Once in a great while the earth is blessed with an enlightened soul who is able to raise the consciousness of his fellow man by his love, wisdom and honor. Dr. John R. Christopher, M.H., N.D., intended for everyone to have the knowledge to properly care for their own body.

In his youth, Dr. Christopher began his own study of natural healing when he saw its positive results in his mother. His enthusiasm increased when he cured himself of cancer using natural methods. From his experience as a supervisor of a medical dispensary during W.W.II, Dr. Christopher decided to become an herbal practitioner.

In 1946, he became a Master of Herbology under Dr. H. Knowles at the Dominion Herbal College in Vancouver, British Columbia. Two years later he received his Naturopathic Doctor Degree from the Institute of Drugless Therapy in Tama, Iowa. He received an Herbal Pharmacist degree under the renowned Dr. Edward Shook. Throughout extensive legal persecution, personal counseling and rigid lecture schedule, he began formulating what would become his world renowned herbal combinations in 1945.

Hailed as America's foremost herbalist, Dr. Christopher developed a program to pass on his methodology and founded The School of Natural Healing in 1953. His published works include Herbal Home Health Care, Every Woman's Herbal, and his most renowned work, School of Natural Healing. Prior to his death in 1983, Dr. Christopher received the Agnes Arber Distinguished Service Award for his long-suffering devotion to the cause of herbal practice and his contribution to public health.

The following is an excerpt from Herbal Legacy of Courage, written by his son David Christopher BA MH AHG.

"My father, John Raymond Christopher, did not die before the age of thirty-five, as the squadrons of physicians had predicted. His gentle practice of natural healing helped him overcome the chronic conditions he was born with, as well as the life-threatening injuries he sustained as a young adult. He succumbed instead at the age of seventy-three due to complications of a severe head injury. He had slipped on the treacherous ice outside his beloved Covered Bridge Canyon home, nestled in the mountains outside Spanish Fork, Utah.

"Hundreds of mourners packed the church where we held his funeral...Friends shared their fondest memories. A profusion of little ones named Ray, John, and Christopher abounded, whose parents let us know that they were named after my father, without whose herbs they would never have been conceived. A church leader remembered my father's uncommon dignity, painting for us the reflection of dad mowing the lawn in his pinstriped suit. He shared the podium with the then vice-president of the prestigious National Health Federation.

"How had such acclaim been earned by a man who had started out his life abandoned in an orphanage, a man who had been ridiculed in the courts and had been jailed? The acclaim was just. My father was considered the nation's number-one authority on herbal medicine, and tens of thousands of people owed their health and even their lives to his work.

"My father's abiding happiness seems even more exceptional when I reflect on all the reasons he had to be unhappy. His life's work was dedicated to helping others, yet he was slandered by the judicial system that should have protected him. He was incarcerated on a number of occasions, left to grovel in the meanest of circumstances while those of us who loved him waited patiently for his release.

"He is gone from among us, but he leaves behind a legacy that will never be forgotten. He created more than fifty herbal formulas that have exacted almost miraculous healings. He spearheaded the School of Natural Healing, which found its way overseas to the highly touted Cambridge University. He authored many works on herbs, some of which are considered to be classics in their field."

Dr. Christopher's pioneering work in Herbology is continued by his son, Dr. David Christopher, also a Herbalist of great renown.

David Christopher, BA, MH, AHG

For the last 20 years David Christopher has been a popular world wide speaker. He has generated new ideas on the management of high blood pressure, diabetes and auto-immune diseases, and was one of the first to discourage the use of Prozac in favor of natural methods. Alarmed by the growing use of Ritalin, David developed an alternative program for ADD and ADHD.

In 1974 David Christopher, M.H., took his place by his father's side at The School of Natural Healing. David's book entitled An Herbal Legacy of Courage is a loving tribute to his father. Today, thousands of individuals practice the art of natural healing thanks to David's continued directorship and teaching. Many more receive herbal instruction from David and his wife, Fawn, through their weekly radio program "A Healthier You". David lectures internationally and has offered free educational counseling by phone for over 15 years (1-800-372-8255; between 1:00-2:00 PM Mountain Standard Time M-Th, USA). He continues formulating herbal combinations, such as the Herbal Traditions line, the Kid-e-Line, Vitalerbs, and the Instead line including PreTrac & MindTrac; to assist the natural healing process.

David is a prominent herbalist in the United States and is a founding member of the American Herbalist Guild. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Brigham Young University, and his Master's degree from The School of Natural Healing. David's herbal studies began at the foot of America's foremost herbalist, his father, Dr. John R. Christopher, MH, ND. As the director of The School of Natural Healing he ensures that the School offers the best herbal education in the field. David is also a popular radio talk show host, and his program, "A Healthier You", and is now in its eleventh year. An Herbal Legacy of Courage, a biography on his father's life, is David's most recent publication.

David's characteristic teaching methods have reached thousands of students through residential classes and home study programs. He has helped countless people through his unique nationwide, toll-free herbal education service. David's 23 years of experience in the field of Natural Healing and his personal approach pervades all lectures and classes, and gives those in attendance the knowledge and confidence to continue in a journey toward wellness.