Nutritional Herbalism: Correspondence Course

Nutrition is the root of physical wellness; every living cell depends on it!

Nutritional Herbalism is a course in deepening your understanding of nutritional plants and the wild edibles that abound all around us. The purpose is to provide a context for exploring the study of nutritional plants.

You will discover the full range of plant medicine, from the soil to the plant to the total effect on the human body. Nutritional Herbalism offers powerful tools and wisdom to help anyone seeking to be healthier, stronger, more fluid, joyful and passionately alive. Nutritional Herbalism teaches the connection between plants, people and planetary peace. The various processes you will learn will attune you to your inner nature to know plants as an extension of yourself. This course goes well beyond plant chemistry and micro and macronutrients.

Nutritional Herbalism is founded on the premise that deepening our connection to living plants and the wild world of nature can foster personally, culturally and environmentally empowering values. This plant medicine course will help you uncover your creative capacity to work directly with plants to make a difference.

What is Nutritional Herbalism?

Nutritional Herbalism is the oldest form of medicine on the planet. This medicine originates before the science of modern-day nutritional chemistry. This course will take you from soil chemistry and understanding to applying plants to create health and peace for yourself and your family and friends.

Nutritional Herbalism is also a science of bringing awareness to our actions: how and what we grow our food and herbs, how we eat them, how we live, what we think, and how we relate intimately with the plant world and ourselves.

In a practical format, we will explore the influence of the vital energies of foods, spices and herbs on our well-being. Plant medicine is a compassionate journey of self-discovery, providing the tools to become your own healer. Every plant we take into our bodies influences who we are and what we will become.

Through this study, you will learn that all plants are carriers and balancers of Prana, the Vital Life Force. Every plant has unique qualities of vital energy and essence, specifically affecting your overall health and consciousness. We will explore these original teachings of the ancients, along with a modern understanding of plant medicines. Herbal nutritional understanding is the art of conscious living with the world of plants. Using the most natural, wholesome, alive plant is not new for treating and preventing disease. It is the original way of living ~ the original approach to using plants according to what Mother Earth has gifted us with since the beginning of time.

During this course, you will discover the following:

  • How to Deepen Your Connection to Plants

  • Methods to Optimize Your Health

  • Ancient Practices to draw the Life-Force & Life-Essence from your herbs

  • Learn the Lost Art of Foraging for the Superfoods of the Wild

  • The Kitchen Pharmacy: Usage of Kitchen Herbs and Spices

  • Rejuvenation Cleansing Regimes

  • A Dietary Approach for Spiritual Health & Social Harmony

  • Integrating the Full Spectrum of Nutrition

  • How to Use Plants for Higher Consciousness


  • Plant Antidotes


  • The Art of a High-Octane Living Cuisine

We’ll explore the various realities and perceptions of using wild plant foods and integrating them into our current lifestyle. Our focus of study will include designing a balanced, wholesome lifestyle from the living soil to the living person. We will go through the whys and hows of transitioning through the various levels of becoming a healthy individual, achieving high-level wellness, and supporting the transformation occurring on the planet today.

“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.”
~Rachel Carson

“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The part can never be well unless the whole is well.”
~Plato.

Part I
Earth Ecology: Ecological Vision & Theory

A New Scientific Approach To An Ancient Way of Life

Lesson 1 – Introduction: The Incredible Edible Adventure

  • What is Ecological Medicine?

  • What is Nutritional Herbalism?

  • What is Regenerative Living?

  • What are the benefits of Wild Plants?

  • The Key Elements of Understanding Nutrition

  • Nutritional Herbalism Principles

  • An Ecological Paradigm Shift

  • From Soil to Plant to Kitchen Skills

  • The Main Aspects of Being A Nutritional Herbalist

Lesson 2 – Ancient Wisdom of Our Ancestors

  • Wisdom of the Herbs

  • Herbalism: Gaia in Action

  • The Creative Power of the Elements

  • Plant, Food & Mineral Therapies

  • Modern Practices of Using Herbs & Nutrition

  • Going Beyond Treatment Therapy

  • Practicing True Preventative Medicine

  • Discovering the Power of Living Plants

  • The Unique Perspective of the Bioneers

  • An Exploratory Journey Through the Seasons

  • Ancient Wisdom from the Elders of the Past

Lesson 3 – Deep Herbalism – Deep Ecology

  • What is Deep Ecology?

  • A Lesson in Deep Ecology

  • Philosophy of Deep Ecology

  • Deep Herbalism – Deep Ecology

  • •Ecology, Community & Lifestyle

  • Gandhi & the Wisdom of Deep Ecology

  • Earth Activism through Being Connected

  • Personal. Ecological & Cultural Transformation

  • The Deep Ecology Movement of Regeneratively

  • Herbalism – Deeply Rooted in Bioregionalism

Part II
Soil Chemistry & Plant Nutrition

Lesson 4 – Nature’s Superfoods – Superherbs

  • What is a Superfood?

  • Nature’s Living Superfoods – Superherbs

  • The Superfoods Everyone Needs

  • Where have all the Enzymes Gone

  • Superior Nutrition for Optimal Health

  • Discovering Nutrient-Dense-Enzyme-Rich Herbs

  • The Criteria of Finding Superfoods in Your Region

  • Life-Force: Enhanced Health & Longevity

Lesson 5 – The Nutrient’s the Many & the Few

  • Essential Plant Nutrients

  • Identifying Nutrient Deficiencies

  • Comparison of Protein Values from Seven Wild Edible Plants

  • Mineral Nutrient Composition of Edible Wild Plants

  • Studies on Nutritional Values of Some Wild Edible Plants

  • Food Value of Common Edible Wild Seeds & Plants

  • Perennial Vegetables

Lesson 6 – The Seeds of the Future

  • Seed: The Miracle of Nature

  • The Forgotten Potential of Alive Seeds

  • Unlocking the Secret of Seeds

  • Sprouts: A Power Food

  • Swapping Seeds

  • Planting the Seeds of Recovery

  • Tapping into the Seeds of Tomorrow

  • Seeds: Our True Hope of the Future

Lesson 7 – Conventional vs. Organic vs. Wild

  • The Tame and The Wild

  • Organic vs. Conventional Grown Food

  • Cultivated vs. Wild Berries and Fruit

  • Farming and the Fate of Wild Nature

  • Soil pH & Plant Nutrients

  • Making Organic Wild

  • Foraging for Optimal Health

  • Short–Term Priorities

  • The Future of Forest Gardening

Lesson 8 – The Organic Living Soil

  • The Organic Path

  • The Organic Exposition Trend

  • Select Plants That Will Thrive

  • Can Organic Farming Feed Us All

  • Minerals the Spark of Life

  • The Essential Trace Elements

  • The Oil We Eat

  • Organic Plant Chemistry

  • Human Biological Chemistry

  • Organic Lifestyle of Prosperity

  • Towards a Sustainable Future

Lesson 9 – Beyond Nutrients & Superfoods

  • Seeing Past the Traditional Nutrients

  • Towards A Truly Wholistic Perspective

  • The Great Beyond of Superfoods

  • Research is Stepping Beyond the Nutrients

  • The Superfood Lifestyle Solution

Part III
Edible Wild Plants & Plant Nutrition

Lesson 10 – A Walk on the Wild Side

  • A Forest’s Last Stand

  • Common Edible Plants

  • Wildwood Survival

  • Walking on the Wild Side

  • The Resilience of Nature

  • Principles of Sustainable Harvesting

  • Rules for Foraging Edible Plants

  • Gardening into the Wild

  • Enhancing Biodiversity in Our Gardens

  • Universal Edibility Test

Lesson 11 – The Six Tastes

  • The Six Tastes in Nature

  • The Six Tastes & the Five Elements

  • Actions of the Tastes

  • Heating and Cooling Effects

  • Relationships Between Tastes

  • Effects of Overuse

  • Effects of the Six Tastes

  • The Art of Creating a Nutritious Wild-Food Cuisine

  • The Six Taste Formula

Lesson 12 – The Bioregional Way of Eating

  • A Taste for Conservation

  • What is Bioregionalism?

  • Bioregional Plant Allies

  • The Bioregional Movement

  • The Biodiversity Challenge

  • The Value of Bioregional Eating

  • Living Bioregionally

  • Why go, Native?

  • Enhancing Local Food Security

  • Community Supported Agriculture

  • What Would a Bioregional Community Look Like?

Lesson 13 – Biodiversity & Deep Ecology

  • Reclaiming Our Power to Choose

  • Expanding Foods Choices

  • The Power of the Elements

  • Diversity & Ecological Balance

  • Biodiversity of Sustainability

  • Human Potential Connection

  • Manifestos on the Future of Foods & Seeds

  • Seeing the Big Picture

Part IV
The Ecological Future – Now!

Lesson 14 – Putting it All Together: The 12-Keys

  • Whole Foods

  • Eaten Fresh

  • Sun-Ripened

  • Enzyme-Rich

  • Alkalizing Alive

  • Organically Vibrant

  • Low-Glycemic

  • Highly-Mineralized

  • Well-Hydrated

  • Locally-Grown

  • In-Season

  • Tranquil Educing

Lesson 15 – The Lifestyle of the Now!

  • Staying Connected to What is Alive

  • Ending our Food Addictions & Eating Disorders

  • The Eating Clean Way of Vibrant Living

  • Going Beyond A Scientific Approach of Nutrition

  • The Way We Live Now

  • The 100-Mile Way of Life

  • A Lifestyle for Peace: Eating for Spiritual Health & Social Harmony

  • Bringing in the way of Peace

  • Making Peace with Food

  • Being the Change You Want to See ~ Now!

Lesson 16 – The Future of Regenerative Living

  • Integrating the Full Spectrum of Nutrition

  • Plants, People & Planet

  • Environment, Sustainability & Peace

  • The Full Piece of Wholeness

  • The Regenerative Living Challenge

  • A Manifesto for Earth Spirituality

  • Practicing the Sevenfold Path of Peace

  • Creating & Nourishing Healthy Communities

  • Solutions for Achieving a Regenerative Tomorrow

  • The Future Will Be What You Contribute To & Create Today

About the Author & The Living Centre & Living Arts Institute

Supplements

  • Glossary

  • Bibliography

This course is designed to provide a solid foundation in understanding Nutritional Herbalism as a natural healing art and science.

The following information will answer your questions about how to use these lessons.

Textbooks for the Course

Part I ~ Earth Ecology: Ecological Vision & Theory.

  • Who Really Feeds the World ~Vandana Shiva, 2016

Part II ~ Soil Chemistry & Plant Nutrition

  • Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition, ~T. Colin Campbell., Ph.D. 2013

  • Voices of the Food Revolution: You Can Heal Your Body and Your Body – With Food! ~ John Robbins & Ocean Robbins, 2013

  • Teaming with Nutrients: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to Optimizing Plant Nutrition, Jeff Lowenfels, 2015

Part III – Edible Wild Plants & Plant Medicine

  • Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt To Plate ~ John Kallas, 2010

  • Incredible Wild Edibles: 36 Plants that Can Change Your Life ~Samuel Thayer, 2017

  • The Wild Wisdom of Weeds: 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival, ~ Katrina Blair, 2014

  • Invasive Plant Medicine: The Ecological Benefits and Healing Benefits of Invasives, ~Timothy Lee Scott, 2010

  • The Healing Tastes ~Shantree Kacera, D.N., Ph.D.

  • The Incredible Edibles Handbook ~Shantree Kacera, D.N., Ph.D.

  • The Healing Tastes Whole Food & Wild Edibles Recipes ~Shantree Kacera, D.N., Ph.D.

  • Nutritional Herbalism DVD Reader ~ Includes Lessons, Assignments & Projects (compiled & Researched by Shantree Kacera, D.N., Ph.D.)

This course is designed to provide a solid foundation in understanding Nutritional Herbalism as a natural healing art and science.

The following information will answer your questions about how to use these lessons.

“The question is not ‘can you make a difference?’ You already do make a difference. It’s just a matter of what kind of difference you want to make during your life on this planet. ” ~Julia Butterfly

Part I (The Correspondence Course) Is the home study part of the course. Study the material and do the lessons at your own pace. Send in the lessons through postal mail or email. We’ll check your lessons, comment, and give you feedback on your progress.

Part II  (The Advanced Study & Research) Thesis Project allows you to dive deeper into the teachings. Choose an area of study you feel particularly drawn to in the course that sparks your passion, invites your curiosity, and beckons you to explore. Write a 5,000-word thesis and conduct a research project submitted within the course study time. Also, we ask you to offer to your community and document a couple of workshops or lectures to build understanding, expertise and confidence.

One-on-One Sessions

These sessions are available to both support and deepen the learning experience of this course. Three sessions of 40 minutes each can be done over the phone or through Zoom. These are available to guide and advise you on your research thesis project. You must book these sessions in advance once you have submitted your proposed thesis topic.

Your Guide & Adviser: Shantree Kacera

Homework

Homework is sent upon completion of each lesson and is returned to you. We ask that you keep us posted about how you’re doing with your projects and assignments and projects.

Time Completion

You may complete these lessons on your schedule. But to utilize them to their fullest, we recommend you set up a scheduled time to do each class; one evening a week or an afternoon on the weekends will keep your momentum going. The average time to complete the course is about one year. Some students have completed the material in 6 months, while others may take a few years.

We do ask that you complete the course in two years. After two years, if the student fails to complete the course within the allotted period, the time-extension fee is $100 for an additional year.

Questions

One of the specialties of these lessons is the personal attention given to your questions and homework. We invite your comments, favourite herbal and nutrient-dense recipes, and suggestions.

Certificate

Students who complete the lessons and homework will receive a beautiful Nutritional Herbal Certificate. The Certificate awarded states that you are acknowledged for conducting a thorough, in-depth study of Nutritional Herbalism. This course’s objective is integration and bringing forth breakthroughs needed to continue the shift towards personal and planetary transformation.

Lessons 1-16 & An Adobe DVD Reader

The Nutritional Herbalism Correspondence Course comes as a. The Adobe DVD Reader lets you keep your lessons, homework and other course material together. The Adobe DVD Reader and textbooks will be sent out when we receive your tuition.

Textbooks for the Course

  • Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition, ~T. Colin Campbell., Ph.D. 2013

  • The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Save Your Life & Our World, ~John Robbins, 2021

  • Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods From Dirt To Plate ~ John Kallas, 2010,

  • Nature’s Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants ~Samuel Thayer, 2010

  • The Wild Wisdom of Herbs: 13 Essential Plants for Human Survival, ~ Katrina Blair, 2014

  • Who Really Feeds the World: ~Vandana Shiva, 2016

  • The Incredible Edibles Handbook, Shantree Kacera, D.N., Ph.D.

  • The Six Tastes Manual, Shantree Kacera, D.N., Ph.D.

  • The Healing Tastes: Whole Foods & Wild Edible Recipes, Shantree Kacera, D.N., Ph.D.

* Nutritional Herbalism DVD Reader ~ Includes Lessons, Assignments & Ecological Projects (compiled by Shantree Kacera, D.N., Ph.D.)

Please see our photo gallery for Herbalism and Gardening

For hands-on training, visit our Mentorship Program for dates and details. Click here>

For information about the Visionary Herbalism Educator Course, click here>

“Bioregionalism means learning to become native to place, fitting ourselves to a particular place, not doing business to our pre-determined tastes. It is living within limits and the gifts provided by a site, creating a way of life that can be passed on to future ge

Cost:  $1500

Includes:

  • All Correspondence Course Material

  • One-on-One Sessions

  • Taxes where applicable

Shipping is $50 for North America  |   Shipping is $100 for International

Still have Questions?