Herbal Medicine Education, Laws and Licensure
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States Regulation of Herbal Medicine
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 peoples' 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.
Herbal Medicine Prerequesities
Herbalist School Eligibility Requirements
Many herbalists started 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. As one herbalist put it: "I expect my students to get their shoes muddy!" If you want classes that offer "muddy shoes," look for such terms as "wildcrafting" (identifying and picking herbs in the wild), or ask if the herbalist has a garden you will be using.
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.
Herbal Medicine Tuition and Financial Aid
Herbal Medicine Tuition
There is a wide range of courses available, from weekend seminars for a few hundred dollars to year-long certification programs that can run up to $4,000.
Herbal Medicine Financial Aid
Financial aid is probably not available, unless the course is being offered as part of a larger institution that grants financial aid. For example, some community colleges now have herbal classes, so make sure to check with the herbal medicine school of your choice to find out whether they offer financial aid options.
Herbal Medicine Schools
Herbal Medicine Accreditation
Currently there is no formal system of accreditation for herbal schools. Generally, when picking a school, the student wants to look at the experience of the teacher. Both the American Herbalists Guild and the American Botanical Council provide information on schools.
Length of Herbal Medicine School
Most courses are structured to take less than a year. The School of Phytotherapy in the United Kingdom offers a four-year degree program that can be completed through a combination of distance learning and on-site training.
Becoming Certified as a Professional Herbalist
The American Herbalists Guild (AHG) offers a professional membership. The list of professional members is available through their Website . The AHG grants a professional membership following a peer review by the admissions committee. Applicants must do the following to receive an herbalist membership:
- 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 c
- Complete an AHG questionnaire
- 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 as teachers, manufacturers of products, or writers in the industry. Carving your own niche is one of the most important factors to achieve success in the herbalist profession.
Source:
Educational & Career Opportunities in Alternative Medicine, 2006
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