Foundations In Herbal Medicine

Take a deep dive into herbal medicine with Tieraona Low Dog, MD

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Master Herbal Medicine

Are you a healthcare professional with a passion for plants? An herbalist who wants to strengthen their clinical practice? If so, you will love the new Foundations in Herbal Medicine. Originally derived from a nine-month residential program, Foundations is an online, distance-learning herbal and natural medicine program, founded and taught by Tieraona Low Dog, MD.

Foundations is designed to teach clinicians how to confidently integrate herbal medicine into a clinical setting effectively and responsibly.

This highly comprehensive multimedia course allows you to learn about herbs from the roots up—from pharmacology and herbal preparations to their impact on all the body’s systems. Combining the rich history of herbal medicine with the best of research, Foundations will help you understand how herbal medicines fit into our modern health care system.


Dr. Low Dog: Internationally Recognized Herbal Expert and Teacher

In addition to her deep knowledge of the plant world, Dr. Low Dog has a unique ability to distill difficult material, enabling her to teach the latest botanical research and complex medical concepts in a warm and user-friendly fashion.

With her vast clinical experience and constant review of the research, she’s able to sift through hearsay and hyperbole, presenting a credible combination of traditional and evidence-based herbal knowledge in an inspiring format.


500 Hours of Multimedia Resources

The Foundations program uses videos of Dr. Low Dog’s classroom lectures, written course material, and a private online group page to create a substantial and comprehensive learning program. Here are some of the many resources available to Fellowship students:

  • 500+ hours of content from Tieraona Low Dog MD, an internationally recognized expert in herbal and integrative medicine
  • An exclusive Facebook group for students to share successes, ask questions and seek expertise from colleagues and Dr. Low Dog.
  • Lifetime access to course material and Facebook group
  • Early access to all summer retreats
  • 10% off discount at Mountain Rose Herbs, purveyor of high-quality herbs, spices, teas & DIY supplies
  • 15% off all Medicine Lodge Ranch digital products

Designed for Health Care Professionals and Herbal Enthusiasts

Foundations is designed to serve as a platform for individuals who wish to explore the role of natural medicine within the broader context of health and contains core material oriented toward clinicians.

It presents herbal medicine within an integrated and holistic framework, discussing relevant nutritional interventions and dietary supplements where appropriate. The course is structured and self-guided, with most students completing the program in 24 months.

Clinicians will come away with confidence about incorporating herbal and natural medicine into their practice, and non-clinicians will be able to serve their community as holistic health educators and providers of herbal care.

Program participants can choose to achieve one or two certification levels:

Certificate of Completion: To earn the certificate of completion in Foundations in Herbal Medicine, students must complete all online course work including all online case studies, attend one summer Foundations intensive for hands-on training in field identification and/or medicine making, and successfully submit and receive a passing grade on a comprehensive case study that includes patient/client history.

(Note: for overseas students, please inquire about alternatives to the in-person training intensive).

Clinical Herbalism Certificate: For Foundations graduates who, in addition to the above, attend and actively participate in a minimum of 50 hours of supervised case studies under the mentorship of Dr. Low Dog, will receive an additional certification in Clinical Herbalism. This 50-hour requirement can be met by registering, preparing for, and attending a three-day Case Study Intensive offered bi-annually at Medicine Lodge Ranch in Pecos, New Mexico.

Graduates of the program will also, upon completing the Case Study Intensive, be well on their way to completing the prerequisites for the American Herbalists Guild, for an RH (AHG) credential as well as access to the Guild’s support and benefits. You can learn more about those requirements here.

If you’re ready to go deeper with some of the best (and most accurate) information available, join us today.


Your Instructor


Tieraona Low Dog, MD
Tieraona Low Dog, MD

A Note from Tieraona

I am a physician who originally trained as an herbalist, midwife, massage therapist, and martial artist. I have been exposed to and deeply influenced by the wisdom of the grandmothers, midwives, and indigenous peoples of these lands. I have learned to gather, prepare and use the healing plants, ease the body’s pain with massage, help women bring their babies into the world, and tend to the sick. I have been at the bedside as life enters this world, and also as it leaves. I’ve sat quietly during ceremonies, taking in their mystery and wonder, witnessing the power of prayer and belief. I’ve watched as healers called upon the ancestors for strength and direction, assisted surgeons as they removed bullets and tumors, and transplanted organs, witnessed people near death in the intensive care unit walk out well a short time later, and just about everything in between.

All of these experiences, from the profoundly spiritual to the most medically advanced, have shaped my approach toward health and healing, and eventually led me to the field of integrative medicine—a discipline that melds effective natural healing methods, lifestyle, and medically proven treatments. It allows clinicians a broader way to think about the restoration of health and the prevention and management of disease.

For 20 years as a Fellowship Director for three programs: the Fellowship of Integrative and Functional Medicine at the University of California-Irvine's Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, I helped oversee the training of more than one thousand doctors and nurses in this common sense approach to health, healing and wholeness as Now I want to share my experience and knowledge with you, so that you feel comfortable with the “how, what, when and why” of using natural therapies.

If you want a deep dive into the world of natural and integrative medicine, I invite you to join me at https://www.medicinelodgeranch.com/pages/herbal-intensives.

For more information about me, see: https://www.drlowdog.com/about


Get started now!



Course Curriculum


  Foundations in Herbal Medicine: Orientation Call
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  FIHM: Introduction
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  FIHM: Herbal Pharmacology
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  FIHM: Herbal Actions
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  FIHM: Herbal Preparations
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  FIHM: Herbal Formulations
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  FIHM: Gastrointestinal System
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  FIHM: Dietary Supplements
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  FIHM: Nutrition Prescription
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  FIHM: Nervous & Immune System
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  FIHM: The Skin
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  FIHM: Respiratory System
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  FIHM: Cardiovascular System
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  FIHM: Women's Health
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  FIHM: Urinary System
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  FIHM: Musculoskeletal System
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  Q & A with Tieraona
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Frequently Asked Questions


Who should take this course?
The Foundations in Herbal Medicine program contains core material that is oriented towards health care professionals. While the course focuses on herbal medicine, relevant nutritional interventions and dietary supplements are discussed where appropriate. I​n other words, we teach herbal medicine within an integrated and holistic framework.
When does the course start and finish?
You can start whenever you are ready, and will have lifetime access to the course once you purchase it.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
Will I receive anything upon completion of the course?
A framed Certificate of Completion will be mailed out to all students who complete the course. If you also complete a case study retreat, you will receive a Clinical Herbalist Certificate.
Do I have to join Foundation's private Facebook group?
No, but it is highly recommended. We've created a private Facebook group page just for our Foundations students as a way for everyone to participate in our community. If you don't have a Facebook account, we can help you get set up in a very private way.
Do I have to attend the Summer Intensives?
If you would like to receive a Certificate of Completion or a Clinical Herbalist Certificate, you will need to attend an herbal medicine making or plant ID class. For the Clinical Herbalist Certificate, you will also need to attend a case study retreat. Each of these retreats will incur an additional cost of $750. Note: For international students, please contact us to discuss alternatives for the in-person requirement.
Do you give CE credits?
Continuing Education credits are not available for this course because Dr. Low Dog wanted to be able to discuss specific herbal products, traditional & cultural herbal remedies, and keep the tuition costs as low as possible.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy with one of our courses! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, simply contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.