We offer online and on-site educational programs, from beginner to clinical level.
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The Florida School of Holistic Living is a 501c3 nonprofit educational organization with the mission of cultivating sustainable community by empowering individuals through philosophy-in-practice education that promotes holistic living.
11/21/2025
This National Education Week, we’re reflecting on all the teachers who’ve guided us. From the classrooms of our childhood to the forests, gardens, and apothecaries we learn in today, it's all part of our ongoing educational experience. 🌿
Every teacher who has taught us, and every subject we've learned, has shaped the way we learn today!
For example...
🧮 Math helps us measure and calculate herbal recipes.
🧬 Science helps us understand how plants and people interact.
📜 History reminds us of the traditions that carried herbal wisdom forward.
📖 English taught us how to read, a crucial skill for studying herbalism!
🎼 Music helps us create songs to memorize herbal facts
🗣️ Foreign languages help prepare us to learn the botanical plant names
This week, we're also celebrating our own incredible teachers, several of whom once taught in public schools and now share their gifts through herbal education and practice. 🍎💚
✨ REMINDER: Today is the last day to save 10% on any class or 2026 Florida Herbal Conference tickets with code "Student2025".
This is our way of saying thank you to all who teach, learn, and keep wisdom growing.
This kid-friendly Chai recipe is a cozy reminder that herbs can be fun, flavorful, and totally approachable... no matter your age.
Who’s ready to stir, sip, and discover the magic of herbs today? 🙌🌿
11/19/2025
🌲 Roots Roundtable December!
Join us on 12/10 at 7pm EST for a live online gathering of Roots of Herbalism students and alumni.
Next month’s featured guest teachers and topics will be shared in the coming weeks! Their presentation will be followed by a time for open discussion and Q&A.
💚 Ready to join us? This gathering has "Name Your Own Price" registration, which helps us keep it accessible for all. Contribute what you can, or join for free!
Save your seat at the Roundtable by clicking the link in our bio or visiting our website. We hope to see you there!
11/18/2025
Menopause isn’t something to endure... It’s an invitation to transform. 🌕✨
Join Christina Bisirri for The Wise Woman’s Apothecary: Herbal Allies for Menopause on January 26, and explore how herbs can support your body, balance your hormones, and nurture your spirit through this powerful transition.
Through heart-centered learning, experiential practices, and community connection, this in-person class offers a nurturing space to reconnect with your body, reclaim your vitality, and feel truly supported.
✨ Early Bird Tuition: $35 through January 12
📍 Orlando / Altamonte | 7–8:30pm EST
Leave feeling grounded, inspired, and empowered to thrive in your next season of life. 💫
11/17/2025
🌸 Enrollment is OPEN for our Spring Family Herbalist Program!
Imagine stepping into the new year with your family gathered around herbal teas and kitchen remedies, learning how to care for wellness together through every season. 🌿
This hands-on program empowers you to become your family’s herbal support system: preventing illness, easing everyday imbalances, and tending both body and spirit with confidence and care.
Join us one weekend a month, January through April, 2026, at our Orlando botanical sanctuary and deepen your connection to healing traditions with heart and intention. 💚
✨ Early Bird tuition is $1111 when paid in full by December 17, 2025
✨ Spots are limited! Visit our website or click the link in our bio to save yours today!
Enrollment in or completion of our Roots of Herbalism course is a prerequisite for the Family Herbalist Program.
CEUS: 48 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) available for Florida Massage Therapists, Acupuncturists, Dietitians, Nurses, Respiratory Therapists, and Midwives in the state of Florida through CE Broker for students who successfully complete the course through attendance and submission of assignments.
11/17/2025
Happy International Students Day! 🌿
Today we’re celebrating the many generations of students who have learned, laughed, and grown with us at the Florida School of Holistic Living and the Florida Herbal Conference. 💚
Your curiosity and passion for the plants keep this community thriving, and we’re so grateful for each and every one of you.
✨ As a small thank you, enjoy an extra 10% off (in addition to current early bird pricing) any of our classes or 15th Annual Florida Herbal Conference tickets this week only with code Student2025 at checkout!
11/14/2025
Our next Roots of Herbalism weekend in Orlando takes place Saturday & Sunday, January 10-11... and there are plenty of seats left!
Spend two transformative days learning, tasting, and creating with over 20 foundational herbs alongside herbalist Maggie O'Halloran.
✨ Your weekend includes:
• Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
• Florida School of Holistic Living Course Book
• Hands-on medicine making + sampling 20+ herbs
• Time in our Botanical Sanctuary
• Ongoing Roots Roundtable live sessions (Oct–Apr)
💰 Tuition: $297 / Early bird price: $277
📍 Orlando / Altamonte Springs, FL
⏰ 10 AM – 6 PM, both days
Whether you’re brand new to herbs or ready to deepen your roots, this immersive weekend will leave you inspired, informed, and grounded in your herbal path. 🌱
Sign up through the link in bio or on our website today.
Have you already taken this class? Consider giving it as a gift to a loved one this holiday season! Email us to learn more and to share the gift of herbal education 🎁
11/13/2025
💛 World Kindness Day is here!
Small acts of kindness can have a ripple effect far beyond what we see. Today, consider sharing a smile, sending a note of gratitude, or lending a helping hand!
If you’re able, we also encourage you to consider making a greater impact in our community by donating to our scholarship fund. These scholarships can help students grow and thrive in our herbal community, and they aren't possible without donations from people like you! 🌿
You can make a donation by visiting the "About" drop-down on our website and selecting the "Get Involved" option. "Make a Donation" is the first option on that page.
On that page, you will also find details on serving our school as a volunteer or intern if that is a better way for you to support our mission.
11/12/2025
🍂 Roots Roundtable - November
Reconnect with your herbal community at our monthly virtual Roots Roundtable gathering TONIGHT, November 12th, 2025, from 7–8:30 PM EST.
Community Herbalist Program Student, Freya, will be sharing their presentation on Herbs for Labor and Postpartum. During their talk, they will provide an overview of physiological needs during labor and postpartum, as well as discuss how to prepare for the physical and mental toll that labor puts on the body, and recovery and postpartum care.
This gathering is open to all current and past Roots of Herbalism students. The Roundtable is a space to share, learn, and grow together through discussion, Q&A, and community connection.
11/11/2025
A heartfelt thank you to Mary’s Heirloom Seeds for sowing generosity in our community! 🌿 Her donation of seeds will help our students, families, and herbalists-in-training continue cultivating knowledge, nourishment, and connection through our school's Seed Library. 🌸
Together, we’re growing more than plants... we’re growing roots of resilience and community. 💚
You can learn more about Mary's Heirloom Seeds in the following places:
Website: https://www.marysheirloomseeds.com/
Facebook: Mary's Heirloom Seeds
Instagram:
YouTube:
11/11/2025
This month’s herbal inspiration comes straight from the heart (and hands!) of our garden and office manager, Jaime. 💕
She crafted this Whipped Comfrey Salve, a luxurious blend of comfrey-infused oil, shea butter, and a hint of essential oils, to celebrate our November Plant of the Month.
It’s soothing, nourishing, and just what your skin needs as the seasons shift.
11/10/2025
November’s Plant of the Month: Comfrey 🌱
Known as “knitbone” for its incredible ability to mend and restore, comfrey has been used for centuries to support healing of bruises, sprains, and sore muscles. With roots that reach deep into the soil, this resilient herb teaches us that true healing takes time—and begins below the surface.
Rich in allantoin, comfrey encourages new cell growth and can be made into soothing salves, poultices, or compresses to support recovery. Beyond the apothecary, comfrey is also a gardener’s ally—nourishing soil, feeding pollinators, and helping nearby plants thrive.
🌿 Energetics: Cooling, moistening, astringent
💪 Systems: Musculoskeletal
🪴 Bonus: Its leaves make a fantastic natural fertilizer!
Visit our website and check out the full plant profile to learn more!
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Contact The Practice
Send a message to Florida School of Holistic Living:
Our programming includes a comprehensive curriculum of natural health and sustainable living workshops, continuing education, and professional training. In addition, we provide the Central Florida community a space to connect with our community, build vibrant health, and deepen our relationship with the earth, through our Bodhi Garden, Community Herbal Clinic, Moon Circles, the Florida Herbal Conference, and ongoing special events.
Philosophy-in-practice education offers students the opportunity to “get their hands dirty.” We emphasize a holistic philosophy in all of our courses, a perspective which honors the whole person and their connection to their environment. We then see k to put that philosophy into practice through hands-on educational opportunities, taking our students into the field to connect with the subjects of which they are learning. By empowering our students with the knowledge and experience to live a more fulfilling, sustainable lifestyle, we hope to contribute to a more equitable, peaceful world for future generations.
Our History
Founded in 1999 as the Florida School of Herbal Studies, the school first focused on introducing the concepts and practices of holistic living through the science and art of herbalism. Classes were offered in Titusville and Orlando under the direction of herbalist George D’Arcy, hosted at local herb stores and healing centers such as Leaves and Roots and Simply Well. The school’s first building and educational gardens were established in 2005 in Winter Park under the direction of herbalist Emily Ruff, relocating to our current neighborhood in Downtown Orlando in Fall 2006.
As the school’s programming grew, so did our curricula, to serve students and assist them in fully integrating ecological herbalism into their lives. These expanded offerings included more diverse subjects of n atural health including holistic nutrition, iridology, healing with rhythm, and various nutritional theories, as well as sustainable living and urban homesteading topics such as beekeeping, permaculture, and organic gardening. The school formally changed its name to the Florida School of Holistic Living in Fall 2007 to better reflect the full scope of its mission and work in the community.
FSHL has been a driving force in Central Florida’s movement towards environmental consciousness and conservation, offering access to education on traditional philosophies and practices, as well as contemporary technologies, that foster living in harmony with the natural world. The school has been an ardent advocate for United Plant Savers, receiving the first Botanical Sanctuary designation in Florida in 2012. In support of local farmers, the school founded the Homegrown Local Food Cooperative in 2007 to build a sustainable agricultural economy in Central Florida. In 2012, in support of our regional herbal community, the school founded the Florida Herbal Conference.
Our Founders
George D’Arcy (1952-2005), herbalist and school founder, was a student and apprentice of Dr. John Christopher, Rosemary Gladstar and seven other herbalists whose training motivated him to found the Florida School of Herbal Studies. Certifications as an EMT, Pharmacy Technician, and Nurse Assistant provided a context to bridge the gap between traditional healings and modern systems of wellness, which allowed Mr. D’Arcy a unique position to consult his clients to wellness with an intimate understanding of modern healthcare. As a graduate of advanced programs at the Tracker School with Tom Brown, Mr. D’Arcy’s teachings focused on integrating wellness with a relationship with our natural environment.
Carolyn Whitford (1944-2010), herbalist and charter school advisor, founded Leaves and Roots in 1993 to ensure the power of the plants remained in the hands of the people. Carolyn was a community visionary whose steadfastness and generosity provided access to herbal medicine to Central Florida residents for nearly two decades. Carolyn was a supportive advisor in the work of the school since its inception, and became active in the work of the organization by hosting classes in the research room of her store starting in 2001.
