Herbalist Training

Starting Date

Applicants can apply for the 2026-28 program at any time.  We will begin interviewing in the spring of 2026.  Class will begin September 15, 2026 and run through August of 2026. We’ll meet live online, once per week, 43 weeks per each term year, on Tuesday evenings from 5:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET (includes 30 minute dinner break).

The program will be almost entirely live online. We are planning to have  live herb walks at different locations in the tri-state area. For students who are not local and cannot participate at the time, these events will be recorded and available to all students on the student portal.

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Prerequisite

Introduction to Anatomy & Physiology. This class is required unless you have completed college-level Introduction to A&P.

Our very own Wendy Warner, MD, ABIHM, IFMCP and Andrew Appello, DACM, MSN, L.Ac., APN, RH(AHG), have launched their amazing A&P course, available here.  They are wonderful teachers and have a depth of knowledge on anatomy and physiology (as well as many other topics) especially as it pertains to clinical practice that few others can offer.  We believe you will find this class not only highly educational but deeply relevant to becoming a clinical herbalist.

There is also an excellent online course taught by Tammi Sweet.  Use code David100 for a discounted price.  Many community colleges offer it, too.

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Interview and Acceptance Process

Interviews for the 2024-2026 program will begin in the spring of 2024.

The DW-CHS program does not deny enrollment, or make any distinction of, students regardless of race, color, creed, nationality, sexual orientation or gender. You must be 18 years of age or older to attend classes.

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Certificate of Completion & Recognition

Students will be eligible to receive a certificate upon satisfactory completion of all program requirements.

The DW-CHS program meets 43 weeks out of 52 per year (5:00pm-9:30pm). Promptness, regular attendance, an active interest in work assignments, and a cooperative attitude toward the instructors and fellow students are required. We want you to succeed both in our program and after graduation.

Success is a two way street and we at DW-CHS will do our share to help you attain success through mutual commitment, cooperation & responsibility. Our philosophy is to offer a quality program providing the successful graduate with the necessary skills to understand, utilize and work effectively with herbs, nutrition, and health issues.

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Grounds for Dismissal

Failure to comply with standards of conduct, failure to make up-to-date payments of tuition, excessive absence (more than 7 in one year) or chronic tardiness may result in dismissal from the program. Any other conduct which unduly interferes with the educational function of the class or which harms or threatens the welfare of the students or staff may be cause for termination of your enrollment.

All classes taught by David Winston, RH (AHG) unless otherwise noted.
David will still be reviewing all case histories, weekly student herb formulas/triunes (during the last half of the 2nd year) and projects

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Introduction to Health & Healing

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Field Botany

Taught by Richard Mandelbaum, RH (AHG)

1. Introduction to botany/botanical terminology [taught by Richard Mandelbaum, RH (AHG)]
2. Field identification [taught by Richard Mandelbaum, RH (AHG)]
3. Herb walks/Slide presentations

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Introduction to Phytochemistry of Medicinal Plants

Taught by Richard Mandelbaum, RH (AHG)

1. Chemistry of the cell
2. Medicinal compounds produced by plants

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Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

Taught by Andrew Appello, DACM, MSN, L.Ac., APN, RH, AHG

1. Introduction to TCM – Chinese organ systems, the vital substances, Yin/Yang theory, causes of disease, 8 principles, and basic disease patterns
2. Materia Medica of 90+ herbs-taught by Andrew Appello and David Winston

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Nutrition/Diet

1. How to determine which diet is best for you and your patients and how to create a therapeutic diet

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Therapeutic Use of Nutritional Supplements

1. A look at claims and studies and discussion of how and when supplements can and should be used
2. Materia Medica of the most effective, well-studied and clinically useful dietary supplements

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Ayurvedic & Unani-Tibb Materia Medica

Taught by Andrew Appello, MSOM, L.Ac., RH (AHG), RN

1. Introduction to Ayurvedic medicine
2. Materia Medica of 35+ herbs

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Introduction to Southeastern Herbal Traditions and Native American Materia Medica

1. Language of Plants, stories
2. Ethnobotany of American medicinal herbs
3. North American Materia Medica of 90+ herbs – taught by Richard Mandelbaum, RH (AHG)

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Introduction to Herbal Pharmacy

Taught by Amanda Crooke, Herbalist

1. Making extracts (alcohol & glycerites), oils, ointments, compresses, poultices, cough syrups, creams, ointments, pills & suppositories

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Diagnostics

1. Analysis of the tongue, face, hand/nail, pulse, iris, sclera, and diet

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Materia Medica III

1. 70 world-wide herbs including African, European and Polynesian medicinal plants – Taught by Richard Mandelbaum and David Winston

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Therapeutic Protocols

1. System-wide reviews of the herbs utilized for correcting immune dysfunction, digestive issues, cardiovascular problems, imbalances of the nervous system, intestinal tract, respiratory system, and genito-urinary system

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Constitutional Therapy

Clinical use of herbs, diet, supplements, exercise, counseling techniques, flower remedies & essential oils for creating patient-specific protocols

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Case Histories & Clinic

1. Patient intake and case history preparation
2. Case history practicum utilizing the triune method and other techniques for creating patient-specific formulas
3. Starting an herbal practice
4. Professional ethics

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History of Western Herbal Medicine

1. The Roots of Medicine – Greek, Arabic, and European traditions
2. American Herbal Traditions: Thomsonian Medicine, Physio-medicalism, and Eclectic Medicine

David Winston, RH, AHG

David is Dean of the Center for Herbal Studies, a primary instructor who also reviews all case histories, student herb formulas/triunes and projects, and has a unique background in herbal medicine.  He has trained in Western/Eclectic, Chinese and Southeastern Herbal Traditions and has over 46 years of experience as a practitioner and educator.  He teaches throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe at universities, conferences, medical and herb schools. In 2018 he was the Mitchell visiting scholar at Bastyr University and in 2019 he was awarded an honorary DSc degree from the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, OR.

He is a founding member of the American Herbalist Guild and serves as the chair of the admission review committee.  In addition, David is an herbal consultant to physicians and the natural products industry.  He is the author of Saw Palmetto for Men & Women (Storey Books 1999), Herbal Therapeutics, 14th ed  (HTRL 2022), the co-author of Winston & Kuhn’s Herbal Therapy and Supplements: A Scientific and Traditional Approach, 2nd ed. (Lippincott/Wolters Kluwer 2008) and Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief, 2nd ed. (Healing Arts Press 2019).  He is a frequent contributor to numerous professional journals as well as the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia. David is also the president of Herbalist and Alchemist, Inc. a manufacturer of superb herbal extracts, the director of the Herbal Therapeutics Research Library and on the advisory boards of numerous organizations including the American Botanical Council.

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Andrew Appello, DACM, MSN, L.Ac., APN, RH (AHG)

Andrew is a primary instructor and in private practice as an acupuncturist, clinical herbalist, and family nurse practitioner. He has a doctorate of acupuncture and Chinese medicine and is a graduate of DWCHS’ two-year and one-year graduate programs. In his practice he integrates theory from holistic nursing, acupuncture, Japanese Kampo herbal medicine, Western herbal medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, functional medicine, ayurveda, reiki, yoga and the martial arts. He has been teaching courses in Asian medicine, yoga philosophy, energy medicine and the martial arts for almost 20 years.

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Richard Mandelbaum, RH, AHG

Richard Mandelbaum RH (AHG) is a primary instructor and clinical herbalist with a private practice in Sullivan County, NY.  Richard graduated from David’s program in 1998 and has been practicing as an herbalist since then, focusing on both Chinese and Western herbal traditions and a passion for our native, local plants. He is co-founder and co-director of the ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism in New York City, and is on the faculty at David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies with a focus on botany and phytochemistry.  Richard served as a Council member of the American Herbalists Guild from 2012-2018, serving as Secretary and as chair of the Committee for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity.  Richard embraces herbalism as an affirmation of our biome and planet, and is also active in issues related to sustainability, social justice, and fair trade.

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Wendy Warner, MD, FACOG, ABIHM, IFMCP

Wendy is a board certified ObGyn in private practice in Lower Bucks County, PA.  Her practice focuses on integrative functional medicine, with a heavy focus on botanical and energy medicines and she is a graduate of DWCHS’ programs.  Wendy is an international lecturer and a member of the Scientific Advisory board of Gaia Herbs.  She is the author of the Menopausal Health chapter in the 5th edition of Rakel’s text Integrative Medicine as well as the co-author of Boosting Your Immunity for Dummies.  Wendy credits the plants for showing her how to become the best healer she can be.

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Amanda Crooke, Herbalist

Amanda is the herbalist and owner of Locust Light Farm in NJ. She offers classes both on the farm and online for all levels of experience, and leads rituals for the seasonal holidays, such as the Winter Solstice. Amanda is a graduate of David’s two-year and one-year graduate programs and has worked with plants as a veggie farmer, an herb grower, a medicine-maker, and a clinical herbalist. She seeks to connect people with the magic and medicine of the plant world.

Is David teaching this class?

Yes, I am still teaching. For many years Richard Mandelbaum, RH (Botany and Phytochemistry) and Andrew Appello, DACM, MSN, LAc, RH, APN (introduction to TCM and Ayurveda) have taught important parts of the program. Their roles will increase as Rich and I co-teach the materia medica of the Americas and Europe, and Andrew and I co-teach TCM and Ayurvedic materia medica. We will all be using my unique unpublished materia medica (so you will get all my information, in addition to them adding in their decades of clinical experience with each herb as well). While I will be teaching less, I will still be teaching all the classes that I specialize in – Adaptogens, the Ten Tastes-the Energetics of Herbs, Talking Leaves- the Language of Plants, Ethnobotany, Pao Zhi, Medicines of the Soul, Synergy, the Foundations of Health, History of American Botanical Medicine (the Thomsonians, Physiomedicalists and Eclectics), Differential Treatment of Depression and Anxiety, Analgesia and most of the other therapeutics classes. In addition, I will still be regularly answering student questions on “Ask the Professor”, grading all student formulas, reviewing all student projects and holding quarterly on-line meet and greets with our students. Dr. Wendy Warner, MD will continue to teach Women’ Health and Amanda Crooke will teach Herbal Pharmacy as they have in the current 2-year program. This combination of exceptional, dedicated and highly experienced teachers and staff gives our students the knowledge and skills to become great herbalists.

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When and why was the Center founded?

The first herb studies program was in 1981 and it has grown steadily for over 40 years. David started teaching this class because there was a profound ignorance in the U.S. about herbs and the use of herbs for healing. In spite of this, there were many people who wanted to know more about this topic and few places to study. So what started as a small class has continually grown and matured, and we now have hundreds of graduates throughout the US, Canada, Europe and the UK who are successful practitioners, educators and members of the natural products industry. The live on-line program is our most recent innovation and it was started in 2006, allowing people who are not within commuting distance to NJ to take the program. As far as we know it is the first live herbal studies program in North America.

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What will I be able to do with this education?

Students usually utilize this training in one of four ways. First—they are already practitioners and use it in the context of the practice as a physician, nurse practitioner, naturopathic physician, acupuncturist, chiropractor, veterinarian, nutritionist, etc. Secondly, they decide to become an herbalist themselves—some people become community herbalists helping their friends, family and community, while others become clinical herbalists with a full-time practice. Thirdly, some of our students become or are educators. We have numerous students who have set up schools, teach in public and private schools and do educational seminars. Lastly, some of our students use what they learned within the herbal/nutritional supplement industry. Some work in health food stores, some for manufacturers (some of the largest within the United States), some are researchers and information specialists for these companies.

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What type of certification will I receive?

Upon satisfactory completion of all program requirements, students will be eligible to receive a certificate of completion.

When our students finish the 2-year program they have a strong foundation that will allow them to go on and become successful in whatever way they choose to use this information. Our goal is to give our students the skills needed to be able to treat people rather than diseases. To have the necessary knowledge and depth of understanding that allows them to understand the complexity of human health and disease and how herbs, diet, lifestyle changes, nutritional supplements, etc. can help not only to prevent disease, but also help us to regain our physical, emotional and spiritual health.

We also offer two one-year graduate programs as well.

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What kind of commitment is required?

When any student accepts a seat in this program, they are making a two-year commitment in terms of time (weekly class 43 weeks per term year, supplemental reading, case histories, diagnostics practice and 2 class projects) as well as financially.

Our costs for the entire two years are based on the number of students enrolled when we begin. Therefore, students will be required to submit a signed contract when accepting a seat.

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What about the pre-requisite course, Anatomy & Physiology?

This class is required unless you have completed college level Introduction to A&P.   Wendy Warner, MD, ABIHM, IFMCP and Andrew Appello, DACM, MSN, L.Ac., APN, RH(AHG), have just launched their amazing A&P course, available here! They are wonderful teachers and have a depth of knowledge on anatomy and physiology (as well as many other topics), especially as it pertains to clinical practice, that few others can offer.  We believe you will find this class not only highly educational but deeply relevant to becoming a clinical herbalist.  Tammi Sweet offers also her A&P course as on online program, as well as many local colleges. Attending this class does not guarantee automatic acceptance into the DW-CHS program.

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What is the application process?

Completed applications will be reviewed by admissions and qualified applicants will be contacted to arrange a phone interview. The DW-CHS program does not deny enrollment, or make any distinction of, students regardless of race, color, creed, nationality, sexual orientation or gender. You must be 18 years of age or older to attend classes.

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Will I be able to interact with the class?

Yes. This is a live webcast, where you will be able to ask your questions while class is in progress. There is also an ask the professor forum where any questions not asked or answered during class or any questions you may have at any other time can be posted. David and his staff will review and respond to these postings as they can.

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What are the computer system requirements?

We are using a modified zoom broadcast. If you don’t have zoom or it’s not an up-to-date version, please visit zoom.us and download the latest version for your system.

Before we begin the next class you will be invited to join us in a “test class” where you can make sure there are no problems. If you do run across a problem, we will work with you to make sure your settings, etc. are where they should be.

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How will I receive textbooks and handouts? Is there an additional cost?

There is only one required text: The Web That Has No Weaver, by Ted Kaptchuk. You will also be provided with David’s recommended reading list, however, purchase of these books will be at the student’s discretion.

Extensive handouts are given for the majority of the classes and these will be available to students in the virtual classroom as downloadable files. Students are responsible for printing these handouts for class and saving them to their computer. They will be available for six months after graduation. Videos of the classes are not downloadable and are taken down six months after graduation as well.

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I am a healthcare professional. Will this course be too basic for me?

Most classes have a variety of healthcare professionals enrolled. We routinely have medical doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, naturopathic physicians, chiropractors, acupuncturists, veterinarians, dentists, physical therapists, massage therapists, etc. For the majority of these practitioners, there is little in the class that would be redundant or too basic. The one exception would be acupuncturists, who may find the introduction to Chinese medical theory section of the class redundant. Students with a strong phytochemistry background may also find the phytochemistry module too basic. We will consider excusing licensed acupuncturists from the Chinese medical theory section of the class.

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I am not a healthcare professional. Will this course be too in-depth for me?

Each class also has students who have no medical background but have a serious interest in herbal medicine. Many of these students go on to become clinical herbalists and others use this as a basis for further studies in medical arts. Care is taken to provide adequate explanations and descriptions of medical concepts that some students may be lacking, however you may have to spend some additional time during the week studying unfamilar terms presented during class. This allows us to effectively teach students with and without a medical background.

In the over 40 years we have been teaching this program we have been very successful at helping to effectively educate a generation of herbal practitioners.

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How many classes are given each year?

The program meets 43 weeks each term year. We try to put out the quarterly school calendar a month in advance. There is a usually a winter break between the end of December and beginning of January.

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What if I miss a class?

Students are allowed 7 absences per year. All students have access to the video archives of each class, so you will be able to view any missed classes, or review any others you wish, for the entire two years of the program and for 6 month after graduation.

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What are the time requirements for the course?

You will be required to be in class live (virtually) every Tuesday evening from 5:00-9:30 pm. ET, 43 weeks per term year. In addition to class time all students are expected to do supplemental reading, diagnostics practice, submit one case history, two approved class projects, complete monthly quizzes and submit weekly case homework for approximately the last 6 months of the program.

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What are the requirements for the class projects?

Class projects are extensive projects that are chosen by the student and David. They may include written work (40-60 pages typed), demonstration, videos, slides, lecture, etc. Specific guidelines are given at the beginning of the class.

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Can I watch the classes on my ipad, iphone, smartphone, etc.?

Yes, you can watch both the live feed and the archives on any device you can download the zoom app to.

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What if I need further information?

Please feel free to contact us at office@dwherbal.com with any questions you may have.

Fees are based on over 340 hours of instruction and include all class handouts with the one exception of the required book, The Web That Has No Weaver by Ted Kaptchuk.

• Plan A: $500.00 deposit due upon sign up, balance due by 8/25/24.  Total cost of program $7,800.00
• Plan B: $500.00 deposit due upon sign up.  $3,950.00 due 9/1/24 and 9/1/25. Total cost of program $8,400.00
• Plan C: $600.00 deposit plus 21 monthly installments of $400.00 starting 9/1/24 through 5/1/26.  Total cost of program is $9,000.00.

Refund Policy

We ask that the applicant consider carefully this two-year commitment to the program. This course will be closed after the first week of class and we will not be able to fill any vacated seats. Therefore, we offer a 100% refund minus a $50.00 transaction fee up to 15 days before the program begins, and a 50% refund minus a $50.00 transaction fee for withdrawing within the first 30 days.

This class is open only to students who have taken the two-year herbalists training program.

We will meet online one Friday a month from 10:00am – 3:00pm ET with a 30-minute break.  We go through zoom, but the cameras are only on for the teachers.  You will be able to ask your own questions if you’d like.  There will be a field area on your student portal where you’ll find your dedicated link a week or so before we begin on November 8, 2024.

Each class will be recorded and kept up on the site for you to review.  After this class ends, we’ll leave them up for at least 6 months.

Classes will include monthly live case history intakes with diagnostics and triune formulation.

Class dates/topics are:

2024:

November 8 – Herb/Drug Interactions 1 – David Winston, RH(AHG)

December 6 – Herb/Drug Interactions 2 – David Winston, RH(AHG)

2025:

January 10 – Understanding Functional Bloodwork 1 – David Winston, RH(AHG)

February 7 – Understanding Functional Bloodwork 2 – David Winston, RH(AHG)

March 7 – Understanding Functional Bloodwork 3 – David Winston, RH(AHG)

April 11 – Interpreting Research: How to Read and Understand Published Research Articles – Rich  Mandelbaum, RH (AHG)

May 30 – Herbal Pediatrics 1 – Mary Bove, ND**

June 20 – Herbal Pediatrics 2 – Mary Bove, ND**

July TBD – Safe Use of Toxic Botanicals – David Winston, RH(AHG)

August 22 – Office Gynecology (vaginitis, abnormal paps, irregular periods) – Wendy Warner, MD, ABIHM, IFMCP

September TBD – Herbal/Nutritional Approaches to Cancer Treatment: A Work in Progress – David Winston, RH(AHG)

October TBD – Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Search for Answers – David Winston, RH(AHG)

**If you have previously completed the graduate program, we can offer Mary Bove’s two Herbal Pediatrics class recordings to you for $375.00 total.  Please note this is listed as a separate class on the portal and is available only to students who have previously taken the full grad program.

The cost for the program is $2,000.00 (due by October 1^st) or in 4 installments of $500.00 (by October 1st, January 1^st , April 1^st , July 1^st ).

Many of our students have expressed an interest in this class as well as the 2024-26 archive program, which gives you access to all the handouts, case studies and archived videos of the 2024-26 two-year program starting this September.  If you would like to participate in both programs, we can offer a $500.00 discount on the archives, making the cost $1,000.00 for both years, which can be paid in full or in installments as well.

To sign up for any class, log into the student portal at www.herbalstudies.net, choose the “enroll in a new class” option in the purple bar on the landing page.  Simply choose the class and the payment plan, then chose “sign up”.   If you’re not in the student portal or have any questions, let me know.

Thank you, and we hope to see you in class!

We are also pleased to be able to offer our graduates the opportunity to have access to the taped videos and handouts of the 2024-26 class beginning September 17, 2024.

It is a wonderful opportunity to review the videos of classes taught by David, Rich, Andrew, Amanda and Wendy each week on your own schedule and you’ll also have access to new and updated downloadable handouts. Our student forums are accessible by our archive program participants as well.

Some comments from past archivers:

“Having the archive program available was helpful in reviewing the information and going back to points that I had not grasped the first time around.  David is also on top of the research and developments, so there is also new information and more to learn and you can benefit from having the latest handouts, materia medica and papers.  It’s also convenient to be able to watch on my phone or ipad at my convenience.”
Ana Gross

“Having attended David Winston’s program was an absolutely exhilarating experience. How Blessed I felt each week to be in his classroom. But as we all know, there are times on our journey in life where you cannot grasp all the info you need, so you come back to it. At the very least, that had been my level of intention, but it did not become my reality until I made a commitment to do the on-line review. I recognized my deficits & have had an opportunity to work on them. In addition to this, I was Blessed to receive all of David’s updates. As we all know, David is always continuing to grow himself & he shares it with us all.”
Trish DeTura

The cost of this program is $1,500.00 for the entire two years and there is an installment plan available.  Students who are also taking the 2024-25 Graduate program will receive a $500.00 discount on the Archive program.

Please note: the Archive program does not include access to the live classes on Tuesday nights.

Dear Graduates (and soon to be Grads!):

We will be offering an online only Therapeutics program, open only to graduates of the 2-year herbalist’s training program (you do not need to attend live or have completed your projects yet) that will begin in the fall of 2026. Our program will give you another year towards the AHG professional member requirement for herbal education and clinical experience.

There are no additional projects due, and the homework is a once-a-month protocol for your live case histories.

Further details will be announced as soon as the program is finalized.