June 12-17, 2023, Sarah attended the Master Herbalist seminar at Dr. Christopher's School of Natural Healing in Springville, Utah. That week was the culmination of nearly 3 years of study and completed assignments, in the form of daily lectures and testing. She recorded daily videos describing the experience in the Whole, Connected, & Free Facebook Group! Here's a written description of the week for those of you who are so curious!!!
Day 1 was a lecture by Dr. Earendil Spendelilus, a graduate of the school who got his Naturopathic Medical Degree to enable him to perform diagnosis and prescribe remedies. He runs one of the most successful Natural Healing clinics in the country - perhaps even the world - called Tree of Life Holistic Wellness Center, in California. His lectures described how he has successfully used Dr. Christopher's healing principles for over 16 years to help his patients overcome a wide variety of dis-ease.
Day 2 was a lecture by Dr. Christopher Hobbs, mycologist and PhD TCM practitioner. He covered phytochemistry, pharmacology (so that the graduates understood which herbs interact with pharmaceutical medications), and medicinal mushrooms. Sarah felt inspired to add the creation of tasty mushroom drink mixes to her new products plan after that!
Day 3 was a tour of the Wholistic Botanicals production facility - getting all the details on how they source their ingredients (following Dr. John R. Christopher's careful notes on where in the world the herbs are best wildcrafted or grown) and how they ensure quality throughout their processes to make potent remedies to bless people for generations. As a former process development engineer for a major consumer products company, Sarah was quite impressed and feels even more confident about being an authorized retailer of all Wholistic Botanicals and Dr. Christopher's Original Formula products. She'll make a separate blog post on some of the details there, soon!
After the tour, David Christopher led the group on an Herb Walk in a nearby canyon. He regaled the students with tales of simple remedies from the wild that inspired much hope and plenty of giggles.
Day 4 Dr. Leigh Johnson, BYU professor of botany, lectured on Botany to help the students review their understanding of plants to be able to accurately identify them and understand their life cycles. This was followed by an Herbal Preparations practicum with Jo Francks, a Master Herbalist graduate of the school who answers most of the phone calls and works as an administrator there. She shared many fun tips and tricks for making simple herbal remedies at home that are tasty and easy to take - especially for kids! The day ended with a lecture by David Christopher (the son of Dr. John R. Christopher, and a Master Herbalist who has lectured all over the world on natural healing methods) on Immunity.
Day 5 was all David Christopher - topics were First Aid, Cayenne, Cardiovascular conditions, Cancer, Diabetes, and Comfrey. As usual there were many memorable stories but also invaluable details on working to overcome these conditions.
Day 6 was the final exam - including identification of 100 dried pressed plants and the rote regurgitation of the common name, part used, and primary use of said 100 plants given the botanical name only. This was followed by lunch and a graduation celebration.
The final portion of the Graduation Ceremony was closed by David Christopher's reading of a beautiful Christian hymn, to inspire us of our mission as newly graduated Master Herbalists and servants sent forth to empower others to claim the healing they have potential for:
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
Has anyone’s burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?
Than dream of your mansion above.
A blessing of duty and love.
Do not let them pass by, saying, “Sometime I’ll try,”
But go and do something today.
Love’s labor has merit alone.
Only he who does something helps others to live.
To God each good work will be known.
Than dream of your mansion above.
A blessing of duty and love.
Text and music: Will L. Thompson, 1847–1909, alt.
If you read this far, we hope you understand how dedicated Sarah is to educating and inspiring anyone who is ready to take their wellness to the next level. She is truly excited to help you and hopes that you will reach out! To access Sarah directly, send an email to herbalembracestore@gmail.com, post a question to the Facebook group, or submit a request here at her coaching website: Contact — Every Day An Experiment.
