identify, and connect with the plants in your own environment:
parks, pathways, backyards, forests, river valleys, and overlooked spaces.
Herbalism isn’t somewhere else.
It’s already growing around you.
This Is For You If You Want Something Deeper
You want to understand the plants, foods, and natural medicines surrounding everyday life—not just consume more disconnected information online.
You want to:
• Learn to identify and work with plants confidently
• Support yourself and your family more naturally
• Develop practical skills that feel grounded and applicable in real life
• Feel connected to the rhythms of nature instead of disconnected from them
…but without:
• Spending years piecing together scattered information
• Feeling overwhelmed by where to begin
• Turning herbalism into something rigid, intimidating, or inaccessible
The Urbalist was designed to make herbalism feel approachable, practical, seasonal, and alive.
Learn Herbalism You’ll Actually Use
This isn’t just information to collect—it’s knowledge designed to be lived.
You’ll learn practical ways to work with herbs, food, plants, and seasonal rhythms in everyday life so what you learn actually becomes part of how you live.
A Clear Path, Not Scattered Information
No more trying to piece everything together from random books, videos, and conflicting advice.
You’ll follow a seasonal learning path designed to help herbalism gradually click, integrate, and stay with you over time.
Herbalism Is Already Around You
Herbalism isn’t locked away in books or hidden deep in the wilderness.
You’ll learn how to notice, understand, and work with the plants already growing in your everyday environment—from parks and pathways to backyards and overlooked spaces.
Everyone Begins as a Beginner
“There was a point where herbalism felt overwhelming to me too.
Books, courses, scattered teachings…
All valuable—but disconnected.
What was missing was a clear, seasonal, lived-in approach to actually practicing herbalism.
Not just learning it.
Living it.
That’s why I created The Urbalist Membership Experience.
To help bridge the gap between information and embodiment.
Between knowing about herbalism and actually living it in your everyday life.
This path has been shaped through more than 20 years immersed in herbalism, food, nutrition, foraging, and hands-on practice.
Now, I’m passing it on to you.
You won’t just learn herbalism.
You’ll become someone who practices it.”
— Malcolm Saunders, Founder of The Urbalist
Step Inside
From Curious to Confident
The Urbalist Membership Experience guides you through herbalism in three simple stages:
01 — Foundation
Build a grounded understanding of herbalism
without overwhelm, confusion, or scattered information.
02 — Seasonal Integration
Learn plants through the rhythm of the seasons
so herbalism becomes intuitive, lived, and natural.
03 — Real-Life Application
Begin using herbalism in your everyday life
with clarity, confidence, and self-trust.
Herbalism, One Step at a Time
You don’t need more scattered information.
You need:
- Structure
- Simplicity
- Guidance you can trust
A clear path that helps you build real knowledge and skill over time—not just consume endless content.
Step by step, you’ll begin becoming someone who knows how to care for themselves, their family, and their community more naturally.
Begin Your Herbalism Journey
What Members Are Discovering
“I just wanted to thank you again for your videos. It’s really fun and I’m enjoying it tremendously.”
— Julie
“Wow, I have to say, I’m only one month in and I LOVE IT!!!
“I absolutely love this and am blown away by how much there is out there and amazed at how beneficial so many of these ‘pesky weeds’ are! I’ll never see them the same way :) Thank you!”
— Maura
Founding Member Enrollment Closes Soon
Join as a Founding MemberThis Path Is For You If...
- You’re ready to actually apply what you learn
- You value depth over quick fixes
- You want a more grounded and intentional relationship with health and nature
- You’re willing to learn gradually, season by season
This Path May Not Be For You If...
- You’re looking for instant results or shortcuts
- You want rigid rules or one-size-fits-all solutions
- You’re only interested in information, not real-life practice
- You’re unwilling to slow down and engage with the process
What Others Are Saying
“Thanks man, we have learned most of our herbal knowledge from you.”
— Kevin
“All the information you provide is informative and well done. Thank you.”
— Kim
Imagine a Year From Now...
You’re no longer overwhelmed by conflicting information.
You’re no longer second-guessing every decision.
Instead, you:
- Understand plants in a deeper, more practical way
- Feel more connected to your body and the rhythms of nature
- Move through the seasons with greater awareness and intention
You’ll begin recognizing, understanding, and working with the plants already growing around you.
What once felt confusing will start feeling familiar.
And over time, you’ll build something increasingly rare:
trust in yourself, your intuition, and your relationship with the natural world.
Founding Member Enrollment Is Currently Open
As a Founding Member, you’ll be part of the very first group moving through The Urbalist Membership Experience together.
During this seasonal enrollment window, you can join at the founding rate of:
• $47/month
or
• $470/year
As long as your membership remains active, your founding rate will stay locked in.
More than discounted pricing, this is an opportunity to step into the beginning of something intentionally being built from the ground up:
a slower, more grounded approach to learning herbalism through seasonality, observation, relationship, and practice.
Enrollment for this season will close soon as the community moves forward into the next stage of the journey.
Become a Founding Member
Step Into a Different Relationship With Health and Nature
The Urbalist isn’t just something you watch or consume.
It’s a way of learning to participate more directly in your relationship with plants, food, health, and the living world around you.
Over time, you’ll begin to shift how you:
- Care for yourself and your family
- Understand your body and its signals
- Relate to food, plants, and medicine
- Experience nature in everyday life—even within a city
This isn’t about perfection or rigid rules.
It’s about becoming more observant, connected, capable, and grounded through real-world practice.
If You’ve Been Looking For A More Grounded Way To Learn Herbalism...
You’re in the right place.
The Urbalist is designed for people who want:
✔ Practical herbal knowledge they can actually use
✔ A slower, more intentional approach to learning
✔ Structure without rigidity
✔ A deeper relationship with plants, food, health, and nature
✔ Real understanding—not just more information
Rooted in Respect
Herbalism isn’t just about what you take.
It’s about how you relate.
Inside The Urbalist Membership Experience, you’ll learn to work with plants in a way that is sustainable, respectful, and rooted in honourable harvest.
Take only what you need.
Learn to observe before you harvest.
Leave the land better than you found it.
This isn’t about extraction.
It’s about relationship.
Become Your Own Herbalist
