David Winston, RH (AHG) is an Herbalist and Ethnobotanist with 53 years of training in Chinese, Western/Eclectic and Southeastern herbal traditions. He has been in clinical practice for over 40 years and is an herbal consultant to physicians, herbalists and researchers throughout the USA, Europe and Canada. David is the founder/director of the Herbal Therapeutics Research Library and the dean of David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies, a two-year training program in clinical herbal medicine. He is an internationally known lecturer and frequently teaches at medical schools, professional symposia and herb conferences. He is the president of Herbalist & Alchemist, Inc. a manufacturer that produces herbal products that blend the art and science of the world’s great herbal traditions.
In addition, David is a founding/professional member of the American Herbalist Guild, and he is on the American Botanical Council and the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia Advisory Boards. He was a contributing author to American Herbalism, published in 1992 by Crossings Press, and the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP) , 2000-2018, the author of Saw Palmetto for Men & Women, Storey, 1999 and Herbal Therapeutics, Specific Indications For Herbs & Herbal Formulas, HTRL, 2014 (10th edition) and the co-author of Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief, Healing Arts Press, 2007 & 2019 2nd Edition, and Winston and Kuhn’s Herbal Therapy & Supplements: A Scientific and Traditional Approach, Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott, 2008. David has also published hundreds of articles in medical and botanical medicine journals and conference proceedings. He is also a member of the AHPA Expert Advisory Council that created the second edition of the Botanical Safety Handbook, CRC Press, published in 2013 (3rd edition in press).
In 2011 David was a recipient of the AHPA Herbal Insights award. In 2013 he received the Natural Products Association Clinicians award and was awarded a fellowship by the Irish Register of Herbalists. In 2018 he was the Mitchell visiting scholar at Bastyr University in Kenmore, WA and in 2019 he was awarded an honorary DSc degree from the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, OR. Please visit his website: www.herbalist-alchemist.com
2022 Presentations by David Winston
THURSDAY INTENSIVE, AUGUST 18 ~ 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm in Classroom Building B "The Ten Tastes: The Energetics of Herbs" All of the world's great indigenous systems of medicine have two things in common. They utilize a system of energetics to help practitioners understand an herb’s properties and uses, and differential diagnostics which allows them to match the herb(s) to the unique constitution and symptoms of each individual they treat. In Chinese medicine there are 5 tastes or flavors. In Ayurveda there are six. In my easy to learn and use system there are ten flavors which can give you precise information on the uses of an herb, as well as the knowledge of whether it is appropriate for a given person. Drawing from Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and Southeastern Folk traditions, this class will explore the Ten Tastes which will allows us to use herbs with greater efficacy, safety and precision. More than 2000 years ago Hippocrates is believed to have said "it is more important to know the person who has a disease, than the disease a person has." He was right and this system will give you the ability to do it.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 ~ 9:00 am - 10:30 am in Auditorium A "Analgesia: The Search for Effective Pain Relief with Botanical and Nutritional Protocols" The search for effective, safe and non-addictive pain medication is an age-old quest. Studies show many people especially the elderly, the poor, people of color and women are under-treated for chronic pain. While herbs are not as powerful as opiates and other pharmaceutical medications, they can offer safer and often highly effective pain management. In this talk we will discuss how specific herbs can relieve specific types of pain, how to combine herbs to create a synergistic effect and reduce inflammation, pain perception and spasm and how botanicals can enhance the effects of pharmaceutical pain medications. The focus of this class is to give the clinician the precise tools needed to manage pain with herbs, so we will learn to describe the types and nature of pain, the location of the pain and the most effective combinations of herbs to treat pain syndromes. For too long herbalists have thought our ability to effectively relieve pain is very limited. This is untrue once you stop using generic “pain" herbs and understand how we can help control pain with precision and specificity in our herb choices.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 ~ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm in Auditorium A "Differential Treatment of Depression and Anxiety with Botanical and Nutritional Medicines" It seems almost everyone in our country is either depressed, anxious or both. We live in a very stress filled society and the mainstream solution is to take a pill. What if you don't want to take an SSRI or anxiolytic medication, what if you understand that mental health is more than a deficiency or excess of neurochemicals. In this class we will discuss the underlying causes of depression and anxiety (chronic inflammation, GI dysbiosis, endocrine dysfunction, blood sugar deregulation, circulatory insufficiency etc.), and how mild to moderate cases can be effectively treated using the appropriate herbs. The common misconception that St. John’s Wort or any one herb is the “depression" herb is ridiculous, and we will look at the specific indications of emotional dysfunction and the specific remedies to treat them.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 20 ~ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm in Auditorium A "Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief" In our modern world we live incredibly busy and stress filled lives. Chronic stress and the resultant elevation of stress hormones such as cortisol have been shown to be an initiator and cofactor for much of our chronic degenerative disease. In addition to stress reduction techniques, healthy relationships, a good diet and adequate sleep, another important factor for reducing stress and enhancing well-being is the use of adaptogenic herbs. In this class we discuss the definition of adaptogens, what is and is not an adaptogen, how these herbs work, the rational and effective clinical use of the different adaptogenic herbs, the unique qualities of each herb and how they can improve cognitive function, restore immune and endocrine balance and promote increased mental and physical well-being.
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