Full-time intensive

Live Onsite, Commute, or Live stream

About

Eclectic School of Herbal Medicine’s upcoming full-time intensive program will begin June 3rd of 2019. The intensive is an 11-month program directed by head instructor Thomas Easley. Our program is indeed intensive– there is an average of 28 lecture hours per week, in addition to studying, homework, and clinic. To be in this program you must be fully prepared to dedicate yourself to herbalism for the next 11 months.

Our herbal studies program is hosted at Wellspring Mountain, a 500-acre camp tucked away in the mountains of the Blue Ridge in a small town called Lowgap, North Carolina. Over 90% of the land is set aside for plant preservation and land conservancy.

There are options for live-in, commuting, and distance opportunities.

Curriculum

The intensive program will run from June, 2019 to April, 2020.

Our program is grounded in Traditional Western Herbalism, with a particular focus on the Eclectic Tradition of using the best remedy, herbal or otherwise, for every situation. At our school we meld together modern clinical skills and the wisdom of folk medicine into a cohesive training platform.

The intensive program’s class hours will run four days a week, Monday through Thursday (not including weekend intensives), and you will accumulate a total of over 1300 hours of classroom time.

Thomas’ lectures will go in-depth into the anatomy and physiology involved in the ten major body systems and their associated pathology. Through Thomas you will be trained in clinical nutrition, which is at the focal point of the program’s healing modalities. You will be taught how to conduct consultations and the art of physical assessment, as well as how to proficiently read blood work.

Please inquire further for a detailed curriculum outline.

Throughout the duration of the program, we will be bringing in guest instructors to teach. The educators we bring in will be some of the top herbalists and instructors in their field. They will be educating our students on a variety of topics.

Weekend Intensives

Eclectic School of Herbal Medicine will host weekend intensives on a variety of subjects. Each intensive is led by an experienced instructor and is open to the broader community. Student access to herbal intensives is an added bonus to the cost of tuition. These classes are taught by ESHM staff and by internationally-acclaimed herbalists.

Clinical Practicum

The Eclectic School of Herbal Medicine is host to a free clinic for the community.  Via a problem-based learning approach, you’ll be reviewing case histories and working with clients within the first few months of the program. Students will gain consultation skills and learn how to put together wellness plans, including herbal formulas. The clinic is supervised by staff herbalists who review each case and work with students to create effective programs for clients.

Medicine Making Lab

Through our advanced medicine making lab you will not only understand how to properly prepare a standardized tincture and how blend potent salves, you’ll also learn the intricacies of percolation, distillation, soxhlet extraction and more. The training is designed to put you out ahead of the rest in the field of medicine making. Students spend a great amount of time working hands-on with plants by learning how to sustainable wild craft and how to create medicines. Through this you will develop a closer relationship with the plant life and the natural world that surrounds us.

Natural Setting

Our school is located just ten minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway nestled in a 500-acre protected woodland forest. Forty of those acres have been built upon, and house the facilities in which we live and teach. Students will have the opportunity to learn how to identify plants that grow in the area through plant walks and in-class botany lessons. 

Meet the Founder and Director

Thomas Easley, RH(AHG), founder and director of ESHM and co-author of The Modern Herbal Dispensatory, is a Traditional Western Herbalist. While he loves bioregional herbalism, he use herbs from all over the world, including Ayuveda and TCM. However, he applies them in the Western tradition. You won’t hear Thomas talk much about Chi or Prana, or even Doshas. He respects other cultures’ systems of medicine, but chooses to focus on the deep and rich tradition of Western Herbalism. Keeping with that approach you will hear him talk about humoral imbalances and constitution, Eclectic and Physiomedical approaches to disease, modern Naturopathic therapies, functional blood work ranges and even the occasional reference to Sheldon’s Somatotypes. Thomas also emphasizes using foods as medicine and uses intensive diets, stress reduction techniques, nutritional supplements, and exercise to help his clients achieve their health goals. In addition to herbs, diet, supplements, and lifestyle approaches, Thomas also uses drop dose botanicals and occasionally homeopathic remedies or flower essences. Thomas believes that herbal medicine has the potential to change the world. Unfortunately, much of what is taught about herbs and supplements is driven by marketing and not based in tradition or science. His approach draws on his extensive clinical experience which spans 15 years of full time practice and over 15,000 clients.

Our gallery

Lodging Options

Our lodging options are shared dorms, private rooms, or cabins. Although our accommodations contain modern amenities such as a bathhouse and laundry facilities, you’ll still feel like you’re living in the wilderness. There are a limited number of spots in this program and on campus. 

Private Cabins
Private Room
Dorm Room

Tuition and Lodging

Our 2019-2020 program tuition cost is $12,500. We have flexible payment plans available.

There is a non-refundable deposit to hold your spot in the program and must be submitted to guarantee your placement and lodging.

Lodging costs are separate from tuition don’t cover food and transportation.

**We allow pets on camp, but you must reserve a private cabin for them to live here. The lodge is a pet-free zone.

 

Contact info
Please email us with questions
[email protected]
Or call us at (336) 804-0903.