Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis & Constitutional Medicine
3 Month Course (Online & In Person)
September 2 to November 25, 2025
Explore the transformative power of Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis & Constitutional Medicine in this unique course by Shantree, author of ‘Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis’ blending ancient Ayurvedic wisdom with decades of research. Discover the tongue's role as a diagnostic mirror reflecting internal organ conditions and nutritional states. Gain insights into overall health, identify imbalances, and kickstart your holistic well-being journey. Ayurvedic tongue diagnosis, a noninvasive tool, unveils the secrets of your digestive system, connecting you to the essence of Ayurveda—where simplicity meets profound health benefits without side effects. Start your path to excellent health through the wisdom of Ayurveda: do less, be more.
Course Information
Leadership Pathway
Universal Interconnectedness, the body’s Constitution and Life Forces are the Primary Basis of Ayurvedic Medicine.
“As long as we are not living in harmony with nature and our constitution, we cannot expect ourselves to be healed. Ayurveda gives us the means.”
- Dr. David Frawley
The Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis & Constitutional Medicine Course is a unique program that incorporates the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and the many years of Shantree’s decades of research and clinical practice based on his book ‘Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis. The tongue, often referred to as a mirror, displays the condition of the internal organs, mainly related to digestion, and indicates an organism’s nutritional and digestive state. Ayurvedic tongue diagnosis has various benefits, such as providing insight into a person’s overall health, identifying imbalances in the body, and serving as a starting point for further examination. According to the ancient science of Ayurveda, the tongue is a potent and primary diagnostic tool. This is because when digestion functions optimally, it affects all aspects of our health, and the tongue, which begins the digestive tract, plays a significant role in the process. Ayurvedic tongue diagnosis is a noninvasive diagnostic tool that can provide insights beyond the mouth and into the 30 feet of our digestive system.
The best thing about Ayurveda is its treatments always yield benefits without side effects. Ayurveda suggests two simple steps to attain excellent health: to do less and be more.
Did you know that our tongues are a crucial diagnostic tool, according to the ancient science of Ayurveda? This is because digestion plays a vital role in our overall health, and the tongue is where the digestive tract begins. So, a healthy tongue is an indicator of a healthy digestive system.
In Ayurvedic medicine, the tongue can provide valuable information about the functioning of various systems in the body. The tongue’s size, shape, colour, and coating can be examined to identify imbalances. This method of diagnosis can help locate issues related to digestion, circulation, or inflammation.
Benefits & Advantages:
Easy to Learn Technique for Health Practitioners & the Layman
Fast Client Assessment Method
No Equipment Needed
Ability to help us make a differential constitutional diagnosis
See Healthy Changes Quickly
A practical and effective, noninvasive method to perform an auxiliary diagnosis anytime, anywhere.
Treatment Protocols Using Ayurvedic Principles in Whole Foods & Herbs
Tongue diagnosis is a vital diagnostic Ayurvedic tool for assessing the current health of a patient and providing a basis for prognosis
It also informs about the underlying challenges of the patient’s constitution.
The tongue gives accurate information about the state of Prana and blood, disease progression and regression, degree of heat and cold, and the depth or penetration of a pathogenic imbalance.
89% to 97% percent accuracy before any blood tests, hair analyses, or urinalysis results come back from labs.
“Knowledge of constitution is the key for a holistic and integral health care, the true basis of any preventative medicine.”
- Dr. Vasant Lad
“Every single cell in the human body replaces itself over seven years. That means there’s not even the smallest part of you now that was part of you seven years ago.”
- Steven Hall
Includes:
Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis Charts
Herbal and Nutritional Protocols
Updated Ayurvedic articles and research papers
Advanced Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis Manual
Tracking your progress worksheets
Engaging Practices with a Buddy
Before and After photos
Case Studies
Experiential models to deepen active learning
Three 1-hour one-on-one support sessions
Articles & Essays
The Healing Tastes Manual
Integrated home learning
Designing your Constitutional Lifestyle Program
Leadership Presentation Opportunities
Ayurvedic Foundations Manual
Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis e-Manual.
PowerPoints & PDF Files
Articles & Charts
Engaging Practices – Every Module will include:
3-Modules with a 28-day Transformation Process in each module
Living the Essential Keys
Reflections & Insights
Interactive Format
Group Processes
Buddy Mate for Change
Key Lessons
Q & A
Recorded Sessions for Future Viewing
Recommended Reading: Shantree’s Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis book
An Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis Certificate of Completion (when taken with the Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis Correspondence Course
“By having reverence for life, we enter into a spiritual relation with the world.”
~ Albert Schweitzer
The Learning Journey
Begin your journey toward greater clarity, vitality, and balance with this three-session introductory program. Ideal for those new to Ayurvedic Medicine, Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis and herbal wellness, this package offers a grounded entry point into personalized lifestyle empowerment with Shantree. Book your first session today! Introductory Package
“A strong life force can be seen in physical vitality, courage, competent judgment, self-mastery, sexual vigour, and the realization of each person’s unique talents and purpose in life.”
- Ayurvedic Essential Principles
Module I
Ayurvedic Essentials & Tongue Diagnosis:
Ancient Wisdom for Whole Living
Sept 2, 2025
4 Tuesday Evenings
7 - 9:30 pm.
“When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” “Ayurveda teaches us to cherish our innate nature “to love and honour who we are,” not as what people think or tell us, “who we should be.”
- Ayurvedic Wisdom.
This series is ideal for those seeking insight into ancient wisdom with practical, modern application. Guided by Shantree, an Ayurvedic practitioner and educator with over 50 years of experience, you will be introduced to the foundational principles of Ayurveda, including the five elements, the three doshas, and the core qualities that influence all aspects of life and health.
We will be delving deeper into Ayurvedic tongue diagnosis, a powerful and non-invasive method for understanding your unique constitution and current state of balance. You will learn how the tongue reflects digestive strength, emotional tendencies, and the health of internal organs. This simple yet profound tool offers a visual map of your inner landscape and serves as a gateway into a more conscious relationship with your body and well-being.
Ayurveda is rooted in the Vedas and is considered one of the most comprehensive systems of holistic health. It teaches us how to align with nature’s rhythms and live in harmony through diet, lifestyle, seasonal awareness, and self-inquiry. This series provides a grounded and inspiring starting point for anyone wanting to explore the depth and beauty of Ayurvedic living.
Health Benefits of Ayurvedic Medicine
Reduces Stress and Anxiety. One of the primary principles of Ayurveda is to maintain balance in the body and mind.
Boosts Immune System
Promotes Digestion
Improves Liver Function
Enhances Brain Function
Supports Heart Health
Improves Sleep Quality
Curriculum
Week 1
History, Philosophy and Your Inherited Genetic Blueprint
Ayurvedic Foundations: Understanding Life-Force
The Constitution: Inner & Outer Ecology
Fundamentals of the Human Constitution
Understanding Your Constitution & Your Current Condition
Week 2
Five Elements Theory & Applications
The 3-Doshas, 5 Elements, 7-Dhutus, The 20-Tattvas
The Constitution of the Body and Mind, based upon the Five Elements
Causes of Constitutional Imbalance
The 20 Attributes of the 10 Constitutional Types
Week 3
Adaptation of Seasonal & Daily Regime
Sensory Theory
Ayurveda Psychology
Applying Energetic Nutrition
Tastes, Intoxication & the Mind
Week 4
The Sattvic Lifestyle Path
A Sattvic Live-Food Approach
Food, Prana & Consciousness
Health Protocols for Vata, Pitta & Kapha
The 10-Keys to Determining the Quality of Foods
“As long as we are not living in harmony with nature and our constitution, we cannot expect ourselves to be healed. Ayurveda gives us the means.”
- Dr. David Frawley
Module II
Tongue Diagnosis:
What Your Tongue Reveals About Your Health
Oct 7 - 28, 2025
4 Tuesday Evenings
7 - 9:30 pm.
A New Way of Seeing Nutrition
An innovative and unconventional approach to nutrition that emphasizes quality and pleasure in eating to enhance metabolism.
Ayurvedic Tongue Map
Ayurveda tongue diagnosis uses a map that illustrates the link between areas of the tongue and related organs to evaluate overall health and identify specific concerns.
If you notice a white coating on the back of your tongue near your tonsils, it may indicate the presence of toxins (also known as ama) in your colon. On the other hand, if the coating is in the middle of the tongue, it could mean that toxins are present throughout your gastrointestinal area.
Ayurveda tongue diagnosis is part of Ayurveda’s multi-fold assessment approach. The tongue tells us about our constitution by revealing our doshic picture. The images below illustrate the different characteristics of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha dosha-type tongues.
Curriculum
Week 1
Tongue & the Taste Buds
The Tongue Maps: Reading the Terrain
The Relationship of the Tongue to the Body
Constitutional Tongue Diagnosis
Taste Fundamentals
Week 2
History of Tongue Diagnosis
The Diagnosis
The Six Healing Tastes & The Elements
Tongue Diagnosis: A 4-Step Procedure
Week 3
Constitutional Examination & The Factors to Observe
Tongue Diagnosis & The Body Organs
Reading the Terrain & the Indicator Signs
Identifying the Imbalances of the Body Constitution
Week 4
Before & After Case Studies
Comparative Clinical Significance in Ayurveda, TCM, & Western Medicine
The 3 Stages of Investigation
The 7-Disease Tendencies
A Tongue Dairy
“As long as we are not living in harmony with nature and our constitution, we cannot expect ourselves to be healed. Ayurveda gives us the means.”
- Dr. David Frawley
Module III
Ayurvedic Medicine & Tongue Diagnosis:
The Importance of the Microbiome Gut Biome, Health Protocols & Case Studies
Nov 4-25, 2025
4 Tuesday Evenings
7-9:30 pm
Using Ayurvedic awareness techniques to calm the enteric nervous system and alleviate Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Understand the latest research and methods to optimize the gut by activating the vagus nerve and parasympathetic, rest and digest mode.
Consider the effect of emotions on digestion.
Learn about the latest scientific studies that help us understand the connection between the microbiome and Ayurveda’s prevention and treatment approaches.
“The gut is a companion, always by our side throughout our life journey.”
- Giulia Enders“People have co-evolved with the environment (that have) adapted over eons to being at home in human bodies. The present-day result is that our metabolism, neurons and entire physiology is an interactive cross-talk with the bacteria in our bodies.”
- Bruce R. Stevens, physiology and functional genomics professor in the Col Medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Metabolism is not a thing. It’s a journey.
Cultivating your gut biome in Ayurvedic Medicine calls this our agni or our Sacred Fire; when our fire is gone, we are gone.
“All disease begins in the gut.”
- Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine
“Happiness for me is largely a matter of digestion.”
- Lin Yutang
A powerful practice is mounting that the microbes in our intestines interact with our minds and hearts in significant ways. Gut bacteria have been linked to depression, anxiety and the regions of the brain that process emotions. These regions share brain circuitry that affects cardiovascular issues such as blood pressure.
A recent study found that over 40% of adults suffer from gastrointestinal disorders across 33 countries, with a sample size of over 73,000 people.
Gut Health: The Ayurvedic Perspective
Maintaining gut health is essential for overall well-being, as poor digestion and dysbiosis often underlie physical and emotional imbalances. While modern approaches emphasize diet, stress management, and probiotics, Ayurveda offers a more personalized, wholistic path.
In this series, you'll explore Ayurvedic gut wisdom through elemental balance, digestive fire, and constitutional awareness, highlighting the role of tongue diagnosis, an ancient, non-invasive method for detecting early signs of imbalance. The tongue reveals digestive issues like toxins, sluggishness, and inflammation before symptoms arise.
You'll gain practical tools to read these signs and make dietary and lifestyle adjustments that support both prevention and healing, for lasting digestive health and vitality.
How Ayurveda Helps Regulate Gut Health
Cleansing Protocols for specific constitutions
Nutritional recommendations
Dietary suggestions
Specific herbal protocols
Understanding Six Tastes for gut health
Ayurvedic Medicines for gut issues
How microbiome can enhance gut performance
Curriculum
Week 1
Great Gut Health & Ayurveda
The microbiota response to diet and dietary components.
Ways to modify the microbiota through dietary interventions;
The Six Stages of Digestion
Week 2
Conquering Common Digestive Complaints
Learn how to adjust diet and eating habits according to your weakness and learn the best way to treat bloat, constipation, diarrhea and reflux.
Designing a diet for doshic imbalances
Adapting Diet to the Seasons
Acid-Alkaline Balance – The Optimal Sattvic Path
Week 3
Balance the Microbiome for Optimal Immunity
Including seasonal cleanses
Understanding Ayurveda’s approach to intermittent fasting
Remedies for bloat, constipation, diarrhea, gas and leaky gut.
Rasayana Therapy, Constitutional Fasting & Purification Practices
Week 4
The Latest on the Gut-Brain Connection
Using Ayurvedic awareness techniques to calm the enteric nervous system and alleviate Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Understand the latest research and methods to optimize the gut by activating the vagus nerve and parasympathetic, rest and digest mode.
Consider the effect of emotions on digestion.
Learn about the latest scientific studies that help us understand the connection between the microbiome and Ayurveda’s prevention and treatment approaches.
Food, Prana & Consciousness
Case Studies & Advanced Research
Includes:
* Eat to Thrive: Vital Life Energy - *Hippocrates Approach to Optimal Health e-Manual.
* The World Peace Diet -10th Anniversary PDF MiniVersion - Will Tuttle
* Advanced Studies of Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis Manual - Shantree Kacera
“Foolish the doctor who despises the knowledge acquired by the ancients.”
- Hippocrates
The Course is done through Zoom. The link and all material will be sent to you through email.
The Experience
What Will You Experience?
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” - Benjamin Franklin
The course offers a beautiful blend of modern science and trans-disciplinary knowledge essential to becoming an Ayurvedic Living Nutrition educator, with a wide range of experiential experiences.
By the end of this program, you will have a unique ‘Medicine Pouch’ that will equip you with specific skills, practices, and approaches to enhance your well-being and effectiveness as an educator. Topics covered during the program include visioning, project development, stewardship, and the ability to design programs. Additionally, we will delve into aspects of inner leadership like cultivating gratitude, balance, ‘inner resilience,’ and exercises that will help you ground your leadership in the heart, nature, and partnership with a community of other leaders.
Through this Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis and Constitutional Health Protocols program, you will learn a new way of thinking and being. You will discover to source your leadership from this connection and stay attuned to the patterns in your own life, creating a new level of success and awareness in your stepping forth – empowered!
Receive Lifetime Access to all Video Lecture Recordings
12 Live & Interactive Classes with Shantree
Case-study-based learning with intimate weekly discussion rooms
12+ Podcast-Style Audio/Video Recordings
30+ Herbal Formulations & Health Protocols
12+ Journal Prompts
12+ Live Case Studies
3 Manuals to support your learning process
1 Capstone Client-Case Taking
Certification of Completion post-graduation
You will explore the correlation between ecological design thinking and the related disciplines of bioregionalism and inner ecology, and apply this to designing a healthy nutritional program.
The foundation of an ecological worldview (wholistic design, systems thinking, and rebalancing human gut microbiome) and the application of living systems principles to the design of systems, objects, and places;
You will develop personal and group inquiry practices to raise awareness of the interdependent relationship between the individual, society, and nature and between theory, experience and practice;
You will develop and enhance your design, communication, and facilitation skills in support of communities of place and interest.
You will make use of a range of tools, methods and facilitation techniques for project delivery;
You will collaborate to develop practices and principles encouraging a regenerative and healing approach to designing projects. You will then apply these practices in both class and community projects. Additionally, you will learn how to evaluate the relationship between the environment and built structures, behaviour, well-being, and resource consumption using research indicators and case studies.
“All the beauty that’s been lost before. Wants to find us again.”
“It is the supreme art of the educator to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”
- Albert Einstein
Registration Details
Course Dates – 2025
Module I: September 2 – 23
Module II: October 7 – 28
Module III: November 4 – 25
Time: Tuesday evenings from 7:00 – 9:30 PM (Virtual)
Course Fee: $1750 CAD
Early-Bird Rate: $1500 CAD (available until August 2, 2025)
Student Discount: Full-time students qualify for the early-bird rate if registering one month in advance.
Deposit: A non-refundable deposit of $500 secures your place.
The balance is due prior to the course start date.
Certification Package Option
Register for this course plus the Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis Long-Distance Course and receive both for $3000 CAD. Participants who complete both this course and the Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis Long-Distance Course will receive a Certificate of Completion in Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis.
Payment plans are available.
Limited Enrollment
To maintain the depth and quality of mentorship, this course is limited to 12 participants. Early registration is encouraged.
Refund Policy
This course requires a minimum number of participants to proceed. Should we not meet the required enrollment, you will be notified two weeks in advance and receive a full refund of any payments made.
Meet Your Instructor
Shantree Kacera, R.H., D.N., Ph.D., an international author and teacher, co-directs The Living Centre Eco-Spiritual Education Sanctuary since 1983. Shantree is the author of the first book published in English on Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis. With a doctorate in Nutritional Medicine and Herbalism, Shantree pioneers integrative approaches to Ayurvedic Medicine, Living Nutrition, and Herbalism. Recognized as an elder by the Canadian Council of Herbalists Association.
Testimonials
✺ Frequently Asked Questions ✺
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Yes. Payment plans are available directly through our website via Afterpay. Afterpay allows new users to pay in installments for orders up to $2,000 CAD. If you've used Afterpay before, your limit may be higher depending on your account history.
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This course is designed for individuals seeking a deeper understanding of Ayurvedic medicine, tongue diagnosis, and constitutional healing. No previous experience is required, though a curiosity about holistic health is encouraged.
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No prior experience is necessary. The course begins with foundational teachings and is designed to support both beginners and those with some background in holistic health or wellness. All concepts are explained clearly, with space for questions and guided learning throughout.
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All sessions are held live online through Zoom. A Zoom link and course materials will be emailed to you before the start of each module. Recordings will be provided if you are unable to attend live.
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Yes, you are welcome to register for each module individually. Please refer to our course calendar for upcoming dates and registration details.
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Each session is 2.5 hours long. In addition, you may wish to spend 1 to 2 hours reviewing materials, completing reflections, and engaging in buddy work between sessions.
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You will receive digital manuals, charts, worksheets, case studies, video recordings, reading materials, and access to three one-on-one mentorship sessions with Shantree.
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Yes. A Certificate of Completion in Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis is awarded when you complete this course along with the Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis Long-Distance Course.
Still Have Questions?
If something is stirring or you’re feeling the call but aren’t quite sure yet, we welcome you to reach out. We’re here to listen, clarify, and walk with you as you explore if this journey is aligned.