What is an Herbalist?
Herbalists are people who dedicate their lives to working with medicinal plants. They include native healers, scientists, naturopaths, holistic medical doctors, researchers, writers, herbal pharmacists, medicine makers, wild crafters, harvesters and herbal farmers to name a few. While herbalists are quite varied, the common love and respect for life, especially the relationship between plants and humans, unites them. Persons specializing in the therapeutic use of plants may be medical herbalists, traditional herbalists, acupuncturists, midwives, naturopathic physicians, or even one’s own grandmother.
An herbalist is someone who specializes in handling herbs for medicinal purposes. In some cases, an herbalist focuses on growing herbs, while others may harvest or collect herbs in the wild, and some offer herbal prescriptions and advice. In many cases, an herbalist performs all three tasks, managing his or her own stock of herbs to ensure that they are of high quality. The qualifications to become an herbalist vary widely, depending on the nation, and many nations have no set regulations for the practice of herbal medicine. In some regions of the world, herbalists can attend formal training programs and receive certification through an independent organization to ensure that they are well versed in the practice of herbal medicine. In other instances, someone may apprentice with an herbalist before setting up an independent practice. The use of herbs in medicine is ancient, and in some parts of the world it is a practice which is considered on par with more mainstream medicine. In Asia
You may be one of many people asking just what it means to be an Herbalist. You may have encountered words like Certified Clinical Herbalist, or Master Herbalist. Sometimes people have strange letters after their name that many practitioners dont even know the meaning of. The bottom line is that anyone can call themselves an Herbalist, or even Master Herbalist. Herbs are regulated by the FDA but the practice of using and consulting with herbs is not. This, in turn, can be a double-edged sword. While the field of Herbalism is left open to much creativity and diversity, it is also left open to the occasional quack, or people practicing irresponsibly. If someone is practicing as a professional Herbalist, I would expect: 1) They have spent a significant amount of time dedicated to studying and using herbs medicinally and nutritionally. Significant to me, means that the person in question has either been trained through apprenticeships over their life as many tribal, traditional practitione
