Step back in time to uncover the earliest herbal remedies that have soothed human pain for millennia. You’ll begin building your own herbal pharmacy with tried-and-true ingredients that connect you to the healers of ancient Egypt, Greece, and even Paleolithic times.

Join David as he shares his meticulous research into ancient manuscripts like the Ebers Papyrus and works by Hippocrates, Galen, and Dioscorides, whose wisdom still guides modern medicine. Learn how these remedies, passed down through generations, can still offer relief from pain and inflammation today.

As you begin this course, you’ll use the oldest herbal knowledge available to begin building a home pharmacy of single ingredients and simple formulas, knowing that they’ve helped people for tens of thousands of years.

David will share some of the first prescriptions to appear in manuscripts from ancient Egypt, dating back to 1550 BC. Early Egyptian physicians were renowned for their advanced knowledge of medicine, which strongly influenced the development of Greek medicine.

The most famous of the Greek doctors, such as Hippocrates, Galen, and Dioscorides, wrote pharmacopeias that used herbs from all over the Mediterranean region, many of which are still primary medicines in contemporary Western systems.

In this opening session, you’ll explore:

• 5 common kitchen herbs used in ancient Egyptian and Greek medicine that target 5 major types of pain
• The enduring power of species of herbs from the deep past of Paleolithic cultures that are still commonly used today to alleviate pain and inflammation
• The anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving herbs and preparations of the Ebers Papyrus and other easily available Egyptian formularies
• Frankincense, myrrh, and other anti-inflammatory resins whose healing potencies were discovered by ancient Egyptian medicine
• How to create simple formulas for pain and inflammation recommended by Hippocrates in the 5th century BCE
• How to create herbs and formulas from De Materia Medica, written by Dioscorides in the 1st century CE, that have analgesic and anti-inflammatory powers validated by modern research

Travel eastward to explore the herbal traditions of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ayurveda, and Tibetan healing systems — treasures honed over 5,000 years of continuous practice, confirming their empirical efficacy generation after generation.

Through David’s decades of research, you’ll discover how these traditions reveal a deep understanding of both pathophysiology as well as botanical pharmacology, and have continued relevance and accessibility for easing many kinds of pain and inflammation in various parts of the body.

This week, you’ll learn about:

• 5 easily available and incredibly effective herbs used in ancient Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine for 5 major types of pain
• Significant pain-reducing and anti-inflammatory herbs and formulas from ancient Indian texts such as Charaka Samhita
• TCM formulas with over 1,000 years of use for treating the most common pain symptoms, including formulas for musculoskeletal inflammation, such as Juan Bi Tang (JBT, also known as “Remove Painful Obstruction Decoction”)
• Ancient Bhutanese and Tibetan secrets for anti-inflammatory formulas
• Legal cannabis preparations and Ayurvedic medicated oils for musculoskeletal pain and inflammation

Venture into the monasteries and alchemical workshops of medieval Europe, where herbal knowledge flourished under the care of monks, mystics, and early physicians.

Many of these longstanding recipes already existed in hand-written manuscripts and were then able to be widely distributed due to the development of the printing press. These first publications were called “herbals” — the pharmacopeias of the time.

Much of the herbal knowledge that’s now part of the contemporary Western herbal tradition is derived from these old manuscripts, using plants that were locally available as well as several species that were imported from Asia and Africa.

David will guide you through this rich era of innovation and a vast collection of botanical preparations for treating every type of pain and inflammation that was common at that time —and can still be applied to modern symptoms and diseases.

In this module, you’ll discover:

• 5 easily available herbs that were cultivated in medieval monastic gardens for 5 major types of pain
• Hildegard von Bingen’s favorite herbs and remedies as recorded in her seminal works
• Astrological and alchemical insights from Marsilio Ficino’s Book of Life, for “making your life agree with the heavens” — achieving longevity and wellbeing through dietary, herbal, and lifestyle prescriptions
• The physiological magic of thistles, wormwood, and other medieval treasures

Step into the golden age of Unani medicine from Arabic, North African, Iranian, and Persian traditions, where the wisdom of legendary physicians like Avicenna transformed the understanding of pain and inflammation.

Discover the intricate interplay of spirituality and science that defined these systems and made significant contributions to medicine, including the theoretical, diagnostic, and clinical treatments of pain and inflammation.

Some of their unique discoveries included the distillation of roses and aromatic plants. Many of the herbs for pain and inflammation are still in widespread use, and are now known to have significant pharmacological benefits.

The practice of Unani medicine, like other forms of medicine since antiquity, was inseparable from spirituality. Herbs and formulas were potentized and administered with prayers and blessings.

In this session, you’ll learn about:

• 5 easily available herbs used in Unani medicine for 5 major types of pain
• Spices, bitters, fruits, and other plant species used by Persian Hakims (physicians) of the 7th — 9th centuries to treat pain through various mechanisms
• Modern scientific validation of the effectiveness of ancient Unani herbs and formulas for pain and inflammation, such as the rose petal mixture Majoon-e-Dabeed
• How shared botanical traditions bridge Egyptian, Greek, Ayurvedic, and Chinese systems

Journey into the rainforests, islands, and prairies to explore the vibrant herbal traditions of the Indigenous Americas and Oceania.

In recent years, numerous plant species used for pain and inflammation from the Indigenous traditions of Central and South America and Oceania have become quite popular, such as kava from the South Pacific.

While there are few written documents on the ancient uses of these herbs and formulas, there are remaining centuries-old traditions and modern scientific research validating their effectiveness.

David’s global research shines a light on the often-overlooked contributions of these traditions, illustrating how modern science validates ancient wisdom.

In this session, you’ll discover:

• 5 easily available herbs from the Amazon region for 5 major types of pain
• The safe and effective uses of the kava plant — the renowned tranquilizer, sedative, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory from the South Pacific
• Kratom, a potent and controversial herb from Indonesia with some of the strongest opiate-like properties for chronic pain
• Neglected herbal treasures of North American Indigenous medicine
• Ethnobotanical methods, such as sweat lodges, fumigation, and purgation, used to amplify herbal healing
• Other lost treasures from Indigenous American medicine, such as resins used for pain and inflammation

Discover the roots of contemporary herbal medicine in the 19th-century herbal renaissance.

Much of contemporary Western herbology is derived from formulas developed in the 1800s and early 1900s by American and British physicians, including a large group of physicians referred to as the Eclectics. Much of this knowledge was derived from a synthesis of earlier European herbal traditions and Native American Indigenous medicine.

Learn how this era brought many developments and innovations to medicine, leading to herb-based pharmaceutical products becoming widely available through apothecaries.

Many contemporary herbalists and herb companies continue to use formulas based on the works of the Eclectic physicians, and from them we can learn highly effective methods of treating pain and inflammation.

In this session, you’ll look at:

• 5 easily available herbs crafted by the Eclectic physicians to alleviate 5 major types of pain
• Iconic pain-relief formulas, such as Jethro Kloss’ anti-spasmotic compound and Scudder’s alternative compound
• Powerful yet underutilized herbs from the official Dispensatory of the United States of America 1918 and other landmark texts
• Formulas from contemporary herbalists — including Michael Moore and David Winston — based on Eclectic research and experience

Bring your journey full circle by exploring how ancient remedies have evolved into today’s nutraceuticals — a marriage of tradition and science.

Contemporary herbal medicine, now classified and legally regulated under the broader category of “nutraceuticals,” are products derived from food sources that provide both nutrition and medicinal benefits.

Many of these products are based on the standardized extracts of active ingredients of herbs that have been used for thousands of years, such as boswellic acids from frankincense.

We now have access to other nutraceutical synergies, which are composed of many important improvements and innovations over the classical formulas.

In this closing session, you’ll discover:

• 5 groundbreaking nutraceutical extracts for 5 specific kinds of pain
• The strengths and weaknesses of herbal analgesics and anti-inflammatory herbs in contrast to over-the-counter and prescription medications
• The advantages and disadvantages of standardized extracts versus classical formulas using whole plants
• Emerging science and the legal use of specific cannabinoids
• Full-spectrum preparations that use both whole herbs and extracted constituents
• Beneficial synergies of herbs and other nutraceuticals such as enzymes used for common types of pain

Which treatments can best address your health concerns? What’s working for you? What isn’t?

This is your opportunity for a personalized medical consultation with David. Your 60-minute session can be done by phone, video conference, or email.

Your consultation will be unique and personalized, and the topics you’ll discuss might include:

• Creating an individualized pharmacy of herbs and essential oils that address your health and medical needs safely, effectively, and affordably
• The safe uses of herbs and essential oils according to your age, constitution, vitality, and other factors
• Herb/drug interactions
• Developing strategies to work with allopathic doctors when integrative medicine is needed
• Ordering and reading lab tests
• Up-to-date research on natural medicine and state-of-the-art treatments
• Individualized diet programs
• Sources for highest quality natural products
• Referrals to other practitioners, educational resources, and health facilities
• Meditation and spiritual guidance, stress-reduction instruction, and lifestyle modifications

Investment: $150 per session. This includes David reviewing your medical records, which you’ll send over beforehand, his recommendation for a complete herb program, and a follow-up email from David. (If you need a series of consultations over time, there are reduced rates for multiple sessions, as well as discounts if you refer others.)

Let’s Eat Like the Seasonal Beings We Are
Video Teaching From Dr. John Douillard, DC, From the Evolutionary Plant Medicine Summit

According to Ayurvedic wisdom, disease starts with digestion, which depends on a healthy microbiome that should change seasonally. Soil microbes also change from one season to the next. Seasonal eating and seasonal herbs are the fuel for synchronizing our biological clocks with nature’s circadian rhythms and maintaining a healthy intestinal environment and microbiome.

In this teaching, Dr. John Douillard, DC, a recognized leader in the fields of natural health and Ayurveda, shares the best herbs and foods for each season and why they’re the foundation for health, digestion, and longevity. You’ll learn how to balance your circadian rhythms with seasonal foods and herbs. You’ll discover how to treat the root cause of winter worries, spring allergies, summer inflammation, and more.

From Celtic mythology to quantum psychic surgery, Emma Fitchett, MSc, a respected plant spirit healer, shamanic teacher, and author, leads you on a deep dive into the dynamic co-creative potential of healing with the spirits of plants. Taking three sacred plants from the British Isles — hawthorn, apple, and elder — Emma elucidates how their associations with the Triple Goddess and the Shining Ones has informed their psychospiritual healing capabilities today, and how they can be instrumental in our awakening.

You’ll discover the healing qualities of the plant spirits through their correspondences with ancient archetypes. You’ll also gain insight into the dynamic forces of the Celtic tradition in relation to the spiritual path and the plants.

The appearance of humans on earth can be traced directly to the appearance of the first flower over 100 million years ago, as well as to the changes we (and they) created in the biosphere. What were the conditions that led to the creation of a flower-filled planet — which then became an environment to sustain higher forms of life, including humans? And what relevance does that have to using flowers as medicines?

Discover that when you’re using flower medicines, you’re actually drinking the molecular forms of evolutionary immunological intelligence in plants. It’s this intelligence that not only created and maintains the outer biosphere of the earth, but also maintains homeostasis of the inner biosphere of your human body. This revelation can immediately give you a deeper appreciation of plant medicines and the ancient healing powers they offer — and open the door to a completely new way of preparing and using medicines in sacred ways that can strongly potentize their effects.

David’s extensive knowledge of plant medicine means he has years of experience in selecting the best suppliers for his formulas. As part of your participation in this course, you’ll receive 10% savings on purchases made from two of David’s recommended herbal suppliers. Banyan Botanicals produces the highest-quality Ayurvedic products using certified organic herbs that are sustainably sourced and fairly traded.

Herbalist & Alchemist’s mission is to develop, manufacture, and distribute herbal supplements that are of the highest quality, manufactured from plant material that originates in harmony with the environment — organically grown, ethically wild-crafted, or sustainably harvested. No purchase is required for the course, and it’s not required to use products from these particular brands. You may use whatever products you’d like for your learning.