share the healing power of plants
with your community as an herbal practitioner
Right now, someone is looking for healing
And they don’t just want symptomatic relief,
they want a deeper level of healing that gets
to the root cause of their struggles.
You might be the person to help them…
but the question is:
Will you be ready?
Imagine someone is sitting in front of you and they’re asking for your help.
And it hits you… the fear, uncertainty, and overwhelm. The big question every herbalist faces:
“Can I really help this person, and will the plants I give them actually work?”
Will you fall into the trap of allopathic herbalism by just seeing the symptoms and give herbs that are “good for” them?
Or will you understand the whole person and use plants to holistically get to the root cause?
Healing the
ROOTS OF DISEASE
The common “use this herb for that symptom” approach just doesn’t always work.
We lose sight of the wholeness of a person, and end up giving herbs “hoping” they’ll work.
You don’t want to use herbs and hope they’ll work. You want to know they’ll work.
You want to give herbs with confidence and competence. You want your clients to not just be symptom free, but healed at the root of their struggles.
You may have the calling to be an herbalist, but do you feel confident in your ability to actually do it?
Having the heart-felt calling to serve the plants, people & planet is the first step to becoming an herbal healer. But calling isn’t enough…
There’s knowledge and skills you have to gather to effectively help others and build your herbal confidence.
But with all the information in the world available at our fingertips, it’s hard to sort through it all, to figure out what’s essential, find the time to learn, and not get totally overwhelmed in the process.
A clear path to
AVOID HERBAL OVERWHELM
There came a point on my plant path where I felt confused and overwhelmed… Like that moment you’re in the wilderness and realize “I’m totally lost”
I’d sit surrounded by stacks of books, listening to audio courses, traveling to conferences and workshops, trying to figure out what I needed to know to effectively and holistically help people with plants.
But for some reason everything felt disconnected, like there were all these puzzle pieces, but no one put it together in a way that made sense to me.
Until I realized that there are specific stages of development that we all go through on the plant path.
Just as a plant grows, so do we on our journey towards becoming an effective herbal practitioner. These 5 stages became the foundation of what is now the Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program.
1. root
Your Herbal Calling
It all begins with your heartfelt calling to the plant path and your purpose for wanting to be of service to the plants, the people, and the planet. Knowing the “why” behind your herbal practice is your foundation and something you’ll return to time and time again, especially when it gets tough.
2. Stem
Know Plants Holistically
To be an effective herbalist, you certainly need to know your herbs. But you need to know them beyond what they’re “good for” to administer them with confidence. This stage is all about learning your remedies on the physical, energetic and spiritual levels, because to be a holistic herbalist you need to understand the whole plant.
3. leaf
Know People Holistically
The other half of the “herbal equation” is understanding people holistically. This involves learning how the human body functions on both the physical and energetic levels, as well as the unique connections to the emotions, mind, and soul. For to be a true holistic herbalist we have to address the whole person.
4. flower
Therapeutic Skills
Stage 4 merges your knowledge of people and plants in a real-life healing context. This involves learning how to work with people to decipher the root cause of their problems, finding the correct remedies to help them, and properly administering them. This is a critical part of herbalism that can be commonly overlooked.
5. Fruit
Logistics of Practice
The final stage involves the logistical aspects of working as an herbalist, from setting up your dispensary and consultation space, to legality concerns and how to make herbalism your career. After all, the more you can support yourself doing this work the more people you can help to be healed by the plants
FROM ROOT TO FRUIT
Each stage of development on this path has specific lessons, principles, and practices that you must understand and implement to move to the next level.
Over the years, we’ve developed a refined system of herbalism designed to take you through these 5 stages on the path to becoming a practicing herbalist.
Step by step you’ll gather the essential knowledge and skills so you can be of greater service to your family, community, or clinic as an effective holistic herbal practitioner.
Introducing the
VITALIST
HERBAL PRACTITIONER
PROGRAM
from the School of Evolutionary Herbalism
For the community or clinical herbalist
Whether you want to be a community herbalist helping your family & friends, or a clinical practitioner working with clients, this program gives you the skills and strategies to help the people you care about with the power of plant medicine.
You’ll gain confidence and competence by integrating traditional healing techniques from across the world to practice with precision and be an effective herbalist.
You’ll cultivate the practice of true holistic herbalism: using whole plants for whole people to get to the roots of disease and bring about transformational levels of healing.
This is in-depth training that will give you a solid knowledge base and tools you’ll use for years to come on your path as an herbalist.
THE CURRICULUM
This course is a comprehensive exploration of the 12 organ systems of the body, how they function scientifically and energetically, and the specific ways botanical medicine interfaces with them.
Below is a high level overview of the organ systems covered and some unique attributes of what you learn in each module. A more detail outline of what is covered throughout each organ system follows.
Module 1:
Module 1: Foundations in Vitalism
Module 2:
Module 2: The Digestive System
Module 3:
Module 3: The Hepatobiliary System
Module 4:
Module 4: The Cardiovascular System
Module 5:
Module 5: The Respiratory System
Module 6:
Module 6: The Urinary Tract
Module 7:
Module 7: The Male Reproductive System
Module 8:
Module 8: The Female Reproductive System
Module 9:
Module 9: The Musculoskeletal System
Module 10:
Module 10: Lymphatics & Immunity
Module 11:
Module 11: The Nervous System
Module 12:
Module 12: The Endocrine System
THROUGHOUT EACH ORGAN SYSTEM
Each organ system module focuses on learning the body from a scientific, energetic, and spiritual perspective. You’ll learn each organs anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry, pathology, tissue state energetics, constitutional systems, and their connected psycho-spiritual patterns.
At the same time, you’ll learn your herbal remedies inside and out so you can use them with confidence. You’ll learn your remedies through advanced herbal actions, energetics, and chemistry, as well as therapeutic principles, formulation strategies and in-depth materia medica.
After each module you’ll have a solid understanding of the organ system and how to treat it holistically with herbs and natural therapeutics.
in-depth
Anatomy & Physiology
- Get comprehensive lessons on anatomy and physiology so you understand how the body works on all levels scientifically
- Know the specific physiological processes of each organ system so you know how they function in health, and dysfunction in disease
- Understand functional biochemistry in a way that helps you better know how to treat organ system imbalances
- Rather than learning the organ systems in isolation, you’ll learn to see their interconnections so you understand the body as a whole
functional
Pathological Patterns
- Integrate traditional constitutional systems to understand the relationship between individual organ systems and the whole person
- Reach a deeper understanding of core energetic imbalances that give rise to physical symptoms so you can get to the root
- Learn the Six Tissue States of every organ system, their primary symptomatic patterns and how to determine them in your clients
- Know the core properties of herbs for each tissue state in every organ system so that you don’t chose herbs blindly, but with specificity
CLINICAL
Assessment Tools
- Throughout each organ system you’ll learn interview skills and specific questions to understand the roots of their health problems
- Integrate holistic evaluation criteria beyond an interview to get the right information you need to help your clients
- Learn tongue evaluation and pulse assessment for each organ for a more detailed and well-rounded analysis
- Gather multiple assessment tools to decipher the constitution, tissue states, and underlying cause of disease to guide your remedy selection
the whole being
Energetic Blueprint
- Go beyond the science of the body and learn the connections to the emotional and psychological levels to assess the whole person
- Learn the “energetic architecture” of the organ systems; their connection to the Elements, Planets, Signs of the Zodiac, and other energetic systems
- Understand how health issues can lend insight into deeper transformational levels of healing that are necessary for the soul to evolve
- How psychological, emotional, and spiritual traumas can affect the physical body and how to approach remediating them with plants
primary
Herbal Actions
- Learn the herbal actions that are most specific for treating each organ system—not just based on what symptoms they’re “good for”—but their exact physiological mechanisms
- Get organized materia medica listings of what plants relate to each herbal action, along with their energetics for more precise remedy selection
- Understand how each herbal action influences not only the organ systems, but the tissue state energetics and ecology of the body
- Learn how a single plant can be understood as a “formula unto itself” by seeing the synergistic effect of all of its actions
holistic
Herbal Therapeutics
- Understand the common symptoms that you’re most likely to face as an herbalist, their physiology, pathology, and energetics
- Learn holistic therapeutics based on the principles of vitalism so you don’t suppress the body, but support its innate intelligence
- Get beyond what herbs are “good for,” and understand why they’re effective based on their tastes, actions, affinities, energetics, and special potency.
- Learn overarching therapeutic strategies for helping people beyond herbs with diet, lifestyle coaching, and spiritual support
comprehensive
Materia Medica
- Learn over 100 herbal remedies in-depth to holistically treat every organ, system, and tissue of the body so you can administer them with precision and confidence
- Understand plants based off their functional clinical patterns—not just symptoms—to match the whole herb to the whole person
- Get comprehensive materia medica listings organized by the synergy of their actions, organ affinities, tastes, and energetics so you know your herbs with specificity
- Go beyond intellectual knowledge of plants and into deeper levels of understanding by experiencing them directly
strategic
Formulation Principles
- Create customized formulas that are specific for your unique client
- Understand how to strategically approach formulating remedies for each organ, system, and tissue of the body, as well as the psychological and emotional levels
- How to blend herbs in the correct ratios to create a balanced formula to suit your client’s needs and constitutional pattern
- Get hundreds of formulas used and proven in clinical practice from renowned herbalists and traditions across the world
For both beginner and advanced herbalists
Totally new to herbalism? We’ve got you covered. You’ll get a solid foundation to use herbs holistically and get the competence to practice with confidence.
Already practicing? This synergistic program lends you new insights, perspectives, and practices that will accelerate your herbal practice to a more refined and potent level.
We’ve had students of every kind: from total newbies with zero background in herbalism to naturopathic doctors and a spectrum of holistic practitioners.
Wherever you’re at on your plant path, you’re guaranteed to get powerful tools that make you a top-notch herbalist that gets results.
“As a Naturopathic Physician, I had always gravitated toward using plants in healing work with patients. However, I often did not see clinical results, it was as if the herbs sometimes just did not work.
That all changed after taking The Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program.
I highly recommend this course to every practitioner that uses herbal medicine.”
Dr. Katherine Mallette, N.D., founder of VI Natural Medicine
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
WHAT YOU GET
& HOW IT WORKS
WHAT YOU GET
& HOW IT WORKS
120 hours
of Video Classes
You’ll get the entire Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program on video. Unlike going to a live workshop where you have to cram it in all at once and hope to remember, you’ll be able to pause, replay & repeat classes to let the material sink in.
comprehensive
Course Notes
You’ll receive downloadable PDFs of all of the notes, handouts, templates & tables, plus a mountain of additional study resources in written form. You can print everything out to compile your own workbook!
UNLIMITED
Lifetime Access
You have access to the course for life – you’ll be able to revisit it for years to come. The program is advanced enough that you’ll still get new insights and revelations into these teachings years down the road.
study
at Your Own Pace
You can study whenever it’s convenient for you. You’ll be able to take your time and watch the videos over and over again. There’s no deadline to finish the program – you can study as fast or slow as you like!
material available
Online or Offline
You can easily consume this course anywhere. From the comfort of your own home, at the gym, or on the road – you can watch the videos online or on our app, or listen to the audio lectures offline from your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone through our app.
searchable
Course Database
The Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program is a completely searchable database. If you have a question or are looking for something specific, just search to find the exact lesson you’re looking for. You also get access to thousands of articles in our knowledge base.
all your
Questions Answered
Can’t find the answer to your question? Get consistent Q&A videos where Sajah answers your questions along with all past Q&A videos. You literally get hundreds of hours of engaging additional teachings in these content rich videos.
engage & connect
with Community
Engage with the community in our student teahouse. Setup your profile, post in your activity feed, start a forum discussion, update us on your program progress, start a study group, and make connections with other like-minded herbalists.
fully
Supported
We’re here for you every step of the way. You’ll have all the help and support you may need throughout your journey from our team of experienced & knowledgable herbalists – on the phone, chat, email or through message in the student portal.
Earn your own
certificate of completion
As you watch each lesson, your progress is tracked through the program so you know where you’re at, where you left off, and how much more you have to go.
After you’ve finished the entire program, you’ll receive your own personalized Certificate of Completion to show that you’ve accomplished a clinical herbalism education in the Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program.
Reduce your
Learning curve
This program is the result of 15 years of research and practice into holistic clinical herbalism with world renowned herbalists.
My Investment In Herbal Training
Advanced Herbalism Training: $2500
Clinical Herbalism Certificate Program: $5000
Workshops, Conferences & Clinics: $5000 (at least)
Bachelors in Herbal Sciences: $60,000
But there’s no need for you to need to invest nearly that much into your herbal education.
You get the essential skills from all of my training and years of experience distilled into a complete system in the Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program. This is investing in a lifetime resource you’ll return again and again that you have lifetime access to forever.
So rather than spending your time trying to figure out what to learn and where to learn it, you can focus on improving the lives of your family, community and clients because that’s what being an herbalist is all about.
But you can get a sneak peak into the program...
JOIN THE
VITALIST herbalism mini-Course
You'll also get a special invitation to join the full program once it's open
CELEBRATING OUR STUDENTS
hear from our incredible community of herbalists & alumni from our courses
“I am ever so grateful for this school because there is so much rich and valuable information being offered. Finally I can breathe and practice in confidence because I have to tools and the teachings to back it all up for life!”
April Shabazz
Evolutionary Herbalism student, herbalist, nutrition and health consultant,
The Herbal Releaf Apothecary
“The Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program gave me the foundation I was looking for in clinical herbalism.
Going through each organ system not only helped me to categorize herbal actions and affinities and gain a deeper comprehension of the tissue states, but also gave me an understanding of my own body and my own self healing capabilities.
The deep understanding of the tissue states and herbal energetics that the Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program offers sets us students apart from other herbalists. This has been foundational to my practice and has instilled the mindset to support the whole individual and the vital force.“
Mamie Wartelle, founder of Chiron's Apothecary
Port Townsend, Washington
“Through this program I built the confidence to start seeing & treating clients in my community.
Sherri Marriash, founder of Wild Earth Medicinals
Revelstoke, British Colombia
“The world of herbalism and holistic health was everything I’d been waiting for, and I eventually left my full-time job to focus on my career as a clinical herbalist.
It’s easy to get trapped in a cycle of allopathic medicine in today’s world, but the program’s focus on viewing every human being as their own person with their own individual constitution is what made this program stand out from the rest.
Sajah combines traditional systems of medicine with scientific research and knowledge of contemporary western medicine, providing a very comprehensive understanding.
The Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program has helped me become even more confident in my own practice, called Yarrow Veda, in North-East Los Angeles where I was born and raised. As a queer, indigenous person, my focus is on working with my LGBTQ+BIPOC community.”
Dylan Coffey, founder of Yarrow Veda
Los Angeles, California
“This program gave me the confidence to go out in the world to practice herbalism and I’m now seeing clients.
Before this program, I was thinking that I would never know enough and I was keeping my interest in herbalism private — just helping myself, my family and friends and I thought it would most likely stay like this. But through this course, a door to the heart of nature opened for me to share healing with others, to be a bridge between the herbs and the people.”
— Lisa Jeannin, Tranås, Sweden
“Since I started practicing herbalism, I have been asked countless times how to gain the necessary confidence to start working with people one-on-one.
For me, this confidence came easily when I moved away from the “this herb for that symptom” mentality and adopted the Vitalist approach I learned through The School of Evolutionary Herbalism.
By studying with Sajah in the Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program for the last few years, I’ve not only learned a true holistic framework of herbalism, but I also learned vital clinical skills from strategic formulation to how to effectively evaluate a client during an intake interview – all in an intuitively-led method that brings together the best of plant spirit healing and the in-depth science of herbal medicine.”
Sarah Corbett, founder of Rowan & Sage
Atlanta, Georgia
“My biggest fear before starting this program was it was too advanced for me. I don’t feel that way anymore, in fact it is everything I need to feel confident as an herbalist!
Courtney Smith
North Carolina
“I have always been confident in plants, but felt a lack of security in choosing the right remedy for a symptom or disease. I progressed very slowly in my learning until I found The School of Evolutionary Herbalism, and I realized that it was what I was looking for.
Now that I’ve been in the Vitalist Program for almost one year, I can say that it is worth it. It is of great help in understanding the body constitution and the energetics of plants and how they match together. To understand formulation and how to balance it so as not to make harm.
Reading or listening to videos are easy to understand and very enlivening! The information of plants is exhaustive, in all levels physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual.”
Maira Culubret, founder Flors i Plantes Medicinals
Terradelles, Spain
Vitalist herbalism mini-course
To get a sneak peak into the Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program and a special invitation to join.
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Sajah Popham
Author of Evolutionary Herbalism: Science, Medicine & Spirituality from the Heart of Nature
Hey there! I'm Sajah, core instructor and founder here at the School of Evolutionary Herbalism. You're probably wondering who I am and what my qualifications are.
I received a BS in Herbal Sciences from Bastyr University 2008, which formed my foundation in herbalism: rooted in science but also central to my Earth-centered spirituality. From there I received clinical training through studying and shadowing some of the best herbalists.
For the past decade of teaching thousands of folks from around the world through our school, my goal has been to have a truly holistic approach to people and plants, one that honors the physical, energetic and spiritual aspects of life. I strive to support people in transforming their lives, to not just be symptom free— but physically vital, mentally inspired, emotionally uplifted, and growing into their life purpose. The plants are at the root of this transformational healing, for that's what they have provided to me.
I hope to be able to share a little bit of the medicine I have gathered along my plant path with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
We offer a Certificate of Completion for students that complete the entire course. We are currently developing testing and homework for students that would like a more in-depth certification. As a student of the program, this will be made available to you as soon as it is developed. Your hours of study in this course can be used toward American Herbalist Guild certification to become a registered herbalist, along with additional requirements.
The Alchemical Herbalism program is more focused on the spiritual aspects and philosophy of Alchemy & Spagyrics, giving you an understanding of the astrological forces that work through people, plants and Spagyric medicine.
The Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program is more clinically focused, with an emphasis on the body systems through a constitutional approach and focuses on using plants therapeutically for people.
The Vitalist program does cover some simple medical astrology through the organ systems, but Alchemical Herbalism goes way deeper into this subject. Alchemical Herbalism briefly covers holistic evaluation/diagnostics, but Vitalism goes much deeper on this subject.
If you are more interested in esoteric aspects of plant medicine, Alchemical Herbalism may be a better option. But if you want to learn the holistic therapeutic properties of plants and how to work with people, then the Vitalist program is perfect for you!
Absolutely. All of the programs we offer are comprised of completely different teachings and topics, and there is no other program we offer that covers the foundations needed to create your own Vitalist Herbal Practice – whether you wish to become a practitioner or simply help friends and family. This program is highly compatible with all of our other programs, as the entire Evolutionary Herbalism philosophy is woven into all of our programs.
Because you have lifetime access to this program, you can move as fast or slow as you like. We’ve designed it this way because we know how busy life is and want you to be able to study at your own pace.
If you were to watch two videos per week you will get through the entire program in approximately a year.
When you register, all the classes are taught through videos lessons, and come with the option to download audio mp3s and PDFs for further reference as you move through the content.
We offer three different payment plan options which can be paid via credit or debit card. We do not accept PayPal, Venmo, cash or check.
Our payment plan options:
– Single payment of $2,097 (Save $291. Best deal)
– 6 monthly payments of $383 (Save $201)
– 12 monthly payments of $199
We offer a 30-day money back guarantee, no strings attached! That will give you the option to go over the materials and see if the program is really a good fit for you. After 30 days past enrollment, we’re unable to offer any refunds.
If for any reason you are unable to continue with your payments we are able to suspend your payments and program access. When you are ready to get back in there we can simply restart your payments and program access.
We currently do not take work traders or interns as we don’t have the infrastructure to manage and oversee helpers at this time.
Even if you don’t know a lot about herbs and you consider yourself a beginner, this program lays a solid foundation that gives you the skills & tools needed to use herbs holistically.
We’ve had students with zero background in herbalism who excelled in this program. Sajah breaks everything down in incredibly simple yet profound ways that are easy to grasp to get your foundation solid to grow from.
This program was designed to give advanced practitioners new strategies and perspectives that will accelerate your herbal practice to a more refined and potent level.
We’ve had surgeons, naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, and many holistic practitioners who said this course brought their whole understanding of herbalism to new depths.
We do not currently offer any live classes for this program, but we do offer live webinars through out the year, which will enable you to attend and ask questions about your progression in the program and connect a little further with Sajah personally. We hope to offer intensive live workshops that will be exclusively available for those in the online program at some point in the future, which you will be notified of when they’re available.
We’re currently working to get captions on our videos, but it’s a large project and we don’t have a date yet of when this feature will be available. This is a priority project as we want to make the course accessible to everyone. However, there are currently PDFs for each lesson in the program that you can download & read for your reference.
Unfortunately the videos in the mini-course are not downloadable and will only be available to watch until enrollment closes for the Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program on November 10th, 2022. Students who enroll in the Vitalist Herbal Practitioner Program will have access to the same information in the full program as they are a part of the introductory module.
Absolutely! If you’re buying this program for a friend or family member, please send a message to [email protected] or give us a call at (833) 988-4433 and we’ll get you all setup!
Yes! Our goal here at the School of Evolutionary Herbalism is to make herbal education available to everyone. This is why we focus so much energy in publishing so much content for free on our podcast, blog, YouTube, and social channels, as well as offering these more in-depth training sessions and mini-courses.
We want our courses to be accessible and don’t want the financial part to block folks from being able to study herbalism. This is why we created our scholarship program to offer financial assistance to students that need it.
Our scholarship program is available to anyone and everyone, but we require everyone to apply. We prioritize people who are on disability or have serious health conditions affecting their ability to work, veterans, the elderly, and BIPOC.
You will be notified via email when scholarship applications will be opened up for acceptance, so keep an eye on your inbox for the announcement.
ask us a question
Our knowledgable team of experienced herbalists are here to support you
phone
We’d be happy to talk with you and answer any of your questions!
You can call us at (833) 988-4433
chat
We’re available to chat with you live during our business hours, just click the chat box on the lower right side of this page. If we’re closed we’ll get back to you as soon as we’re back to work.
Drop us an email with any questions you may have and we’ll get back to you as swiftly as we can. Send us a message at [email protected]