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FACULTY
ACORN Instructors
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Heather Luna, Clinical Herbalist, Clinical Nutritionist
Founder & Director of the ACORN School of Herbal Medicine
Heather is the primary instructor of the Footprints program, the Advanced program, and supervising clinician of the Free Clinic & Clinical Residency program
Heather Luna teaches full time at the ACORN School of Herbal Medicine and oversees the Medicine Garden outdoor learning classroom. She has held a private practice since 2002 and has instructed classes in Western Herbalism since 2006. Her clinical work emphasizes vitalist therapeutics with the use of herbs, nutrition, and Nature Cure practices. This includes custom herbal formulation, individualized nutrition protocols, coaching through food intolerance, therapeutic bodywork and uterine massage. She specializes in individual support for cultivating healthy lifestyle habits adapted for the conditions of modern living.
​Heather is a graduate of the Rocky Mountain Center of Botanical Studies and the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism. After completing 4 years of formal training she continued to pursue private studies under Ann Drucker, Ms. Beatrice Waight, and Paul Bergner. She now maintains hundreds of client case records which illustrate that vitalist strategies work to achieve outstanding clinical results. It is her passion for Nature which guides her practice with the use of herbs, nutrition, bodywork, and apitherapy. Heather holds a lineage in the Vitalist Tradition and has a mission to pass it on.
Paul Bergner, Medical Herbalist, Clinical Nutritionist
Founder of the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism (NAIMH)
We are honored that Paul is our school patron and herbal elder. His teachings are the inspiration for the ACORN School of Herbal Medicine. It is his curriculum that our first and second year programs are founded on.
Paul Bergner has studied and practiced natural medicine since 1973, with formal studies in naturopathy, medical herbalism, clinical nutrition, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, flower essences, yoga therapy, and bodywork, including undergraduate studies in pre-medicine and psychology, and 50 semester hours of doctoral level medical studies at National College of Naturopathic Medicine. He has edited the Medical Herbalism journal since its founding in 1989, and has written seven books on medical herbalism, nutrition, Chinese medicine, ethnobotany, and naturopathic medicine. He has also edited periodicals on clinical nutrition and naturopathic medicine.
Paul directed the clinical herbalism programs at Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies and the NAIMH for eighteen years, training more than 230 certified clinical herbalists in an 1100 or more hour education that culminates in an eight-month internship program. He is currently on the regular and clinical faculties of the Colorado School for Clinical Herbalism in Boulder, CO, and the School for Traditional Western Herbalism in Portland, OR. He has been adjunct faculty in nutrition at Naropa University, visiting faculty in nutrition and pathophysiology at the Tai Sophia Institute, and nutrition faculty at the Seven Bowls school of nutrition. In addition to directing the NAIMH, he teaches herbal materia medica and therapeutics, clinical nutrition, basic medical sciences, clinical skills, medical history and philosophy, and nature studies.​
Laura Keith, Clinical Herbalist
Instructor at the ACORN School of Herbal Medicine and clinician at the Collaborative Care Clinic
Laura Keith is a clinical herbalist and educator. A graduate of the ACORN School of Herbal Medicine, she was drawn to Western vitalist herbalism because it offered a framework for better understanding the body's innate ability to heal.
Whether working with students, clients, family, or anyone willing to listen, Laura enjoys helping others build the confidence to stay curious, ask "why," and better understand what they're experiencing. Drawing from real cases and her own clinical experience, she strives to help people think critically and keep asking questions.
Prior to herbalism, Laura spent more than two decades in technology and analytics, where she learned to look for patterns, test assumptions, and solve complex problems. Those same skills have become a natural complement to her herbal practice.
ACORN Staff
Sarah Slater
Administration, Website and Technology Manager, Marketing Designer
I have been a student of herbal medicine since 1998. My passion for herbalism came from my dad who was an avid gardener, and used simple herbs for healing. Heather Luna and I were classmates at the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies in Boulder, CO. We developed a lifelong friendship and business partnership. I have worked behind the scenes in an administrative role since the inception of ACORN in 2016: building and maintaining the website, creating administrative documents, developing registration materials, pivoting to an online learning community, designing newsletters, writing herb monographs, creating marketing materials, and continuing to support the growth and expansion of our school.
Sarah Bay
Herbal Pharmacy Manager
I began my herbal medicine journey in 2019 and have since completed multiple herbal training programs, including the two-year course at the California School of Herbal Studies. I am currently continuing my studies in the Advanced program at the Acorn School, where I also serve as the school pharmacist, compounding custom formulas for our clinic, preparing medicine kits for students, and overseeing the daily operations of the ACORN herbal pharmacy. When I’m not working in the apothecary or seeing clients, you can find me wandering the woods, crafting herbal potions at home, or swimming in the Yuba River.
Laura Bairstow
School Administration
I am a Certified Clinical Herbalist, a graduate of all 3 programs at ACORN, and have been working for the school since 2021. As a local to Nevada City, I am present in-office to answer phone calls, emails, school inquiries, general student assistance, and other projects as needed. I occasionally assist in the pharmacy with medicine making and filling orders, and I do my best to keep all aspects of the school organized and running smoothly.