COVID-19: An Herbalist's Perspective

Paul Bergner is Director of the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism. He is a medical herbalist, clinical nutritionist, educator, author, and naturalist.

He has studied and practiced natural medicine, nutrition, and medical herbalism since 1973 and has published and edited the Medical Herbalism journal since 1989. He has written seven books on herbalism, nutrition, Chinese medicine, folk ethnobotany, and naturopathic medicine.

Paul has taught all aspects of clinical herbalism and clinical nutrition since 1996, and has taught nutrition academically at both the university undergraduate and master's levels. He has mentored more than 400 students through 8-month clinical residencies in integrated herbalism and nutrition.

Deb Soule is an herbalist, gardener, teacher and author of The Woman's Handbook of Healing Herbs and How to Move Like a Gardener. Deb began organic gardening and studying the medicinal uses of herbs at age 16. Her faith in the healing qualities of plants includes a desire to make organic herbs easily accessible to women and families living in rural areas. In a small 8 by 10 foot room in her house, Deb began preparing various herbal remedies. In the fall of 1985, with her first mail order catalog and a small selection of herbal extracts and teas, Deb launched Avena Botanicals.

Elisabeth Weaver is an herb and flower farmer (Lancaster Farmacy), nature connection educator, mother, and musician. She plays guitar, banjo, and piano and uses her voice as her primary instrument. She was trained to play classical piano at a young age but took a different path by learning how to play by ear and her heart. She dove into the guitar in her middle school years, then came banjo, but her truest expression has been through her voice and singing.

Eli has been writing and performing for over 2 decades with Root and Wing, Grandma Shake, and more recently Chrysalis, her solo music project. Her songs tell stories of personal transformation, connection to place, struggle and liberation. She strives to create safe spaces when she performs and always encourages participation.

Tammi Sweet is a passionate and energetic teacher, brings 30 years teaching experience into the classroom. Her amazement and wonder of the human body and how it works shines through as she presents the material in ways people can understand and utilize. She loves integrating the wisdom of the body with all aspects of living.

Presently she co-directs her Herbal Program at Heartstone Herbal School, and teaches throughout the country. Her learning of the body has come through many paths including a master's degree in neurobiology, teaching anatomy & physiology, massage school, yoga teacher training, herbal studies, collegiate athletics and most importantly, an ever-growing love of understanding who we are in relation with this wonderful home we call the earth.