AHG Herbalist Mentors
Carmen Adams, RH(AHG), CHN
Carmen Adams, RH(AHG), CHN
As a Registered Herbalist-AHG, and Certified Holistic Nutritionist , Carmen Adams specializes in Advanced Clinical Nutrition. Carmen has a distinct interest in educating patients about topics including but not limited to Safe Detoxification and Cleansing Techniques, Stroke & Hypertension – Prevention and Recovery, Digestive Wellness, Diabetes Management, Skin Conditions, and Brain Health. She has been in private practice for over eight years and her current practice is INNERGY MEDICAL GROUP where she provides in-person appointments at
(Within LV HOLISTIC HEALTH)
8879 W. Flamingo Rd. #101
Las Vegas, NV 89147
as well as various satellite locations and virtual appointment options in Las Vegas, NV.
Through independent research, formal education, personal experience, and professional experience, she is able to teach others about natural methods that will bring one’s body back into balance and assist them in the same capacity as a medical professional. Nutrition is the centerpiece of addressing health concerns. Whether you want to increase your energy, prevent/reverse chronic conditions, lose weight, or simply eat better, Carmen has helped thousands of individuals achieve and sustain their goals.
Kerry H. Adams, RH, AHG, dip ABT NCCAOM, CFMP
Kerry H. Adams, RH, AHG, dip ABT NCCAOM, CFMP
My introduction to plants and herbal medicine began at a young age with my grandmother and local herbalist Henrietta Rau. I graduated Dominion Herbal Collage in 1979, continued my studies graduating from David Winston's School of Herbal Studies. For the past 10 years I have been blessed to be an instructor at the school able to share my years of herbal knowledge.
The basis of my education is from our American Botanical Physicians (1840-1920's), Traditional Chinese Medicine Training, Cherokee, European and Western Herbal Medicine. In addition to having an active family herbal practice since 1979, I am also co-founder of an herbal clinic that offers affordable consultations to those in need and mentorship for students needing clinical training. Please go to ChangewaterWellnessCenter.com for more information Pre-requisite for mentorship - minimum of 2 years of formal herbal therapeutic education Area of specialty - Family Practice Clinic that offers students the ability to observe experienced practitioners, their intake skills, constitutional evaluations and formulations with completed protocol planning and pharmacy. As student progresses they are assisted & evaluated in primary practitioner roll. In person and distance available. Clinic mentorship group clinical training and dispensary techniques, with required work program to support the clinic. $45 per 5 hour clinic session Private mentoring by phone, mail, etc. $70 per hour
Talal Al-Hamad
Talal Al-Hamad
Talal Al-Hamad is a man of many talents. Dubbed “The Deranged Herbalist” he has a diverse background in many natural healing modalities. He utilizes a unique east meets west approach to imbalances and disease, with great efficacy. Throughout the years Talal has been a student of various holistic modalities & arts including: Traditional Western Herbalism, Islamic & Unani medicine , Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Alchemy, Flower essence therapy & Aromatherapy, Yoga (Pranayama, Mudras & Asana), Nutrition & Diet
His initial interest into holistic healing was due to several health issues that plagued him. Being completely dissatisfied with the answers and results allopathic medicine had to offer he set off on a personal transformative journey to seek out the true cause for his imbalances. This journey led to a period of deep study and personal growth as he foraged the plains of holistic healing to find his purpose. Without fail the path always led back to the power of nature, to the plants themselves. He loved the idea of not relying on anyone to manufacture his remedies (as homeopaths often do) and felt very empowered and connected with his own medicine. Their results were powerful and had little to no side effects. It was then he knew that herbal medicine was his path in life.
His formal education includes training at a herbal college, and also completing a clinical herbalist program in Ontario. However, Talal quickly recognized the limitations of purely formal training and sought to balance his knowledge by keeping up with knowledge only shared by word of mouth. “The knowledge shared in the hearts that is not found written on lines”.
Talal has spent years studying with various institutes and living mentors based in a variety of places including: Canada, USA, Kuwait, Iraq, Egypt, UK & India. Talal’s unique style has been influenced by a plethora of mentors both past and living. Practitioners such as: The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Michael Moore, LW Osbourne, Johan Hollandus, George Ripley, Horatio C Wood Jr, Donny Yance, Ahmed Al Buni, Jabir Bin Hayan, Abu Bakir Al Razi, Avicenna, Al Majriti, Al Ghazalli, Imam Ali, and many more.
In addition to his formal training, Talal has spent many years in intense self study, immersing himself in a myriad of rare works. He continues to study, experiment and research in a variety of alchemical vegetable, mineral & animal works, where he has pioneered techniques and completed works unique to him. Talal’s passion and dedication to helping evolve “The Great Work” by connecting the missing dots found in the Arab World is a task he does not take lightly.
Today, Talal has earned a reputation as a multi-faceted East meets West herbalist – keen on exploring the boundaries of medicine making through the lost art of Alchemy. He is also becoming well known for his efforts in bringing greater awareness of Islamic/Arabic & Unani medicine to the West, becoming a real & audible voice for Arab health practitioners in the region. He works with people and animals & uses multiple modalities but is an herbalist at heart. In addition to teaching at international symposiums, his articles have also been featured in magazines such as Ayurveda Mantra & Tonic Toronto.
Talal is a Registered Herbalist and a professional member of The American Herbalists Guild (AHG) & The BC Herbalists Association (BCHA). From 2020 to 2022 He was heavily involved in the AHG as a member of the: governing council, diversity equity and inclusivity committee, Ad hoc committee & Membership committee. Talal was also an independent author/contributor & researcher for The Herbal Academy, an online herbal school. Talal works with people and animals & uses multiple modalities but is an herbalist at heart. In addition to teaching at international symposiums, his articles have also been featured in magazines such as Ayurveda Mantra & Tonic Toronto.
Talal doesn’t see results as a reason to stop continually evolving as a practitioner or person. He continues to prove this point through measurable action and a lifelong commitment. From keeping up with allopathic drugs, new scientific findings to figuring out ways to clinically prove “mythical” alchemical preparations in a clinical context, Talal can always be found studying and evolving his toolkit in his spare time. For he truly believes that there is no upper limit for learning.
In his spare time Talal enjoys playing jazz & death metal, as well as regularly training in various martial arts. He is also known for his extensive culinary fusion explorations, marrying herbalism and cooking in a controlled yet witty manner. Talal has an innate passion for healing and has devoted his life to developing his treatment protocols and furthering his knowledge of medicinal herbs. Having conquered his own health challenges with his knowledge, it is easy to see how his passion for healing others is truly sincere.
Leslie Alexander, PhD, RH(AHG)
Leslie Alexander, PhD, RH(AHG)
Owner of Restoration Herbs in Erie, PA, I work as a community herbalist. For me, herbalism brings together years of using herbs, a passion for the outdoors and my training in health-related research. My path to herbalism began in academia, fixed firmly in the Sciences. I received my B.Sc. from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Environmental Sciences and my Ph.D. from Heriot Watt University for my work with Enteromorpha, an intertidal seaweed. For several years I worked in England and Scotland as a research scientist, focusing on environmental factors affecting children's health. Drawn increasingly to more natural ways of healing, I decided to formally retrain as a medical herbalist and returned to the States in 2005.
After completing a diploma in herbal medicine and submitting my dissertation on turmeric in 2006, I began a three year clinical distance mentorship with Richard Mandelbaum RH(AHG), founding partner, director, and teacher at the ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism in New York City. Additionally, for many years my teachers have been those sharing their wisdom at symposia, published authors and the guardians of their works, online audio (and visual) lectures, workshops and, of course (!) the plants themselves. Each has shaped my thinking.
I've been an active General Member of the American Herbalist's Guild since 2004, a Registered Herbalist Member since 2009 and am serving my third term on the AHG Council. In addition, I teach clients, host public workshops on herbal medicine and medicine making and offer free monthly lunchtime herbal discussions - all of which are places to learn and explore herbs.
My interests encompass medicinal and culinary herbs, particularly herbs for the mouth (yes, the mouth!). My book, Dental Herbalism: Natural Therapies for the Mouth was published by Inner Traditions in 2014 and continues to draw a large readership. I can be found working online with Leslie Williams, offering a dynamic program in clinical skill development, for anyone with some herbal experience that wants to enhance and broaden their practitioner skills. I enjoy my canine pal, foods of all sorts, laughter and Tai Chi.
I am available for personalized in-person and distance learning programs, focused largely on western herbalism, assessment and protocol design; nutritional medicine; dispensing, formulating and medicine making; herbal pharmacy/cGMP issues and herb/drug/nutrient interaction as well as building a practice, legal issues pertinent to region/scope of practice, etc., and apothecary/office management. By all means please contact me and let’s discuss what your looking for and why. I look forward to hearing from you.
Matthew Alfs, RH (AHG)
Matthew Alfs, RH (AHG)
Green greetings! I have been in general practice as a clinical herbalist since 1997 and it has been a real joy. In 2002, I achieved Registered Herbalist (RH) status with the AHG. Since 2003, I have served as the director of my own school of herbalism (the Midwest School of Herbal Studies), which has turned out many graduates─a number of whom have gone on to apply for RH status with the AHG. With that in mind, my goal as a mentor will be to help you to gain confidence in your herbal practice to the point where you feel (and are) qualified to apply for RH status with the AHG and to help you through that process. My mentoring rate is $55/hr and my preference is first for my own graduates as they wade into clinical practice and secondly for others who have achieved at least 2 years of formal education in herbalism from other schools and who have started seeing clients. Prospective mentees should also have acquired the AHG Handbook of Mentoring Guidelines and have familiarized themselves with its contents. Please email me with your goals, available times, type and amount of herbal education, etc. and we will see if we are a good match.
As to my educational and clinical background: After privately studying nutrition and wild foods in the early 1980s while working as a lab technician, I followed this up with intense private studies in herbal medicine in the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s. This was followed by four years of formal herbal education—first in Western herbalism, biology, physiology, and pathophysiology through Wild Rose College of Natural Healing (1997-1999), during which time I started seeing clients, and then with Traditional Chinese Medicine at the American Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (2000-2001). In early 2000, I was asked by a physician friend of mine to join the first alternative-medicine clinic on a medical campus in my state of Minnesota, where I served as its clinical herbalist through 2002. I thereafter went into private practice, opening up my own integrative clinic, where I put together a team of 7 providers of different modalities. Over the past 20 years, I have worked with thousands of different clients, helping them to reclaim their health and vitality.
Mentoring specialties include: (1) Case Analysis/Case Reviews; (2) Functional Laboratory Analysis; (3) Protocol Design; (4) Herbal Formulation; (5) Integrating Western Herbs with Asian Herbs; (6) Nutrition; (7) Dispensary Set-up; and (8) Office Set-up and Management.
Potential mentoring methods include email, phone, or Skype. In closing, I very much look forward to working with you to help establish your clinical skills and confidence!
Paul Bergner
Paul Bergner
Paul has studied and practiced natural medicine since 1973, with formal studies in nature cure, medical herbalism, clinical nutrition, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine, Unani medicine, flower essences, yoga therapy, and bodywork, including undergraduate studies in pre-medicine and psychology and doctoral level studies in medical sciences and natural therapeutics at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine. His primary teacher of herbalism was Cascade Anderson Geller. From 1973 until 1989 he worked with nature cure and nutrition almost exclusively with recovering drug abusers and alcoholics and prisoners in prisons. He has been the publisher and editor of the Medical Herbalism journal since 1989. He taught undergraduate nutrition at Naropa University for seven years, and has been guest faculty in the Masters in Herbal Medicine programs at the Tai Sophia Institute and the Scottish School of Medical Herbalism. Between 1996 and 2012, Paul trained more than 400 students through an 800 hour pre-clinical classroom program at 2 different schools in Boulder, CO, and mentored more than 230 of them in a 300-hour residency in a public clinic offering medical herbalism and clinical nutrition. He continues to mentor clinical students at the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism in Boulder, CO and the School of Traditional Western Herbalism in Portland, OR reviewing their cases. Paul recently moved to Portland, OR and does not have an active clinical practice there other than mentoring through case review. He is equally qualified in the fields of medical herbalism, clinical nutrition, and nature cure and can mentor students in any of these areas, or any combination of them. His clinical specialties are autoimmune conditions and conditions related to insulin resistance. Distance and in person mentorship. $50/hour, no barter available. Clinical Specialties: autoimmunity, insulin resistance, Interview skills, case taking, Differential diagnosis and assessment, Nutritional medicine, Counseling skills for the herbalist, Red flags for urgent referral, Building an appropriate referral network, Legal issues pertinent to region/scope of practice, Dispensing and formulating and medicine making; herbal pharmacy/cGMP issues, Herb/drug/nutrient interaction
Chanchal Cabrera, MSc, FNIMH, RH(AHG)
Chanchal Cabrera, MSc, FNIMH, RH(AHG)
I have been in general practice as a medical herbalist since 1987 with a specialty for the past 15 years in helping patients navigate cancer treatment. I trained in the 4 year program under Hein Zeylstra in England in the 1980's and moved to Canada in 1988. In the early 1990s I was academic dean for Dominion Herbal College in BC, where I designed, developed and delivered Canada's first classroom, clinical herbal medicine diploma program. I subsequently created a 3 year full time program in herbal medicine for Wild Rose College in Vancouver and helped develop the Herbal Science degree for Bastyr University. I also opened Gaia Garden Herbal Apothecary in 1993, a full service herbal medicine store and clinic, which I owned and ran for 11 years, expanding to 3 shops, almost 600 own-label products and 16 full time staff.
After 15 years in clinical practice, I went back to take my Master's degree in herbal medicine at the University of Wales. This program emphasized Holistic Science Methodology and we were required to apply academic rigor to holistic practice, validating the subjective as well as the objective, experiencing herbal medicine not just talking about it. As well as pursuing my thesis research into breast cancer and herbal medicine, I became interested in what other ways we can apply herbs to wellness and this led me to a certificate program in Horticulture Therapy which I completed in 2005. In 2016 I was lucky enough to go to Japan to take a certificate program in Shinrin Yoku (forest bathing therapy) and I bring much of this experiential practice to my herbal work now.
In 2013 I took the 10 week diploma in Botanic Garden Management at Royal Botanic Garden Kew in London, and in 2014 I took their 6 week diploma in Botanic Garden Education. I grow almost half the herbs I use for teas in the clinic. My gardens are a registered botanic garden and we open to the public and offer education and conservation.
I practice western holistic, bio-medical herbalism, integrating natural medicines and nutrition into conventional health care systems. I work with around 10 - 12 patients a week, some in person and some by telephone and email. I also teach herbal medicine and the concept of food as medicine. Once a month I run a free community clinic staffed by senior students under supervision.
I have an extensive dispensary of tinctures, creams, volatile oils and tea and a deep experience in product development, marketing, retailing, quality control and good manufacturing practices. I also have a background in education design and curriculum development and I am a registered schools auditor for the Private Career Training Institutions Agency that registers private colleges in BC.
My hourly rate for business coaching and for consulting with other practitioners on their cases, is $100. However, for AHG student members I am available at $50 for clinical or business coaching. Sorry, no trade options.
Juliette Abigail Carr, MS, Registered Herbalist (AHG)
Juliette Abigail Carr, MS, Registered Herbalist (AHG)
I am a Registered Herbalist and Family Nurse Practitioner. My practice serves children and adults with body positive, gender affirming, trauma-informed holistic care. Each of us is the utmost authority on our bodies, and our wellness is deeply influenced by race, class, culture, gender, sexuality, intergenerational trauma, and other socioeconomic health determinants. My goal is for the people I counsel to begin to trace the threads connecting all aspects of their lives to their state of wellness, and to self-empower to maximize their health. These principles form the backbone of my teaching, which is designed to give students the tools they need to understand how to maintain the wellness of their loved ones, instead of simply presenting lists of remedies.
More info about my practice and education: https://oldwaysherbal.com/about-us/juliette-abigail-carr-herbalist/
I offer virtual mentoring, here: https://oldwaysherbal.com/herbalist-mentoring/
I offer in person mentoring using the apprenticeship model, here: https://oldwaysherbal.com/education/apprenticeship-program/
Mary Colvin, RH (AHG)
Mary Colvin, RH (AHG)
I have been a lifetime admirer of plants which began in the gardens alongside both my Southern-raised and Sicilian grandparents. This love continued in the kitchen and fostered a love so deep in my soul for both gardening and cooking. In 2006, I experienced debilitating pain and was eventually diagnosed with sciatica, degenerative disks, and herniated disks. Surgery was recommended and performed. It took the sciatica pain away, but I still suffered greatly from the damage to my fascia due to the surgery. The pain specialist said I would be in pain the rest of my life. That was the moment I decided to heal myself and go back to my love of plants for an answer and a solution to my situation which I was able to accomplish over time.
I began my training and graduated from The School of Natural Healing, but I didn't stop there. I knew deep down there was so much more to learn and I searched for more training through self-study, additional individual classes, herbal conferences, and eventually clinical training and hours. I began practicing with clients, teaching students, and also formulating herbal products for Eden's Answers which was bought out by Sprigs Life. I have been in clinical practice and an educator for over a decade, and my formulas have been on the mass market since 2012 where they continue to help others like myself.
My teachers in clinical herbalism include Margi Flint RH(AHG), Matthew Wood RH(AHG), Kay Parent RH(AHG), Leslie Williams RH(AHG), M.Ed., and Leslie Alexander PhD, RH(AHG). I studied with K.P. Khalsa at Portland Community College in the Nutritional Therapy Program and was certified in 2016. I have owned Ancestral Herbology, LLC since 2017 helping my clients and my students learn to heal the way nature intended which is the philosophy I strive for on a daily basis. I have been a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild since 2018, and I am currently the host of Herbology Talk monthly meet-ups and podcast helping to advise and support all levels of students in their studies.
Clinical specialties: Western Herbalism, Folk Herbalism, Nutrition and differential assessments
Mentoring opportunities: Virtual, remote, and in-person. Learn through sitting in on my cases, having me review yours, offering advice, and helping the Clinical Herbalist to prepare for the Registered Herbalist application process.
Mentorship packages available at: https://herbalistmentor.com/mentorship
Greta de la Montagne, RH(AHG)
Greta de la Montagne, RH(AHG)
I've been practicing western clinical herbalism since 1992, when I graduated from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine with Michael Moore. During this time I helped start what is now the Center for Biological Diversity. I soon began offering herbal first aid and consultations at Earth First! direct actions and supported several pivotal campaigns with healthcare advice and medicines. I became interested in Ayurveda while based near Albuquerque because I was seeking more tools for assessment of the human body and its ailments and so began my studies at the Ayurvedic Institute under Dr. Vasant Lad, where I became certified as an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Counselor. I focused on Pancha Karma and Ayurvedic Herbology. In 1994, after graduating from the Ayurvedic Institute, I founded the MASHH Clinic (Medicine for Activists Seeking Health and Healing) and traveled around the west with the apothecary in a converted schoolbus. I deeply enjoyed supporting activists with herbs who were working for protection of threatened wild places. I studied bodywork at the Heartwood Institute for over a year, which allowed me to connect back with my athletic background. I graduated with over 1000 hours of training in Deep Tissue, Polarity, Swedish, Shiatsu, TMJ, and Sports massage techniques. The year was 1996-97 and the struggle to save the ancient redwoods of Headwaters Forest from liquidation by MAXXAM was at its height. Nearly every weekend I would leave school and travel down to where the nonviolent direct actions and blockades were taking place, to offer herbal first aid and support. In late 1999, I helped administer the first aid clinic in the convergence space at the WTO protests in Seattle and this experience provided a huge leap forward in my herbal first aid skills and clinic administration. I then certified in Wilderness First Response(WFR) and began to host bi-annual WFR trainings geared toward street and forest medics. I co-founded the nonprofit Cascadia Health Educators (CHE), worked with Black Cross Health Collective to find remedies for Chemical Weapons, and was the camp herbalist at Ruckus Society Action Camps for a few years. I live on a small microhomestead in the redwoods on the Lost Coast near Arcata, California where I am attempting to grow or trade for all the herbs I need for my apothecary. AHG Professional member since 1999, I have a busy clinical practice, two children -one deceased-, who I have raised using primarily herbs for medicine. We care for dogs, cats, chickens and goats and feed them herbs too! In the summer months, I staff and administer Herbal First Aid and Wellness Clinics at large outdoor gatherings, mainly herbal conferences, and endeavor to train more people in this area of expertise. I am looking for some outstanding folks to mentor. Work trades are possible, food and space for sleeping are possibilities for the right person(s)or couple. Distance and in person, Work Trade available (herb harvesting, washing or drying, processing and packaging, and manual labor with shovel, hoe & rake. Hide tanners highly valued. General farm labor includes digging, weeding and compost turning, livestock caretaking, Apothecary support includes cleaning, bottle washing, and seasonal mundane tasks. Clinic support includes regular inventory, moving large amounts of gear, occasional wildcrafting trips and full participation assistance at events. Candidate should have solid medicine-making skills, be handy with tools, able to tent camp, easy going, and good with animals.
The following list is of AHG Registered Herbalists who have indicated their willingness to provide herbal mentorship. Students are encouraged to contact potential mentors directly. Please refer to the AHG Mentorship Handbook for tips on how to initiate a mentorship.