Advanced Diploma Course
Master Herbalist
With a focus on the systemic use of herbal formula and naturopathic herbal treatments, students are taught to treat the whole person rather than using treatment protocols for specific disease conditions and symptoms. This approach supports the body's own healing intelligence, and is in alignment with naturopathic principles, which are the guiding light of natural medicine. The course also teaches the core skills for creating your own herbal formula so that you can be truly independent as a practicing herbalist.
This advanced diploma offers a multi-dimensional foundation built upon academic study, personal experience, and hands-on clinical training. Based on the profound vitalist approach to herbal medicine developed by Dr. John Christopher, alongside iridology studies and master formulas created by pioneer, Farida Sharan, ND, our curriculum teaches you to treat the individual rather than isolated symptoms.
The Master Herbalist course combines in-depth training in Healing Diets, cleansing and health building, culinary and medicinal herbs, a complete system of systemic herbal medicine, the foundation of natural medicine, including systemic anatomy and physiology, and an in-depth study of constitutional analysis and Iridology.
By reading the unique structure, markings and colors of the iris, you learn to assess an individual's inherited strengths and weaknesses, allowing your herbal recommendations and therapeutic food protocols to be aligned with their foundational needs for prevention and reversal of dietary and lifestyle diseases.
Through online scholarship and five in-person clinical immersions, you will master herbal pharmacy, healing diets, refine your consultation and program creation skills, and cultivate the ability to guide others toward lasting health and vitality.
This advanced diploma offers a multi-dimensional foundation built upon academic study, personal experience, and hands-on clinical training.
Based on the profound vitalist approach to herbal medicine developed by Dr. John Christopher, alongside iridology studies and master formulas created by pioneer, Farida Sharan, ND, our curriculum teaches you to treat the individual rather than isolated symptoms.
We integrate systemic herbalism directly with constitutional Iridology and Healing Diets. By reading the unique structure, markings and colors of the iris, you learn to assess an individual's inherited strengths and weaknesses, allowing your herbal recommendations and therapeutic food protocols to be aligned with their foundational needs for prevention and reversal of dietary and lifestyle diseases.
Through online scholarship and five in-person clinical immersions, you will master herbal pharmacy, healing diets, refine your consultation and program creation skills, and cultivate the ability to guide others toward lasting health and vitality.
Systemic Western Herbalism, Constitutional Iridology & food as medicine
Part 1
Integrative Herbal Medicine
Diploma Course
- Three Core Modalities: Study the integrated spectrum of our three online diploma courses—Herbal Medicine Consultant, Healing Diets Coach, and Integrative Iridologist—earning professional qualifications as you progress.
- Comprehensive Study Materials: Fulfill 38 in-depth lessons spanning 1,714 pages of rich, interactive wisdom alongside academic, creative, and experiential assignments.
- Flexible Learning: Progress comfortably through a standard 24-month track, averaging about 10 hours of study a week, knowing you have a generous 30-month window for completion.
- Custom Study Schedule: Enjoy the freedom to design your own daily rhythm, allowing your education to fit seamlessly alongside your personal and professional commitments.
- Individual Mentorship: Receive personal, one-on-one mentorship throughout your studies. Your work is individually assessed as you progress, providing dedicated feedback, guidance, and support.
The Master Herbalist Advanced training is structured into two flexible phases designed to take you seamlessly from deep theoretical and experiential knowledge to master hands-on kitchen, iridology, plant medicine formulation, and consultation and program creation skills.
Part 2
5 in-person Immersion Trainings
- Five Experiential Immersions: Attend all five clinical modules - Herbal Medicine, Healing Diets, Naturopathy & Iridology, Essential Oils & Healing Touch, and Quantum Botanicals & Flower Essences.
- Consultation & Program Creation: Develop client consultation skills aligned with the principle of "Doctor as Teacher," refining your ability to take cases, analyze constitutions, and build tailored client programs.
- Practical Skills: Gain hands-on experience in blending essentials oils and flower essences, preparing nutrient dense living foods, healing touch and creating herbal formula.
- Vibrational & Essential Oil Medicine: Receive deep practical introductions to flower essences and essential oils, exploring their effects on emotional patterns, mind-body coherence, and subtle energetics.
- Flexible Enrollment: Immersions can be attended at any point during or after your online studies, allowing you to pay and enroll as your schedule and finances allow.
- Five Experiential Immersions: Attend all five clinical modules - Herbal Medicine, Healing Diets, Naturopathy & Iridology, Essential Oils & Healing Touch, and Quantum Botanicals & Flower Essences.
- Consultation & Program Creation: Develop client consultation skills aligned with the principle of "Doctor as Teacher," refining your ability to take cases, analyze constitutions, and build tailored client programs.
- Practical Skills: Gain hands-on experience in iris analysis, blending essentials oils and flower essences, preparing nutrient dense living foods, healing touch and creating herbal formula.
- Vibrational & Essential Oil Medicine: Receive deep practical introductions to flower essences and essential oils, exploring their effects on emotional patterns, mind-body coherence, and subtle energetics.
- Flexible Enrollment: Immersions can be attended at any point during or after your online studies, allowing you to pay and enroll as your schedule and finances allow.
- Diploma Graduation: As you complete each online diploma course, you will earn your professional foundation diploma, paving the way toward your advanced practitioner graduation.
- Advanced Diploma Graduation: Please note that each Immersion Training is offered on alternate years in Lake Worth Beach, Florida and Cheltenham, UK, with all five immersions offered in every two year period. Once you have completed both the online studies and the practical immersion, you will graduate with your Master Herbalist Advanced Diploma credential.
diet | herbal medicine | iridology | pharmacy skills
herbal Medicine, food as medicine, and iridology are taught in-depth:
- Systemic Western Herbalism & Materia Medica: Master an extensive 116-herb primary Materia Medica alongside dozens of supportive plants. You will study plant chemistry, active principles, harvesting, drying, extraction methods, and formula creation. Learn how to set up a pharmacy, construct traditional remedies (infusions, tinctures, syrups, ointments, poultices), and apply herbal protocols safely across all life phases and body systems.
- Constitutional Iridology & Systemic Assessment: Embark on an in-depth study of iris analysis to uncover inherited constitutional types, tissue vitality, and systemic strengths or weaknesses. Learning the visual language of the iris provides an invaluable map for creating highly individualized herbal and lifestyle programs.
- Naturopathic Nutrition & Healing Diets: Explore the principle of food as medicine, moving from therapeutic cleansing and purification to nutrient-dense health building. Master living foods preparation, therapeutic fasting concepts, raw food preparation, and corrective dietary protocols to restore the body's internal ecology.
- Essential Oils, Flower Essences & Subtle Energetics: Through your immersion trainings, gain practical experience with essential oils and Bach Flower Remedies. Learn how plant aromatics and vibrational essences support emotional processing, calm the nervous system, release holding patterns, and enhance heart-brain coherence.
- Consultation Skills & Practice Building: Cultivate genuine practitioner-client relationships centered on the principle of Doctor as Teacher. Learn case-taking, program design, code of ethics, and practical steps for establishing a successful practice—whether in private clinical practice, product creation, herb growing, wellness centers, or ethical natural product companies.
Course Fees
Online Foundation (integrative herbal medicine)
Online Foundation
(integrative Herbal Medicine)
Your Master Herbalist Advanced journey begins with the comprehensive, mentored Integrative Herbal Medicine online diploma course. There are two payment options as follows:
Option A: Payment in Full
Investment: $5400 (Single one-time payment)
Option B: Time Payments
Investment: 12 monthly payments of $540
If you wish to commit to both the online studies and your in-person immersion from the start, you are welcome to enroll in both together. To arrange simultaneous enrollment, simply contact the school directly. We will personally coordinate your training dates and issue a dedicated, Stripe invoice tailored directly to your journey.
Master Herbalist Immersions fees
HEALING DIETS
NATUROPATHY & IRIDOLOGY
QUANTUM BOTANICALS
ESSENTIAL OILS & HEALING TOUCH
Prerequisite: To ensure a deep, shared academic experience, students must be actively enrolled in or have completed the online diploma studies to attend an immersion training.
Securing Your Place: A non-refundable registration fee of $1,000 is required to reserve your place in the immersion training.
The Balance: The remaining balance of $800 ($2000 for Healing Diets) is due 90 days before the first day of your chosen session.
$3000
HERBAL MEDICINE
$1800
$1800
$1800
$1800
$3000
HERBAL MEDICINE
$1800
NATUROPATHY & IRIDOLOGY
$1800
ESSENTIAL OILS & HEALING TOUCH
$1800
HEALING DIETS
$3000
QUANTUM BOTANICALS
$1800
Master Herbalist
Immersions fees
DOWNLOAD all course option QUICK REFERENCE PDF
DOWNLOAD Herbal Medicine
advanced DIPLOMA PROSPECTUS
DOWNLOAD Herbal Medicine
Online diploma PROSPECTUS
Integrative Herbal Medicine Online Course Details
the
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Curriculum Breakdown:
What You Will Explore
Curriculum Breakdown: What You Will Explore
HERBAL MEDICINE
HEALING DIETS
IRIDOLOGY
• Food and consciousness: emotions, cognition, depression, anxiety, gut health, etc.
• Tissue Salts
• Parasite cleansing
• Vegan diet: philosophy, practical application and menu inspiration
• Health consequences of eating animal products
• Environmental consequences of eating animal products
• Social consequences of eating animal products
• Economic consequences of eating animal products
• Meat, dairy and egg replacers in recipes
• Vegan and vegetarian baking
• Food and Ethics
• Factory farming
• Genetically modified foods: health, environmental and economic/societal costs
• The seed industry
• Corporate food
• Litigation and school lunches
• Subsidised GMO farmers vs penalised organic farmers
• Slave labour in the food industry
• Codex Alimentarius
• Food additives
• Public Research - Private Gain: funding for food research/funding policies
• Changing food policies
• Food sovereignty
• Soil and health
• Organic farming: biodynamics and permaculture
• Self healing and independent health
• Creating a practice
• Creating a consultation space
• Practice promotion, websites and marketing
• Practice ethics and codes of conduct
• Consultation skills
• Healing Diets programme creation
• Diet and the immune system
• Lymphatic cleansing
• Diet and the nervous system
• Transition Diets
• Low glycemic diets
• Healing food habits: mealtime stories, food addiction, emotional eating and other eating disorders
• Oils and fats: raw, vegetable, nut and seed, methods of extraction, effects on health
• Creating a healing diets kitchen: tools, cookware
• Conscious eating: awareness, presentation, environment
• Menu inspiration
• Five elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether, and their relationship with diet
• Biological humours of Vata, Pita and Kapha
• The three Gunas and diet
• Six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent
• Healing spices: dosha balancing and medicinal benefits of culinary spices
• Living foods: history, benefits and practice
• Fermented food and drinks
• Sprouting
• Dehydrating foods
• Use of nuts and seeds in healing diets
• Raw food diets: transitioning to raw, raw food preparation, nutrient density, raw challenges, raw contraindications
• Assimilation of nutrient
• Diets for babies and children
• Diets for adolescence
• Diet for preparing for pregnancy, pregnancy and nursing
• Diet for health building and recovery
• Supportive diets for those on medication
• Diet for menopause
• Diet for the elderly
• Food and conditions for increasing beauty
• Nutrient density for athletes
• How the body utilises water in cell, organ, gland and systemic function.
• The effects of dehydration
• Water fasting: history, theory and practice
• Water quality, structure and preservation
• Water as a container for intention
• Juice fasting: history, theory and practice. Methods of juicing
• Liquitarian Diets
• Green drinks
• Produce hygiene
• Nutritional and medicinal properties of fruits and vegetables.
• Disease progression: enervation, toxaemia, irritation, inflammation, ulceration, induration, fungation
• Steps to overcoming disease
• The eliminative organs and now to support them with diet, herbs and naturopathic therapies
• Detox symptoms and naturopathic treatments
• Bowel cleansing: theory and practice
• Digestive health and longevity
• In-depth study of the digestive system and enteric nervous system
• Liver and gallbladder cleansing: theory and practice
• Stomach cleansing and healing
• Nutritional support for body organs, systems and glands
• Kidney stone cleansing and urinary system support
• Wheatgrass, chlorophyl and Rejuvelac: benefits and use
• Purification Diet
• Food combining
• Alkaline diet: effects of pH on body cells, organs, glands and systems, and on mental and emotional health
• Minerals, vitamins, proteins, starch, fats, sugars, enzymes, antioxidants, phytonutrients pre and probiotics, life force in food, and their roles in body function
course topics
healing diets
• Naming and identifying plants
• Collecting herbs and preparing herbarium specimens
• Plant classification appendix
• Pharmacy and dispensary
• How to set up a pharmacy
• Dosage
• Methods of herbal application
• First aid treatment
• Acute conditions
• Fomentations
• Infusions
• Ointments
• Ovules
• Pill making
• Poultices
• Smoking herbs
• Syrups and tinctures
• Materia Medica (116 primary herbs, plus dozens of supportive herbs) - action, active ingredients, activity, applications, aromatherapy, astrology, Ayurveda, cautions, contraindications, chakras, elements, emotions, Chinese medicine, combinations, cultivation, dosage, energetics, flower essences, formulas, habitat, history, homeopathy, meridians, organs, names, nutrients, part used, personality, plant description, research, spiritual properties, substitutions, systems, taste, tissues, wildcrafting and preparation.
• Herbs and healing
• Holistic perceptions
• Body, mind, spirit
• Vitamins and minerals for body organs, systems and glands
• Botany
• Chemistry of herbs
• History and Philosophy
• Use of herbs in ancient and traditional societies
• Chemistry of herbs
• Climate, soil, active principles
• Collecting, harvesting, storage
• Extraction
• Food as Medicine
• Food addictions
• Effects of diet, coffee, alcohol, drugs, etc., on the healing process
• Creating herbal formulas
• Prescription symbols
• Herbal pharmacy terminology
• Contraindications for a range of situations
• Body systems and herbal medicine (anatomy and physiology is taught by body system and integrated through the course
course topics
herbal medicine
• Reproductive system in the iris
• Respiratory system in the iris
• Urinary system in the iris
• Skeletal and muscular systems in the iris
• Iridian psychology
• Rayid model
• Flower essences, emotional healing and Iridology
• Eliminative channels in the iris
• European constitutional types
• Faridian constitutional types
• Holistic anatomy and physiology
• Nervous system in the iris
• Digestive system in the iris
• Circulatory system in the iris
• Lymphatic system in the iris
• Endcrine system in the iris
• History and Philosophy of Iridology - from 1000 BC to today
• Foundation of Natural Medicine
• Symbolic language of the interior world
• Iris topography
• Embryology
• Iris drawing
• Iris texture
• Basic Iris Signs
course topics
Iridology
Immersion Details
the
Essential Oils & Healing Touch
Quantum Botanical& Flower Essences
Iridology & Naturopathy
Herbal Medicine
Healing Diets
Essential Oils & Healing Touch Immersion details
Quantum Botanicals & Flower Essences
Immersion details
Iridology & Naturopathy Immersion details
Herbal Medicine Immersion details
Healing Diets Immersion details
Click on Links to Explore Course Topics
immersion topics:
What You Will Explore
Curriculum Breakdown: What You Will Explore
Step into a delicious, delightful, hands-on experience that provides the true practical foundation for the inspired, creative preparation of therapeutic, nutrient-dense foods. This immersive training brings magic and inspiration directly into your personal relationship with food, giving you a grounded foundation to confidently share this life-changing knowledge with future clients.
- The Living Foods Kitchen: Participate actively in establishing the daily rhythms of a living foods kitchen.
- Nutritional Progression: Learn to guide individuals fluidly from therapeutic cleansing protocols to vibrant, long-term health building.
- Gourmet Raw Foods: Master the exquisite arts of gourmet raw food preparation to make healing lifestyle adjustments truly beautiful and satisfying.
- Practitioner Consultation Skills: Engage in focused lectures interspersed between kitchen hours, focusing specifically on professional client consultation and personalized program creation skills.
Healing Diets Immersion
Step into a professional training space focused entirely on the practical application, clinical consultation, and customized program creation skills required for an exceptionally effective practitioner career. This immersion allows you to refine your unique personal vision for your future practice while grounding your clinical protocols in pure natural law.
- Doctor as Teacher: Develop advanced client consultation skills in strict alignment with the core natural medicine principle of Docere (Doctor as Teacher).
- The Holistic Relationship: Learn the professional skills needed to establish a genuinely holistic, compassionate, and therapeutic patient-practitioner relationship.
- Apothecary & Pharmacy Administration: Master the essential business, logistical, and legal administrative protocols required to safely build and manage a professional herbal pharmacy.
- Practice Development: Cultivate the clinical confidence and structural skills needed to take your botanical medicine training and seamlessly launch it as a thriving vocational practice.
Herbal Medicine Immersion
The Visual Language of the Iris & Traditional Nature Cure
Unlock the profound visual language of the iris and discover the fundamental principles of Iridology and traditional Naturopathy as they directly apply to intuitive self-care, independent self-healing, and successful clinical practice. This 5-day immersion beautifully integrates the core philosophy and practical applications of classic nature cure with an advanced somatic understanding of the human blueprint.
Constitutional Mapping: Embark on an in-depth exploration of iris markings, structure and unique constitutional types to map out an individual's structural patterns.
Systemic Analysis: Master the study of iris structure, specific markings, body systems, and primary eliminative channels.
Naturopathic Therapeutics: Discover how to introduce tailored naturopathic therapies to actively support systemic elimination, safely relieve detox symptoms, and increase overall physical strength and vitality.
Energetic Vitality: Learn practical methods to support intrinsic constitutional strengths and weaknesses while balancing elemental energetics within the body.
Naturopathy & Iridology Immersion
Immerse yourself in a transformative 5-day training focused entirely on plant-based vibrational medicine. Grounded within our current scientific understanding of energy, space, matter, and organized energy fields, you will discover how the profound interconnectedness of mind and body can be actively harnessed to support self-healing and the evolution of consciousness.
- Fractal Landscape: Explore the intricate, fractal nature of human thoughts, emotions, and physical health.
- The 38 Bach Flower Remedies: Dive into a structured, in-depth study of the complete Dr. Bach range of flower essences to master plant-based vibrational medicine prescribing.
- The 12 Healers: Learn to accurately identify and apply the 12 primary remedies that correspond directly to core human personality types.
- The 7 Helpers: Master the selection of the 12 helper remedies, utilized when an individual's core personality becomes obscured by long-term dissociation or stressful/traumatic environmental influences.
- The 19 Situational Remedies: Understand how to utilize the 19 situational remedies to bring immediate harmony to acute internal or external stresses and negative life influences.
Quantum Botanicals &
Flower Essences Immersion
Explore the profound world of plant medicines that possess a unique, unmistakable resonance with the emotional body. This experiential training focuses on sacred healing processes that combine high-frequency botanicals with physical touch to bring deep coherence, systemic balance, and ultimate beauty into day-to-day life.
- Cellular & DNA Memory: Study how the complex chemistry and high vibrational frequency of pure essential oils act directly on cellular and DNA memory to permanently release accumulated trauma.
- Glandular Oxygenation: Discover how aromatic molecules increase vital oxygenation directly to the pineal and pituitary glands.
- Systemic Physiological Support: Learn how essential oils naturally support the healthy functioning of the endocrine, immune, nervous, respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems.
- Nervous System Coherence: Master techniques designed to beautifully balance sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system function while encouraging deep heart-brain coherence.
- Neurological Processing & Mood Elevation: Harness potently anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral plant properties to increase right-hemisphere processing of life experiences, improve focus, boost memory, and serve as effective mood elevators.
Essential Oils
& HealingTouch Immersion
Board Accreditation & Professional Credentials
- Recognition: The Master Herbalist Advanced Professional Diploma is fully accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP), the American Alternative Medical Association (AAMA), and the Complementary Medical Association (CMA).
- Mid-Way Qualification: Upon completing each online course, you will receive the associated professional diploma, accredited by the AADP.
- Advanced Graduation: Upon the successful completion of both your online modules and the in-person immersion, you will receive your Master Herbalist Diploma.
- Professional Board Status: As an advanced graduate, you qualify as a board-accredited Alternative Medical Practitioner with the AAMA.
- Membership & Insurance: Graduates are fully eligible to become professional members of the prestigious Complementary Medical Association and are prequalified for comprehensive, discounted practice liability insurance through Westminster Insurance.
Suzanna Thelwall NNAP, IHM, HHP
Naturopathic Nutrition Advanced Practioner and Integrative Herbal Medicine graduate
“I have worked and completed various trainings in plant medicine over the last 18 years, but my training with The School of Natural Medicine UK has really expanded my business and deepened my knowledge and practice of natural medicine.”
