Welcome to the first AIMC Herb Pharmacy Video Blog!

Join us here every week for fun and informative herbal talks with our Herbal Pharmacy Director,
Athene Eisenhardt, L.Ac.

“I love leading herb walks! There’s nothing more special than connecting with medicine plants in their native habitat. I couldn’t do it in person this year, so this video blog is my offering to you instead!

In this video, we take an integrative native herb walk in the California hills, exploring California native medicine plants in the context of Taoist 5 Elements and Traditional Chinese Herbalism.” -Athene

This is our growing collection of links to connect you with the best information out there. As an integrative medicine college, we know that MDs, Herbalists, community, movement, and mindfulness all have a role to play as we face this unprecedented health challenge. Check back often as we will update it as new information and resources come to light.

Public Health Information Support Your Immune System For Acupuncturists & Herbalists Tools for Fear & Anxiety Mutual Aid Resources

Public Health Information

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
World Health Organization
National Institute of Health
Free & Low-cost Healthcare Finder for Alameda County

How to Take Care of Your Immune System:

Midwife & Herbalist Dr. …

Campus-wide alerts and announcements regarding COVID -19 are posted here.  Scroll down to view prior notices.  Please note that announcements on top contain the most current information and supersede any information contained in previous announcements

MARCH 27 – Open Houses will be hosted as webinars going forward
MARCH 25 – COVID-19 Financial Aid FAQs
MARCH 22 – Graduation Ceremony Postponed
MARCH 22 – Virtual Town Hall Monday, March 30th
MARCH 20 – Suspension of In-person Classes and Clinical Training Extended
MARCH 18 – Emergency Funds for Financial Aid Students
MARCH 18 – Clinic Closure Extended
MARCH 16 – Online Course Instructions
MARCH 13 – In-person classes suspended
MARCH 10 – AIMC Clinic closed for 2 weeks

March …

Interns treating a patient in the student clinic

Which “Level” practitioner is right for you?

Observation
Our most financially accessible treatment is performed by a clinical supervisor with a team of observing clinical interns. This is an amazing opportunity to get treatment by an advanced practitioner for $5. Please inquire with the Front Desk receptionist about availability for Observation appointments.

Level 1
Care is provided by a team of up to 4 junior interns and their supervisor, who is present for the intake and treatment and oversees each aspect of the team’s care. Each group of interns work together over the course of a semester and bring their own strengths to each patient; the patients get the benefit of being cared for …

In Part 1 of this series about our clinic, we want to introduce you to the who’s who behind the scenes and behind the front desk of the AIMC clinic. We’ve recently welcomed some new faces into our community, and we’re so grateful for the work they’re already doing to support our patients and our team of Chinese Medicine practitioners.

Clinic Director

Dr. Ken Morris has been our Clinic Director since the fall of 2018. Ken is a native San Franciscan. He was first introduced to Chinese herbal medicine from his mother who was born in Hong Kong and came to the US at age 6. She passed on the tradition of boiling herbs to him at a young age. His curiosity led him …

Sure enough, we’re moving from the deep, quiet of winter toward the time of impulsive Spring. Soon, here in Berkeley, we’ll see spring onions poke out of the earth– an excellent medicine for lingering winter colds that ripple through homes and schools through February and March.

The ancient Chinese calendar accounted for this shift by starting the new year later than the Gregorian calendar: the year starts not in the depths of the dark days of winter, but as the days are getting longer and the earth is warming up again, getting ready to allow plants to explore the surface of the world with their bright, waxy spring leaves.

Acupuncturist and Chinese Astrologist Narrye Caldwell explains, “There’s the usual mistake westerners make of assuming that January (which …

If you are pursuing an education in integrative medicine, you may wonder what kind of degree might benefit your career goals the most. Check out our article on the different types offered at Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine College, Berkeley (AIMC), and how to decide for yourself.

Methylation: Too much of a good thing? 

When looking at methylation disorders, a lot of emphasis is placed on health challenges that come with hypomethylation or not methylating enough. While this stands to be a valid concern, especially for those with an MTHFR mutation, it is equally important to consider the flip side. Excessive methylation or hypermethylation can also lead to its own set of health issues.1 As with most things, more is not always better. With this in mind, what steps might we take to work towards balancing methylation by utilizing Traditional Chinese Medicine dietary wisdom? 

The *magic spark* of methylation 

A good place to focus dietary support to improve methylation is the liver organ system. The liver provides a spark of yang energy that is mandatory …

Our AIMC Herbal Pharmacy is continuing to expand its inventory of local, organic herbs and products!

Sourcing our herbs sustainably is an important part of healing for ourselves and for our planet. We also are excited to welcome the use of  native California plants in our traditional Chinese Herb Pharmacy. As we move forward into the future, we envision a truly integrative, sustainable, eco-friendly Herbal Pharmacy here at AIMC. Thanks for  taking the first steps with us.

Come by the Pharmacy and Check out our new Local, Organic Herb Section!

Local Certified Organic herbs: Bo he (field mint), Ju Hua (Chrysanthemum), Yi Mu Cao (Motherwort)

Local, Organic Herbal Products: Herbal Alchemists CBD Cream

Window of the Sky Wild High Sierra Botanicals: Arnica Salve, Indian Warrior Liniment

AIMC Herb Garden …

What is acupuncture? What can it treat? Our guide goes through some of the history behind this ancient technique and what it is used for today.