Dr. Christopher's School of Natural Healing

What Dr. Christopher's School of Natural Healing does

Dr. Christopher's School of Natural Healing is a privately held, family-operated proprietary distance-learning institution founded in 1953 in Springville, Utah by Dr. John R. Christopher. The school delivers self-paced herbal medicine education directly to consumers worldwide through two parallel channels: a correspondence track that ships physical books, DVDs, CDs, and study guides to student homes, and an online track delivered via a Moodle LMS with aMember-managed accounts. Its core offering is a 22-level Master Herbalist Program totaling 1,194 hours of instruction and 71 credit hours, structured progressively from Family Herbalist (Level 100) through Nutritional Herbalist, Herbalist, and Advanced Herbalist, with individual topical courses available à la carte. The curriculum is supplemented by add-on certification programs in Holistic Iridology (hosted on PathWright), Homeopathy, and Aromatherapy, and capped by an annual in-person Master Herbalist Certification Seminar in Utah.

The business model is direct-to-consumer tuition, with one-time program payments ranging from $345 to $2,700 (or $2,285 for the Complete Iridology Bundle) plus interest-free monthly payment plans of $195 (online) or $295 (correspondence) per level. Pricing is publicly disclosed and enrollment is self-serve via a 1ShoppingCart-powered web store, with phone-based admissions support. Marketing relies on organic channels - the 'A Healthier You' radio program, Facebook/YouTube/Instagram, AWeber email, an affiliate program, and a student community - rather than paid acquisition. The school is registered under the Utah Postsecondary Proprietary School Act, holds a $140,000 surety bond with State Farm, and is explicitly unaccredited by the U.S. Department of Education. Customer segments are individual learners and aspiring professional herbalists, with reported graduation rates of 97-98% and employment rates of 95-97% for graduates seeking employment across 2021-2023.

Name

Dr. Christopher's School of Natural Healing

Legal name

School of Natural Healing

Website

https://schoolofnaturalhealing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Dr. Christopher's School of Natural Healing is a family-operated, distance-learning herbal medicine school founded in 1953 in Springville, Utah, serving individual learners and aspiring professional herbalists worldwide through correspondence and online programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alternative Medicine Education

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Holistic & Integrative Wellness Education (Ayurveda, Traditional Practices) (EDAAAHAH)

Keywords

• Herbal medicine education
• Natural healing courses
• Alternative medicine training
• Distance learning programs
• Master herbalist certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Springville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Course Tuition: One-time payment for program enrollment. Students pay upfront for complete programs (Family Herbalist, Nutritional Herbalist, Herbalist, Advanced Herbalist) or individual course levels. Pricing varies by delivery method (correspondence vs online).
2. Monthly Payment Plans: Interest-free monthly payment plans allowing students to pay tuition over time. $195/month for online students, $295/month for correspondence students. Payments unlock access to subsequent course levels upon successful payment.
3. Master Herbalist Certification Seminar: Capstone seminar tuition of $1,350 with optional payment plans. Includes lunch daily, excludes lodging. $200 deposit required to reserve seat.
4. Holistic Iridology Programs: Tiered certification programs in Holistic Iridology with bundled pricing. Level I at $595, Level I & II Bundle at $1,190, Complete Bundle (Levels I, II & III) at $2,285.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The school sells self-paced home-study certification programs in herbal medicine, nutrition, aromatherapy, homeopathy, and iridology, anchored by a 22-level Master Herbalist Program totaling 1,194 hours of instruction and 71 credit hours. Programs are delivered in two formats—mail-based correspondence with physical materials and online via a Moodle-based LMS—and culminate in an optional in-person Master Herbalist Certification Seminar. The school also offers interest-free monthly payment plans and tuition scholarships to support student enrollment.

Product overview

Dr. Christopher's School of Natural Healing is a home-based herbal education institution offering a structured Master Herbalist Program composed of progressive course levels (100-2200), supplemented by specialized certificate programs in Aromatherapy, Homeopathy, and Holistic Iridology. The core curriculum is delivered through two formats: Correspondence Courses (physical materials shipped with mail-in grading) and Online Courses (digital portal access with online grading). The flagship Master Herbalist Program consists of Family Herbalist (Level 100) as the foundational prerequisite, followed by Nutritional Herbalist (Levels 200-500), Herbalist (Levels 600-1300), and Advanced Herbalist (Levels 1400-2200), culminating in an optional Master Herbalist Certification Seminar. Individual course levels covering specific topics (Vitalism, Botany, Herbal Chemistry, Pharmacognosy, Anatomy) can also be purchased separately for self-paced study.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dr. John R. Christopher Memorial Scholarship: A partial tuition scholarship program awarded yearly based on service and financial need, available for correspondence courses only.

Products and services

• Family Herbalist Program (Level 100) Foundational home-study herbal education program teaching how to use medicinal plants for family health, including study materials, videos, audio files, and a final exam leading to a certificate. Prerequisite for all other programs. 5 credit hours. 3-month term length. Available in correspondence ($545) and online ($345) formats.
• Nutritional Herbalist Program (Levels 200-500) Intermediate program building on the Family Herbalist foundation by applying vitalist principles to disease through study of food as medicine and nutritional aspects of healing. 216 hours of study. 15 credit hours. 1-year term length. Correspondence $1,200; online $800.
• Herbalist Program (Levels 600-1300) Intermediate program teaching botany, phytochemistry, plant identification, horticulture, and herbal preparation creation, including rare lecture footage of Dr. Christopher. 390 hours of study. 24 credit hours. 1-year term length. Correspondence $2,400; online $1,600.
• Advanced Herbalist Program (Levels 1400-2200) Advanced program covering botanical terms, phytochemistry, pharmacognosy, formulation, and anatomy; includes teaching a class, writing a Master's thesis, and concludes with the Master Herbalist Certification Seminar. 468 hours of study. 27 credit hours. 1-year term length. Correspondence $2,700; online $1,850.
• Aromatherapy Program Three-level program (Aroma 100, 200, 300) teaching essential oil use for health and wellness, including blend creation, preparation methods, and applications for specific diseases. Full program correspondence $750; with Anatomy prerequisite $995; with Anatomy and Family Herbalist $1,480.
• Homeopathy Program Program teaching homeopathic medicine, mineral health, and cell salt deficiencies. Requires Family Herbalist and Anatomy prerequisites for certification. Basic Course $695; Basic with Anatomy $995; Full Program (with Family Herbalist) $1,385.
• Holistic Iridology Program Three-level certification program in Dr. Pesek's Holistic Iridology iris analysis methodology, covering physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional aspects of health assessment. Hosted on iridology.pathwright.com. Level I $595; Levels I & II Bundle $1,190 (save $200); Complete Bundle Levels I, II & III $2,285 (save $300).
• Master Herbalist Certification Seminar Week-long capstone seminar for students completing all Master Herbalist Program courses; held annually in the Utah mountains with guest lecturers on topics including practicum and botany. Tuition $1,350 with $200 deposit; $100 discount if deposit made before March 31 ($1,250). Includes lunch daily; excludes lodging.

Quantifiable outcome

• 97-98% graduation rate across 2021-2023
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 1ShoppingCartcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party e-commerce platform for order processing and fulfillment. Manages customer data for correspondence and online course purchases. School accesses customer information to fulfill orders, process refunds, and contact students about their courses.
• EduTech LeaderscoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party server hosting provider maintaining Moodle LMS and aMember platforms. Manages online course infrastructure on behalf of the school. School contracts with EduTech Leaders to maintain data security and course availability.
• State Farm Fire and Casualty CompanyminorOthersSurety bond provider for regulatory compliance with Utah Department of Consumer Protection. $140,000 surety bond protects students in case of school closure or failure to fulfill educational obligations.
• Christopher PublicationsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLinked external website for purchasing books related to the school's curriculum and Dr. Christopher's methodologies. Allows students to access supplementary reading materials.
• Herbal LegacyminorOthersLinked external website providing additional herbal education content. Associated resource for students and the broader herbal education community.
• A Healthier You RadiominorOthersWeekly radio program hosted by David and Fawn Christopher covering herbal and nutrition topics. Promotional partner for school content and brand visibility.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Herbal Academy: Online herbal education school offering self-paced foundations, intermediate, and advanced herbalist programs with similar direct-to-consumer structure. Directly comparable as a competing distance-learning herbal medicine school serving enthusiast and aspiring professional students.
• East West School of Planetary Herbology: Long-running correspondence-based professional herbal training program with similar non-degree, practitioner-focused structure. Directly comparable as a legacy correspondence herbal school serving aspiring professional herbalists.
• Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine: Online herbal medicine school offering foundational and advanced herbalist programs plus foraging and medicine-making courses. Directly comparable as an online herbal certification school competing for the same enthusiast-to-professional student.
• Pacific Rim College: Canada-based holistic health college offering herbal, holistic nutrition, and mind-body programs via online and in-person formats. Directly comparable as a multi-disciplinary complementary medicine training institution.
• School of Evolutionary Herbalism: Offers a clinical herbalist program and vitalist traditions-aligned curriculum delivered online with practitioner tracks. Directly comparable as a modern online herbal school emphasizing vitalist and traditional healing frameworks similar to Dr. Christopher's.
• Rosemary Gladstar's Sage Mountain Herbal Retreat Center: Herbal training center founded by renowned herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, offering apprenticeships, foundations, and intensive programs. Directly comparable as a heritage herbalist-led school with similar traditional/vitalist pedagogy and enthusiast audience.
• ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism: Offers three-year professional herbalist training plus shorter community and family programs blending in-person and online. Directly comparable as a multi-level herbal certification school with similar program structure.
• American College of Healthcare Sciences (ACHS): Regionally accredited online college offering certificates, diplomas, and degrees in herbal medicine, aromatherapy, and holistic health. Directly comparable as an online holistic health education provider, though differentiated by accreditation status.

Broad incumbents

• Bastyr University: Regionally accredited university offering ND, MS, and certificate programs in naturopathic and herbal medicine. Comparable as a broader incumbent in natural healing education with overlapping herbal curriculum but operating as an accredited degree-granting institution.
• Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH): Regionally accredited university offering graduate programs and certificates in herbal medicine, wellness, and integrative health. Comparable as a larger, accredited incumbent serving the same professional herbalist audience with overlapping curriculum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCHaI6adafcC_YAsZm6xMVsQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/SchoolofNaturalHealing
• Instagraminstagram.com/schoolofnaturalhealing/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/school-of-natural-healing

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dr. Christopher's School of Natural Healing