Green Medicine: A 4-Month Training in Herbalism
Filed under Events, Herbs and Nutrition, Holistic Health, Professional Trainings, Programs.| October 18, 2010 | ||
| 7:45 PM | to | 9:45 PM |
Led by Peeka Trenkle, AHG, DSH, with Drew DiVittorio, Dipl (NCCAOM), 7Song and David Winston
Herbal medicine has been in use for thousands of years, each culture having its own unique system based on the herbs of its bio-region. In the last hundred years we have steadily moved away from our ability to use herbs in a daily way for nourishment and healing and have all but lost the ability to use herbs medicinally for treatment of acute illness. We no longer cultivate physic gardens in which families used to grow their own medicine or keep recipe books of remedies that healed illnesses in our communities. Foraging of wild plants for food has also largely been lost as a skill. Industrialization has led to a fear of nature, and several generations have now grown up believing that natural and herbal remedies are quaint but impotent and that pharmaceutical drugs are the only effective treatment for illness. All the work of healing has been delegated to the "experts," both mainstream and alternative.
This course will give you a comprehensive overview of Western herbs for medicinal and nutritional uses, and our guest speakers will broaden the scope by presenting in-depth information from other various cultures. We will cover each of the body's systems, the anatomy and physiology of each system and its functioning. You will learn about herbs for tonification, herbal treatment programs for illnesses relating to each system and how to prevent illness, promote vitality and maintain balance in the body through the use of herbs.
We will also cover the history of Western herbalism and how we got to where we are now, and the legal considerations of being an herbalist. In addition, we'll discuss the use of herbs in an ecological context so that we can wisely choose the most effective herb and not be using endangered or threatened species.
The herbal materia medica in this course primarily focuses on herbs from the northeast United States, including a few from other regions of North America, in order to foster a bioregional understanding: our region can, in fact, produce all the plants necessary for our healing.
Note: A certificate of completion will be given upon completion of course requirements.
Note: There will be a $30 materials fee for course manual, payable to the instructor at the first session.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Monday sessions (all led by Peeka Trenkle) will be from 7:45-9:45pm. Saturday & Sunday workshops will be from 10am-5:30pm. The field trip will be from 11am-4:30pm.
A Brief History of Western Herbalism
Monday, October 18
Preparations & Dosages
Monday, October 25
The Digestive System and Liver
Monday, November 1
The Respiratory System
Monday, Novemer 8
The Nervous System and Brain
Monday, November 15
The Endocrine System
Monday, November 22
The Circulatory System: Blood and Lymph
Monday, November 29
Diagnosis: The Art & Skill of Clinical Evaluation
with 7Song
Introduction to the core diagnostic methods employed in Eastern (Ayurvedic and Chinese) medical systems including pulse-taking, tongue and complexion examination, and reading symptoms and signs.
Sunday, December 5
The Skin
Monday, December 6
Women’s Reproductive System
Monday, December 13
Men’s Reproductive System
Monday, January 10
Herbal Pharmacy: Making Herbal Products
A one-day hands-on workshop with Peeka Trenkle in making extracts, salves, balms, poultices, etc. There will be an $8 materials fee.
Sunday, January 16
Seasonal Healing: Herbal Therapeutics and the Cycle of the Year
Monday, January 24
Musculo-Skeletal System
Monday, January 31
Herbal Energetics
David Winston will discuss simple techniques for matching herbal qualities with the energetics of an individual’s symptoms, using concepts from Chinese and Cherokee medical systems.
Sunday, February 6
Urinary Tract and Kidneys
Monday, February 7
Materia Medica/Herbal Medicine Chest
Monday, February 14
Case Taking Skills I
Monday, February 28
Herbal Treatment and Management of Chronic Illnesses: Eastern and Western Approaches
A one-day workshop with Drew DiVittorio.
Saturday, March 5
Case Taking Skills II
Monday, March 7
Field Trip with Peeka Trenkle
We will identify, taste and study herbs and wild foods at Stephen and Robin Larsen's beautiful Stone Mountain Farm in the mid-Hudson valley.
Saturday, June 4
FREE INTRO Class on Monday, September 20, 7:45pm
REGISTRATION AND FEES
A 4-MONTH TRAINING
Oct. 18, 2010–March 7, 2011
plus June 4, 2011, field trip
Full Payment: 10FHG25LA Approved for CEUs
$1,250 (No Member Discount)
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Payment Plan: 10FHG25LB Approved for CEUs
$1,400 (No Member Discount)
Automatic credit card payments only.
A non-refundable deposit of $425 is due upon registration. Three further payments of $325 are due Nov. 15, Dec. 13 & Jan. 31.
CEUs are approved for Nurses & Bodyworkers.
7Song is a practicing Western Clinical Herbalist and director of the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine, located in Ithaca, NY. His areas of focus are wilderness and street emergency first aid, men’s health and teaching diagnostic skills.
Drew DiVittorio, Dipl (NCCAOM), board-certified in Traditional Chinese Herbology by the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists and Oriental Medicine, is currently an associate professor at the University of Bridgeport Acupuncture Institute and maintains a private practice in NYC. He is a popular speaker on nutrition and Chinese herbalism at venues around the nation.
Peeka Trenkle, AHG, DSH, is an herbalist and homeopath, a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild and a long-time natural health advocate. She has taught the Open Center's Green Medicine training since 1996.
David Winston, RH (AHG), an herbalist and ethnobotanist
with 40 years' training in Cherokee, Chinese and Western herbal traditions, is the founder/director of the Herbal Therapeutics Research Library and dean of David Winston's Center for Herbal Studies. David is a founding member of the American Herbalist Guild.





