Matthew Wood Institute of Herbalism

Herbalism Teachers  with 75 Years of Joint Experience 
as Consulting Herbalists & Herbal Authors

About this Series

Higher animal life is regulated by the nerves and hormones, which together can be classified as the neuroendocrine system. They particularly regulate the grand functions of life on the animal and human level, sending and receiving signals from the great organs and systems, integrating them into a functional whole while maintaining their separate operations. 

The central nervous system (brain, spine, conscious activity) operates fairly independently, but the autonomic nervous system (unconscious functions of the body) is deeply integrated with the endocrine, so this series includes a class on the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The hypothalamus operates as the ‘Grand Poobah’ of the neuroendocrine system, receiving feedback through the blood and sending out directives via hormones and neurotransmitters. 

The endocrine acts in a cascade, signaling from the hypothalamus to the pituitary and from there to the thyroid, adrenals, and gonads. The thyroid controls temperature and metabolic rate (with a few other functions), while the adrenals serve as the organs for dealing with stress). The ‘stress cascade’ therefore involves the hypothalao-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA); there is an analogous HTA (thyroid) axis, which also has to respond to stress. The remedies that regulate these glands are called ‘adaptogens’ because they help the organism adapt to stress.

         This series of classes, therefore, includes: 

1. *Herbs and the Autonomic Nervous System (this class)
2. Hypothalamus, Pituitary, and Pineal-Functions and Herbs
3. Herbs and the Adrenal Medulla and Adrenal Cortex
4. Herbal Adaptogens

The curriculum for this series also includes previously completed classes both of which students can already access.

• *Iodine, Evolution, and the Thyroid 
• *Herbalism and the Thyroid Intensive

These are not included in any purchase options on this page.

 Most classes are two (2) hours each, sometimes longer. The classes with * are particularly good for beginners. 

"One can certainly practice herbalism without a knowledge of hormones and the neuroendocrine system, but the practitioner who masters this material can consider themselves sophisticated."
- Matthew Wood

Students will learn about: 

• The endocrine cascade (hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, adrenal cortex, gonads). Some herbs we’ll discuss are Queen Anne’s Lace, Blue Cohosh, Vitex and Pulsatilla, hormonal diffusives (cloud medicines). 
• The feedback loop including stress hormones, insulin, the pancreas, heart, and digestive tract. (The pineal is not directly in the endocrine feedback loop but manages its own feedback through melatonin receptors.)
• The autonomic nervous system, with its subdivisions, the sympathetic and parasympathetic, the major regulatory system for the digestive tract and other functions on automatic pilot in the body. Lobelia, Skullcap, Black Hoarhound, Nigella.  
• The HPA axis (hypothalmus-pituitary-adrenals), the essential information necessary to understand the operation of Adaptogens. Eleuthero, American Ginseng, Ashwagandha, Schizandra, Rhodiola, Astragalus, Crossvine, Red Ginseng, Bacopa, Gotu Kola.
• Hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and thyroid nodules are easy to remedy successfully with herbs, according to the experience of the teachers. No student should be without this knowledge. Lemon Balm, Lycopus, Motherwort, Poplar Bark, Black Walnut, Iris, Ashwagandha, Poke (covered in prior Thyroid and Iodine classes links above - not part of these 4 classes).
• Understand the difference between and interactions of the adrenal medulla and adrenal cortex.
• Learn what mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids are and how they determine general health themes throughout the body. This pertains to blood pressure and blood sugar issues.
• Understand what 'adrenal exhaustion' is, and how to remedy it. 
•  The necessity to become proficient in understanding the workings of the interaction between the endocrine and the nervous system, providing a background understanding necessary to become an expert at helping female and male reproductive and other related issues. 

This series gives the student a complete overview of the endocrine system and the autonomic nervous system with which it interacts continuously; simplified for the practitioner yet detailed enough to provide a foundation in the understanding of these difficult subjects.