Programs
Community Learning Online
A rigorous & exciting way to learn herbal medicine.
Join the conversation and you'll see that this is so much more than just another typical online course!
About our programs
What Paul Bergner says about
Footprints in Medical Herbalism
“This is an entry level course for the study of herbal medicine, and presents the context of the vitalist approach to healing, nutrition and lifestyle, and also a basic introduction to formulation, with case-based study...you will learn how to study an herb, which will establish a foundation for effective future learning. This is a project-oriented course, you will taste the herbs, journal their effects, make your own tinctures, devise formulas, and study actual clinical cases. Do not mistake this to be a simplistic introductory course, it contains within it the inspiration, hands-on experience, tools, terms and concepts, and methods of application, and case based learning that many contemporary herbalists missed out on in their own education.”
Footprints in Medical Herbalism
Our first-year program provides a solid foundation in Western Herbalism in the use of 140 herbs in the context of vitalist therapeutics, as well as how to make medicines, fundamentals in nutrition and how to treat acute conditions. This is a rigorous course that will give you skills to help improve your own health and that of your loved ones. It also provides essential training in Vitalism which sets the stage for future clinical practice.
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If you are considering attending our Advanced program please keep in mind that the Footprints in Medical Herbalism program contains a lot of advanced material that many contemporary herbalists miss out in their previous education.
Advanced Herbalism in the Vitalist Tradition
Our second-year program provides clinical training. The coursework focuses entirely on the development of professional clinical skills and the treatment of chronic disease. Treatment of acute conditions are a prerequisite for admission.
Clinical Residency & Roundtable
Our third-year program is an internship in our Free Clinic where you will put your herbal knowledge, Vitalist practices, and clinical skills to the test in a real-world clinical setting working with actual clients.
"Flipped" Classroom Model
ACORN School of Herbal Medicine certificate courses offer a “flipped” classroom model for most of the academic portions in each program where reading materials and instructional audio recordings are done prior to class time. Class time is then spent engaging in further discussion, answering questions, and working together in participation of hands-on class work. This approach allows for community learning as we practice key components with feedback. This is a teaching model that is being adopted by universities and colleges. The benefits of classroom flipping is that students are able to learn more deeply, there is more active participation in learning, the interaction increases and students learn from each other. This method of education helps both instructors and students to get more feedback.
Herbal Education for Life
We are so grateful to continue the lineage of our school patron and herbal elder, Paul Bergner. It is his audio lectures that our flipped classroom model is founded on, providing a platform to launch deeper discussion in clinical applications with a community learning experience.
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Our online herbal education programs offer instruction and guidance to apply these teachings. The classroom setting is hosted by Heather Luna who provides guidance to what’s in the audio recorded materials and shows students how to optimize the tools that are in them as a resource for the rest of their herbal career.
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