Phyllis D. Light, a fourth generation herbalist and healer, has studied and worked with herbs, foods, and other healing techniques for over 30 years. Her studies in Traditional Southern Folk Medicine began in the deep woods of North Alabama with lessons from her grandmother, whose herbal and healing knowledge had its roots in her Creek/Cherokee heritage. Phyllis’ studies continued as an apprentice with the late Tommie Bass, a nationally renowned folk herbalist from Sand Rock, Alabama, as well as other herbal elders throughout the Appalachians and the Deep South.

Phyllis has a master’s degree from the University of Alabama in Health Studies, education and promotion, nutrition and healthcare. She has taught continuing education classes for allied healthcare professionals including nurses, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, registered dietitians, occupational therapists, and social workers for Diversified Nursing Services. She is a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild and served as vice-president and as a member of the admissions committee.

She has experience in both clinical and private settings including working in integrative medical clinics in Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama. Phyllis was supervising herbalist at Common Ground Health Clinic in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. She was Director of Herbal Studies at Clayton College of Natural Health and has written courses for Penn Foster Career College and Ashworth College. In addition to herbalism and nutrition, Phyllis has studied exercise science, massage therapy, reflexology, sports medicine, and energy medicine.

Currently, she is the director of the Appalachian Center for Natural Health in Arab, Alabama, which offers both online classes and in-person workshops. Phyllis continues to maintain an active private practice and consults with businesses, universities, physicians, and manufacturers. She is on the faculty of the Matthew Wood Institute of Herbalism. In addition, she is on the board of directors of the American Naturopathic Certification Board and sits as education director.

Phyllis is the author of Southern Folk Medicine, Healing Traditions from Appalachian Fields and Forests published by North Atlantic. This important work chronicles the history of Southern Folk Medicine from the early settlement days of the New World and codifies its principles for ease of understanding. She is the co-author of Traditional Western Herbalism Pulse Evaluation with Matthew Wood and Francis Bonaldo. Phyllis has also contributed to various anthologies published by Plant Healer Publications and has written articles for various natural health online magazines and journals.

As a Health Educator, Phyllis believes that preventive health practices include the maintenance of healthy weight; a diet high in fruits, vegetables and lean, organic meats; regular exercise; stress reduction; use of botanical compounds; clean water; adequate sleep; refraining from excessive drinking; and never smoking. She also believes that our health is tied to the health of the planet. If the planet isn’t healthy, humans suffer. An upstream approach to healthcare that eliminates the source of disease is preferable to complicated downstream measures that offer unsatisfactory consequences. Above all, Phyllis devotes herself to a building a bridge between traditional knowledge and modern-day science; to hold sacred the traditional herbal and healing knowledge that has been handed down from generation to generation while embracing the scientific knowledge of today.