Michele Collins Vergara, RH (AHG), MPH, MMQ, has been practicing as a clinical herbalist since 2004. She draws on traditional Chinese medicine, integrating Chinese, Western, and Ayurvedic herbs, food therapy, and medical qi gong. As practitioner of Chinese herbal and energetic medicine, she helps clients deepen their capacity to listen to and regulate their own health through the wisdom of their body..
Michele is an ordained Daoist priest—82nd generation of the Highest Purity sect and 66th generation of the Celestial Masters sect—and a disciple of the Dragon Heart Temple. Her studies in Daoist mysticism have been guided by Dr. Laura Johnson McCreary, whose teachings deeply inform her approach to inner cultivation and spiritual practice. Michele’s general practice supports a wide range of needs, with a focus on women’s health, emotional and psychological wellbeing, digestive health, allergies and asthma, and the use of tonic herbs and formulas to address chronic depletion from illness or emotional trauma. She also works with clients seasonally, using herbs, food, and qi gong to harmonize the body with the natural cycles of the year.
A certified herbalist (EWCH) from Michael and Leslie Tierra’s professional program at the East West School of Herbology, Michele also holds a Master of Public Health in Health Behavior from UNC-Chapel Hill. Before becoming an herbalist, she worked as an evaluation consultant in public health. She has been a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild (AHG) since 2007 and mentors students through the AHG mentoring program.
In 2011, she lived in Chengdu, China, studying advanced Chinese herbal medicine in a hospital setting that integrated Western and traditional Chinese approaches. She is certified to teach Primordial Qi Gong in the Healing Tao system and has studied qi gong and nei gong (internal alchemy) with Michael Winn. She also holds a Master of Medical Qi Gong (MMQ), having trained in the International Institute of Medical Qi Gong curriculum through Wendy Lang and Dr. Jerry Alan Johnson.
Michele served on the board of the North Carolina Herb Association (2012–2015), teaching regularly at their annual Wild Herb Weekend conference, and also served on the board of the Healing Tao Instructors Association (2015–2017).
A longtime writer and educator, she co-created a blog and radio show called Holistic Healing with Herbs and Chinese Medicine, with her late husband, Andres Vergara, focused on herbs, qi gong, and traditional healing systems. Her writing has appeared in the Journal of the American Herbalists Guild, Qi Journal, and other publications. She has taught at conferences and for both the general public and healthcare professionals, including Wake Forest’s Natural Triad Integrative Medicine Seminar Series and Sunrise Yoga’s teacher training program.
For more about Michele’s work integrating personal and professional experience with the multidimensional wisdom of Chinese medicine, Daoist mysticism, and inner alchemy, visit Inner Radiance Institute. This evolving body of work is the continuation of what she began with Andres, now held through her own voice—offering online courses and writings to help others cultivate an inner sanctuary and align with their soul’s wisdom in daily life.