Courses and programs offered by Living Earth are based on the philosophy and practices of traditional Western herbalism. The curriculum consists of a modern synthesis of traditional European and Native American traditions, and current advances in physiology. However, the reductionistic and materialistic bias of modern science and medicine are absent. Our philosophy is holistic and organismic, recognizing the importance of all levels of human functioning and experience (biochemical, cellular, organ system, whole organism, emotional, mental, social, spiritual, etc.). The focus is on helping people to achieve a greater level of health and well-being, not just the elimination of symptoms at the physiological level. At Living Earth we ensure that all of our classes and programs offer the best blend of traditional wisdom and scientific knowledge without compromising the spirit of holism. Within the holistic paradigm, people are the focus, not diseases. This philosophy is the cornerstone of all courses and programs offered by Living Earth.


Our System

Living Earth offers many general interest courses that are open to the public. The majority of these courses are also part of the Traditional Herbalist diploma program. This program provides in-depth training and clinical experience for students who wish to embark on a career as a professional herbalist.

One of the major concerns about programs in Western herbalism is their lack of a clear and precise system of herbal therapeutics. Students are expected to memorize an abundance of information in herbal materia medica, therapeutics and related fields of study, along with subjects in modern medical science (often at a level of depth that is significantly in excess of what is necessary for the practice of most systems of herbalism). However, more often than not the information is not integrated in a meaningful way, nor are the students provided with a system that allows them to easily apply what they have learned.

Traditional European herbalism was originally practiced according to a system of energetics that has its origins in early Greek and Roman medicine. A significant amount of the knowledge of this tradition was lost during the middle ages and much of what remains is incomplete or no longer relevant. Although some practitioners and schools have attempted to resurrect this approach, which is preferable to not using any system at all, we believe that it is more useful to incorporate the fundamental philosophy of traditional herbalism into a modern context.

The backbone of the curriculum of the Living Earth Traditional Herbalist program is based on Four Elements Herbal Therapy. Although this system is named after the four elements of European and Native American traditions, it is not based on the system of energetics from Greco-Roman medical traditions. Four Elements Herbal Therapy incorporates traditional and modern knowledge and experience into an organismic approach that addresses all levels of physiological functioning within the context of a broader, holistic, person-centred approach to healing. This system is safe, easy to understand and apply, and significantly improves clinical outcomes. It eliminates the many years of trial and error that students must inevitably experience when they graduate from programs that do not provide a concise system of herbal therapeutics. Many graduates of programs offered by other schools have enrolled in the accelerated version of the Traditional Herbalist program in order to learn and benefit from the Four Elements system of herbal therapeutics in their practice. All of them have found that this system has helped them to significantly improve the effectiveness of their work.

Four Elements Herbal Therapy is a system that was developed by herbalist Michael Vertolli, the director and primary instructor of Living Earth School of Herbalism, during the more than twenty years that he has practiced and conducted empirical research in herbalism. It is one of the important features that differentiates the Traditional Herbalist program from other Western clinical herbalist programs.

Western herbalism is a very eclectic tradition. Practitioners often enthusiastically incorporate herbs from other traditions and parts of the world into their practice. Unfortunately, the desire of herbalists and the herbal industry for information on and access to exotic herbs has resulted in a general neglect of many valuable North American and European herbs. During his many years of research, a major focus of Michael Vertolli's work has been to develop an in-depth understanding of the therapeutic properties and indications of many of the common North American and European herbs that grow in eastern North America. As a result, another unique feature of the curriculum of Living Earth is that the materia medica is primarily based on herbs that grow or can be grown in eastern North America. Information on many of these herbs is scarce or completely lacking in the general literature and can only be obtained at Living Earth.