The Philo School of Herbal Energetics

The Philo School of Herbal Energetics

Welcome to the Philo School. Located on 16 acres of certified organic land and a Botanical Sanctuary, and home to a medicinal garden of over 100 species as well as about 13 acres of redwoods. An enchanted land just 16 miles in from the Pacific Ocean and 2 1/2 hours north of San Francisco.

The School offers apprenticeships with Mary Pat Palmer, MA, RH* and Matthew Wood, MSc, RH* as well as other classes with nationally and internationally known herbalists.

10 week Thursday evening class at the Coast Botanical Gardens.

Scroll down for other upcoming events at the Philo School & elsewhere, and check out the Apprenticeship and Upcoming Classes pages. There is a new page with Mission Statements written by students - wonderful! There is also a new page about the Franklin Commune, started by Mary Pat and others in 1969, on the Canadian border in Western Vermont.

Yin the cat on the front walk

Upcoming Classes

The Philo School of Herbal Energetics

Heart of Herbology Apprenticeship

Six Months: one weekend per month - 2008

April 19/20, May 17/18, June 21/22, July 19/20, August 16/17, September 20/21

You will connect deeply with the plants in the gardens. You will understand how to use medicinal plants for physical, mental and spiritual health for yourself and others. You will learn to research. You will learn how you want to connect your knowledge to your life path.

click here for the apprenticeship page

Upcoming Classes

The Matthew Wood

Intermediate/Advanced Apprenticeship:

2008: October 25/26, Dec. 6/7, Jan 31&Feb 1, March 21/22, May 16/17, June 27/28

click here for the apprenticeship page

Additional Offerings from the Philo School

In addition to providing education on medicinal herbs, Mary Pat offers many other services.

A. Counseling for individuals and their loved ones about cancer. Mary Pat herself was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2001 by the “teacher of teachers” William LeSassier. She underwent surgery and was told that she would die without chemotherapy. She thought otherwise and today is glad she made the decision to treat herself with herbs, acupuncture and other alternative modalities of treatment. Please read her article, A Journey Through Catastrophic Illness: Surviving Cancer with Alternative Medicine.

B. Plant Identification Weed Walks and Herb Garden Design:

Want to know more about the plants on your own land? Want to walk through the Philo Pharm land and gardens to identify native species? How about some help designing your own herb garden with attention to natives and water conservation. Please give a call! 707-895-3007.

C. Supervision for clinical practices in herbal medicine. This supervision also prepares for the American Herbalist Guild professional membership

People often wonder at the abundance and diversity of beautiful birds here on Philo Pharm. This abundance is probably due to the diversity of the plants themselves. There are over 100 species of medicinal plants as well as fruit trees, roses and many ornamental plants.

We call the goldfinches the TV - they are endlessly entertaining - more so in fact than many TV programs! House finches, stellar and scrub jays, California and spotted towhees, woodpeckers - they flock to the gardens.

In addition, there are about 13 acres of redwoods with paths that traverse the trees and understory. These house even more birds and provide shelter for other wildlife.

*RH is Registered Herbalist. Thank you for visiting this site!

"If you have ever had contact with Mary Pat either by phone or email, she resonates with the excitement of herbal medicine. You are immediately drawn not only to her knowledge but the physical and spiritual nature of her desire to be a healer.... in her classes she brought many different views and uses for herbs I already felt I knew intimately."

Deborahe Prock, N.D.