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Many different types of natural medicine use herbs as part
of their practice. In the United States, herbal medicine
generally refers to a system of medicine that uses European
or North American plants. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)
uses plants native to China or Asia, while Ayurvedic herbal
medicine uses plants native to India. Modern herbalists
often use plants from many different regions of the world,
and they do not restrict their practice only to those plants
classified as an herb (a seed plant whose stem withers away
annually). Instead, in medicine, an herb can be a root,
a piece of tree bark, a mushroom, or anything else, which
grows naturally and falls into the plant kingdom.
Prepared from
a variety of plant materials – leaves, stems, roots,
bark and other parts of the plant contain many biologically
active ingredients. Phytopharmaceutical literally means
"plant medicine" and has become a popular term
for some types of herbal medicine, especially those practices
that treat the herb or the herbal extract as a drug. There
is literally no culture, ancient or modern, that did not
use plants as part of their medical system. Many herbalists
are working today to recover information that we've lost
since the invention of synthetic drugs.
Benefits/Contraindications
In the United
States, herbal remedies are not regulated and come in unpredictable
strengths; the amount of active ingredients varies greatly,
depending on whether more than one species of the herb is
used and how and when the herb is gathered and prepared.
Become some herbs can be toxic and carcinogenic, all herbs
should be used under the guidance of a trained and professional
healthcare practitioner.
Training/Licensing
In the United
States, an herbalist is a self-defined professional. There
is no national or state system of licensure or certification
for herbalists. Professional groups may grant certification
to members that have reached a certain level of training
as an herbalist. Some herbalists concentrate on growing
or wildcrafting (picking) herbs. Others manufacture herbal
products. Still others teach or counsel people about the
use of herbs as medicine. One branch of anthropology, called
ethnobotany, studies the use of plants in other cultures,
particularly their use as medicine. Ethnobotanists, who
receive their training through the standard university system,
have classified a number of medicinal herbs. Their work
helps preserve the traditional folk medicine of indigenous
people around the world.
Legally, in the
United States, the practice of medicine is restricted to
those professionals who have a license. Practice is generally
defined as both diagnosis and prescription, with a focus
on the treatment of disease (the laws vary from state to
state). There are no restrictions, however, on teaching
people how to take better care of themselves. Most herbalists
define themselves as teachers, healers or counselors rather
than as medical practitioners. Several natural medicine
professions are licensed and do use herbal medicine as part
of their practice. So herbalists who want to practice medicine
generally choose to do so under the license of another profession
such as acupuncturist or naturopathic doctor.
Medical Herbalist
In the United
Kingdom, there is a legal recognition of herbalists as members
of the medical profession dating back to the reign of Henry
VIII. A number of herbalists that have gone through British
training or its equivalent will use this designation. There's
talk among the professional organizations about establishing
a "medical herbalist" license in the United States,
but it does not exist at this time.
In general, the "practice of medicine" is regulated
according to the state's licensing laws. The "scope"
of the license dictates how you can use herbal medicine.
For example, a licensed midwife may be allowed to use herbs
in her practice, but only as they relate to a woman's health,
pregnancy or childbirth. Herbalists generally fall under
the state regulations governing a small business owner rather
than under the laws concerned with the practice of medicine.
If an herbalist is growing herbs for other people's use,
or manufacturing a product from raw herbs, regulations pertaining
to the safe production of foods or food supplements may
apply. Some states do restrict the sale of certain herbs
considered potentially harmful, such as ephedra (ma huang).
Professional organizations such as the American Herbal Products
Association help members conform with these types of regulation.
Eligibility Requirements to Begin School
Many herbalists
start their training by taking correspondence courses and
then going onto more "one-on-one" training with
other professionals. There's a wide variety of correspondence
courses offered, and very few have any eligibility requirements.
Independent teachers offer a more "hands on" approach
to learning herbal medicine through apprenticeships, field
trips, and weekend classes. You can find them by contacting
one of the professional associations or by checking your
local resources such as an herb shop or health food store.
Some courses address herbal medicine in the same manner
as a drug therapy (how much to prescribe and when); others
teach botany, fieldwork, and the actual preparation of raw
herbs.
Some workshops
and retreats are structured as continuing education for
practitioners. If you belong to a health profession that
requires continuing education, check with your organization
to see if they are offering or sanctioning any herbal classes.
Acupuncture schools, chiropractic colleges, and naturopathic
colleges often give summer classes or special workshops
focusing on a particular branch of herbal medicine. Sometimes
you have to be a currently enrolled student or a member
of the profession to attend, but others are open to outside
students. There are even a few medical colleges in the United
States that offer herbal classes for their students as an
elective.
Professional Herbalist
The American
Herbalists Guild (AHG) offers a professional membership.
The list of professional members is available through their
web site. The AHG grants a professional membership following
a peer-review by the admissions committee. Applicants must
submit a personal and professional biography outlining their
experience and training, have at least three to four years
experience in herbal medicine, provide three letters of
reference from other professional herbalists, complete an
AHG questionnaire, and pay an application fee. Licensed
practitioners are granted membership upon submitting proof
of their training and license as well as a short personal
and professional biography and curriculum vitae.
Many highly respected
herbalists in this country have no professional certification
or licensing. Their reputations come through the quality
of their work -- whether as teachers, manufacturers of products,
or writers. This is a profession where the ability to carve
your own niche can be the most important factor in professional
success.
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