This immersive weekend intensive is designed for healthcare providers seeking practical, case-based applications of herbal medicine within modern integrative and restorative medicine practice. Drawing from decades of clinical experience, speakers will share how botanical and nutritional therapies can be applied to complex chronic conditions with an emphasis on individualized therapeutic strategies and clinical decision-making.
What We Will Cover
Through real-world patient case discussions, we will explore herbal applications for the following conditions:
- Endocrine dysfunction
- Cardiovascular imbalance
- Neuroinflammation & trauma-related dysregulation
- Metabolic disorders & chronic infections
- Immune dysfunction
- Healthy aging & oncology support
Broader physiologic themes integrated throughout the weekend will include:
- Mitochondrial dysfunction & oxidative stress
- Impaired autophagy & endoplasmic reticulum stress
- Inflammation-driven chronic disease
In addition, Rosemary will lead a special session titled Healing the Healers, exploring the restorative use of herbs and self-care practices to support resilience, nervous system balance, emotional well-being, and longevity for healthcare practitioners.
Unique Interactive Experiences
Enjoy the lovely grounds of the Omega Institute with Guided Medicinal Plant Walks led by Rosemary Gladstar. She will offer hands-on outdoor sessions that focus on live plant identification, traditional uses of regional medicinal herbs, sustainable harvesting principles, medicine-making traditions, and the cultivation of a deeper relationship with the healing plants themselves.
Gain a Deeper Understanding of Herbs & Compounds
Case presentations will examine the clinical application of the following botanicals and compounds:
- Kava, St. John's Wort, Griffonia
- Bugleweed, Rauwolfia, Convallaria
- Pacific Yew, Poke Root, Glycyrrhiza
- Rhodiola, Goldenrod, Medicinal Berries
- Adaptogenic herbs
- Emerging senolytic compounds: Fisetin & Quercetin
What You’ll Take Home from the Weekend
Participants will gain practical insights for clinical applications, including:
- Therapeutic herbal formulation strategies
- Safety considerations of herbs and medications, & mechanisms of action
- Rational clinical use of herbal medicine for endocrine, cardiovascular, immune, and neurocognitive health
- Support strategies for healthy aging and recovery from chronic illness
Our Featured Presenters
Michael Friedman, ND is the founder of Restorative Formulations and Restorative Medicine, sharing his formulation and clinical experience with herbal medicine. He will lead the intensive, presenting both published and unpublished clinical cases and bridging traditional herbal wisdom with contemporary scientific understanding.
Rosemary Gladstar — widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern American herbalism — will bring a folkloric and traditional perspective to the botanicals explored throughout the weekend. Drawing from her influential book Family Herbal, Rosemary will discuss the historical, energetic, and traditional uses of herbs. Attendees will gain herbal insights through experiential events such as a herb walk, and a session about self-care for clinicians.
Rocío Alarcón Gallegos, ethnopharmacologist and traditional medicine educator, will present on the ceremonial and indigenous use of medicinal plants within Amazonian healing traditions, including the ethnobotanical foundations of plants such as cat's claw and the cultural context of traditional plant medicines like ayahuasca within indigenous healing systems.
Dr. John M. Woytowicz, MD is a Maine physician and longtime integrative medicine educator. Dr. Woytowicz has served as Director of Integrative Medicine at the Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency and as an assistant clinical professor affiliated with Dartmouth’s Department of Community and Family Medicine. He will discuss the evidence-informed use of herbal medicine in cardiovascular disease, including:
- Circulatory support & hypertension
- Autonomic balance & metabolic cardiology
- Chronic inflammatory contributors to cardiovascular dysfunction
This educational experience is designed to be highly practical, interactive, intellectually engaging, and clinically focused — deepening botanical medicine competency while fostering thoughtful discussion around the evolving role of restorative and traditional herbal medicine in patient-centered healthcare.