Dave Achula
Trained in Eastern, African and Western Herbal Medicine my life long mission is to support human vitality.
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I value science as much as i respect indigenous tradition. Bridging the gap between the gifts of western medicine and the wisdom of traditional herbalism.
Shamanic Worker & Herbalist
Healing often begins when a person allows themselves to be witnessed. To be truly seen in their story is in itself a form of medicine.
My own path began a decade ago. As a herbalist, I traveled and learned from tribes, healers, and psychologists. Their deep devotion to earth-based wisdom inspired me profoundly. Eventually, the sacred mushroom called me forward. In 2023, I held my first ceremony, transforming my home into a sacred space.
There are journeyers I will remember for the rest of my life. One came to ceremony carrying unbearable grief: his brother had been murdered by a cousin. From the outside he appeared strong, but inside he was fragile and shattered. Over several ceremonies I watched him grow his posture straightening, his voice becoming steady. By the end, he radiated a sense of empowerment he thought he had lost.
(Research such as “The Body Keeps the Score” shows that embodied, safe experiences can help reshape the nervous system. Ceremony offers just such a container.)
As a herbalist and shamanic practitioner, I attune myself to the subtle frequencies of the journeyers who come to me. I listen deeply, making sure their meeting with the medicine is held with dignity, reverence, and care. Each journeyer deserves support that honors both their vulnerability and their innate strength.
​The tools I carry are rooted in both spirit and evidence: psychology, plant medicine, and somatic practices. Through an intake process, I come to understand each journeyer’s history, intentions, fears, and strengths. Together we prepare for the path ahead. During ceremony, every word, gesture, and silence carries weight. Afterward, integration offers the chance to weave insight into everyday life. If trauma surfaces, I gently guide the journeyer back into their body and into safety.
In ceremony, emotions are amplified what is hidden comes to light. Journeyers may feel raw and exposed, yet also profoundly empowered. A single moment of being truly seen can leave lasting psychological and spiritual impact. The most common reasons journeyers join a ceremony are: lack of purpose, depression, abusive trauma, burn-out and emotional detachment.
My journey with plant medicine began over a decade ago, as a curious teenager crafting herbal remedies and exploring the wild plants around me. That early spark grew into a deep calling, to walk with the Earth, learn her medicines, and help others remember their connection to the natural world.
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In 2021, I completed the Intermediate Herbal Course with the Herbal Academy, studying anatomy, wildcrafting, and holistic herbal systems from Ayurvedic, Chinese, and Western traditions.
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A turning point came in South Africa, where I had the honor of learning directly from Khoi elders and Sangomas, wise teachers who showed me the spiritual essence of plants and the power of ancestral healing.
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In 2024, I completed the Trauma-Informed Plant Medicine Facilitation Training with Atira Tan, following a life-changing mushroom facilitation training that opened my heart to the deep connection between spirit, trauma, and the Earth.
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That same spirit flows through Achula, founded in 2022 in The Hague. Through herbal walks, teachings, and plant ceremonies, I guide others to reconnect with nature, listen to the wisdom of the plants, and return to a more rooted way of being.
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In 2025, I officially launched Achula’s truffle ceremonies and online herbal shop a new chapter where the work with plants, earth, and community became even more tangible and accessible.
My Journey
Meeting Achula
It began with a voice
A thousand drums echoing within me,
each beat awakening something long forgotten.
The rhythm moved with my heart, as if the Earth herself was calling me home.
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I felt light pour through the crown of my head,
filling my heart with warmth and power,
each beat resonating with the rhythm of something older than time.
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And then i felt my soul.
It rose like a bird, freed from the cage of flesh and form,
flying beyond the body I once believed was all I was.
In that sacred stillness, I heard her.
A voice, deep and ancient.
Fierce and healing.
The voice of a woman warrior.
The voice of Achula.
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She was not a stranger.
She was the one I had been searching for,
the presence I had felt in dreams and whispers,
since the very beginning.
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I was meeting my true self,
and the lineage that walks with me.
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I asked, “What is your name?”
And she answered:
“Achula.”
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A Native spirit.
A warrior.
A guide.
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And that was the moment my journey began
A path back to the plants,
to the medicine of the Earth,
to the wild and healing wisdom that had been waiting for me all along.
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That was the beginning of my life as a herbalist.