Shantree Kacera,
R.H., D.N., Ph.D.

Shantree is an internationally recognized author, educator, and practitioner. Here’s a summary of his background and contributions:

Founder and Director: Shantree established The Living Centre Eco-Spiritual Education Sanctuary in 1983, a 50-acre botanical sanctuary. It is located outside London, ON, Canada. Alongside his spiritual partner Lorenna, the centre is a hub for wholistic education, herbalism, nutrition, permaculture, forest gardening, rewilding, deep ecology and spiritual development.

Education and Expertise: Shantree obtained his D.N. and Ph.D. in Nutritional Medicine, Constitutional Medicine and Herbalism during the 1970s. He has devoted 50-years to integrating a lifestyle approach to studying the effects of food, herbs, and regenerative lifestyle practices on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on an integrative approach to Ayurvedic Medicine and Living Nutrition.

Author and Educator: Shantree has authored numerous books and manuals. His book on ‘Ayurvedic Tongue Diagnosis’ book has been published in the US and India. He has also contributed countless international articles and essays on herbalism, nutrition, permaculture, and conscious living. He has developed certification courses and mentorship programs on various wholistic disciplines, empowering individuals to become herbal activists and advocates in their communities.

Ayurvedic Medicine and Living Nutrition: Shantree is recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on an integrative approach to Ayurvedic Medicine and Living Nutrition. He advocates for a high-energy Ayurvedic Sattvic plant-based approach to nutrition and emphasizes the ecological benefits of incorporating bioregional, local, native, and wild edible plants into daily life. 

Herbalism & Botanical Medicine: 50-years of experience in herbalism. Shantree served on the board and is the past vice-president of the Ontario Herbalist Association (OHA). He has also created one of Canada’s oldest and most diverse Medicine Wheel Herb Gardens. For his outstanding contributions to herbalism, he is among the few Canadian herbalists to receive and be awarded the ‘Honouring our Elders’ award by the Canadian Council of Herbalist Association.

Private Practice: Shantree has counselled over 40,000 clients worldwide to improve their health and well-being. He has had the honour to counsel and empower thousands of individuals on their regenerative and invigorating journey. As an herbal practitioner, he has foraged, curated, formulated and dispensed his herbal preparations “HerbSpirit Botanicals.” To read more about his private practice click here.

Sacred Plant Medicine & Plant Energetics: He conducted groundbreaking pioneer research in plant biodynamics, bio-regional herbalism and nutritional science. He crafted teaching practices to preserve rare, endangered and threatened local plants by honouring them as sacred and understanding them from a rewilding and energetic plant approach.

Environmental & Biodiversity Campaigner: As a deeply committed, passionate naturalist, he has focused on preserving biodiversity and protecting endangered plant species. He actively engages in native plant preservation efforts and collaborates with organizations like the United Plant Savers (UpS) and Carolinian Canada Coalition (CCC) to understand and conserve precious plant species.

Deep Ecology Philosophy & Conservation: Shantree has promoted and taken direct action on the inherent worth of all living beings regardless of their instrumental utility to human needs. By demonstrating the relationship between humans and our ecosystem, he has lived that we are no more important than other species and can live in fullness and richness. At the same time, while regenerating the land he calls home.

Permaculture & Regenerative Living: The Living Centre has demonstration sites designed with ecological principles. This includes 5-acres of forest gardens, 5-natural buildings, a 1,000 sq ft Earthship greenhouse, 3-ponds, and 3-wetlands. Shantree has been studying and applying a permaculture lifestyle for many decades.

Forest Gardening & Native Plant Protector: An expert in permaculture and forest gardening practices, Shantree focuses on Canada’s temperate climate. In early 1980, he designed and cultivated the circular medicinal-wheel forest garden at The Living Centre. The herb garden and native plant trail showcase over 1,000 species of edible medicinal plants and trees. This one-kilometre forest garden native plant trail continues to be rewilded and naturalized.

Vegan & Veganic Way of Life: Shantree has lived with the question of the gentlest and kindest way to live on the planet today. He continues to ponder and adjust his lifestyle and move forward. This is not just what is consumed but also how to feed the soil and grow our nourishment. He has applied deep organic veganic forest gardening practices, creating his unique approach to permaculture in Canada’s temperate climate and tropical Costa Rica.

Conscious Living & Spiritual Development: Recognizing the interconnectedness and interbeingness of mind, body, and spirit, The Living Centre provides a supportive space for spiritual exploration and growth. Shantree’s spiritual teachings, plant connection meditation practices, and deep ecology exercises are woven into the fabric of the centre’s programs, fostering inner peace, self-awareness, and personal transformation.

Community and Collaboration: The Living Centre is a dynamic community hub where like-minded individuals with similar interests share knowledge, inspiration, and experiences. Participants work together towards the centre's vision and mission to positively impact the community and create a more regenerative and harmonious world.

Peace Activist: Shantree has been committed to peace advocacy with deep compassion and empathy from a young age. His activism promotes harmony, understanding, and nonviolent solutions to conflicts on both interpersonal and global scales. Through hosting peace editions at the Equinox and Solstice celebrations. As soon as he moved onto the land, he planted a Peace Pole with the message, “May Peace Prevail on Earth." This intention and the prime directive of the centre has been held from the beginning.

Global Teaching and Advocacy: Shantree has generously shared his knowledge and expertise by teaching internationally and at universities and colleges in Canada. He has trained students and apprentices from 26 countries, emphasizing the interdependence of human health, ecological regeneration, and spiritual well-being and recognizing his students’ diversity of cultural backgrounds. 

Costa Rica & Environmental Studies: He has spent 25 years travelling and living in the rainforests of Costa Rica, studying and researching the medicinal, nutritional, and ecological benefits of rainforest plants and environmental preservation. He has also taken his teaching experience to numerous countries around the world.

Lifelong Dedication: a respected global wellness advocate, inspiring individuals to embrace regenerative living practices for a more harmonious relationship with nature. A passionate naturalist who actively speaks for biodiversity and protecting endangered plant species. As a deep ecologist, forest gardener, and environmentalist, Shantree profoundly understands the complexities of regenerative living and transitional ethics. He is committed to promoting a positive movement toward a cultural shift for a beautiful, resilient and evolved future. Shantree envisions a regenerative path towards better stewardship of the natural world and is a spiritual activist at heart.

I have always been deeply fascinated by the unseen aspects of life—those profound meanings and subtle messages that resonate from the heart of the Earth, revealing a presence of intelligence, mystery, and care beyond what our American culture often acknowledges. I am passionate about exploring how to reconnect with our interdependence with the world, to sit with all forms of life as equals rather than rulers, and to live regeneratively on this Earth that I cherish more than words can express.

At its core and essence, The Living Centre is an Eco-Spiritual Education Sanctuary that embodies a regenerative approach to life and learning. It offers a transformative journey toward excellent health, harmony, and spiritual fulfillment.