There Is NO OFFICIAL CERTIFICATION for "herbalist" in the US

OK, I guess this is somewhat of a rant. I still get this question so often off and on from friends, list members, students, I felt the need to write about it.

There is no official certification or license for you to become an herbalist in the USA!
There are many educational programs that may give you a "certificate of completion" all this means is that you completed a program from whatever school you attended. They may claim to be "accredited", what does that mean? Well it means if you have a another license, such as LMT, or Naturopath, you may be able to qualify for Continuing Ed credits (CEU's), and that the school has met certain standards by whatever accrediting agency it belongs to, this does not mean the credits transfer to any college for credit hours!! If you think that going to a school that is accredited equals a better education, this is not necessarily true.

Someone said "But I want to have an accredited education so I will be respected in the allopathic world"
Hate to tell you, but most Doctors either are warmed up to the idea of herbal medicine or they are not. Saying you have a certificate from so and so school that you paid a pretty penny for really will not sway them, because for the most part they have no idea about these schools and have little time to listen to what you have to say. Some Doctors think that Chiropractors are quacks, and they have a DO degree, spend tons of $$$ and time on their education. The "licensed" practitioners clash in the medical world all the time.

I have said this before and I will say it again, some of the best herbalists I know are self taught. They do not hold a certificate from one of the major "accredited" schools. Most of the pioneers in herbalism, Juliette Levy, Rosemary Gladstar ,Susun Weed, for example paved their own road- learned from the people & the plants, they did not need a certificate to start learning. A few in my generation (and 2 of my favorite) are jim mcdonald (read his bio here) & kiva rose (she explains what she does well here) ......and many others.

There are tons of resources and it can be very overwhelming. Starting with one of the many programs will give you a good foundation, but you will find this is a lifetime passion, and you will learn new things daily, you may later decide to expand your education, or focus on your own niche. I still have classes I want to take, books I want to read, plants I want to meet. I think if you have the opportunity to learn from the herbalists themselves this is a great start. Research the herbalist you are going to work with, do you like their teaching style & the type of herbalism they practice? this can make a big difference in what you retain and learn. Join some of the online forums like herbwifery, Susun Weed ,take hands on classes in your local area, read books ( I think The Herbalist's Way by Nancy and Michael Phillips gives an excellent overview of what an herbalist does, profiles different herbalists and their teaching styles, talks about different events and programs, even teaches you a few things to get started as a community herbalist yourself!- if you can buy it directly from them, they are such nice people!) join herbal email lists like medicinal herb list, the herbstudent yahoo group, medicine woman mom's, tribe, go to Henriette's site, she has tons of free information that will keep you busy for days, visit jim mcdonald's article index for other great resources, and of course visit all of the wonderful blogs (check out my links on the side bar). A great new website Herb Mentor launching March 20 2008.

Before you jump into a major program and spend tons of your hard earned cash, I would really do some soul searching and research the both the instructor and the style of herbalism they practice, start with immersing yourself with recourses, books, websites, et ask around how did others like the class? Make some teas, get out in nature, practice at your level of experience, then the right instructor and class will become apparent to you.

Will Be Off line- NO NET ACCESS RANT

We are moving to our new home this week. I just found out today that the local satilite service I use will not be available at our new house. I called Verizon, the DSL provider and they will not be able to get me up and running until the 31st of May! So, no new posts for 2 weeks :( Sorry everyone! Expect a lot of posts when I get the net back up and running. UGGGG!

Raw Milk Rant

OK, last night I couldn't sleep (what a surprise for me) some nightline type show was on TV. They had a farmer on there that sold Raw Milk. The FDA came in armed strapped with guns (no exaggeration) and shut him down. The farmer said he was just trying to make a living for his family, his wife was pregnant with their 3rd, and customers really wanted this milk with no hormones. A customer comments "hey I am 65 years old, I haven't died yet, my family has been drinking this for generations" "How much did you spend" the journalist asks "Don't tell my husband, $132.00, I am stocking up". "It is in demand, the customers won't let me stop selling it", The farmer replies, the FDA was taking away his livelihood "I'm scared I have a baby on the way". The solution, he had to mark his product "Pet food" his regular customers said "Hey I don't mind eating pet food" LOL. This guy was not getting rich by any stretch of the imagination. The FDA reply "Don't you want to be safe?" (my first thought, let's see those preservatives in foods you OK are really safe obesity is killing this country) Another farmer's solution was to make all of her customers part owner of her cows, in that state you could only use raw milk if you owned a cow. I am not even eating dairy products now, that is not the point, what is with all this control? Don't we have a choice? We should be able to eat McDonalds (YUK), Alfalfa or raw milk if we want to. No one is going to stop me from picking weeds out of my backyard and making them into anything I see fit. There has been a lot of talk about the FDA taking away our rites to make, use or sell herbal medicines. Maybe I should come out with a new product, PET FOOD medicinal herbal tinctures and teas. Just in case.

To license or not to license, is that the question?

Shamanic balance is a particular stance. It is not a balance achieved by synthesis; it is not a static condition achieved by resolving opposition. It is not a compromise. Rather it is a state of acute tension, the kind of tension which exists...when two unqualified forces encounter each other, meeting headlong, and are not in reason but in experience. It is a position with which the westerner, schooled in the Aristotelian tradition, is extremely uncomfortable.- from Shamanic Equilibrium: Balance and meditation in known and unknown worlds

Licensing/ Certified rant

Here is what I think. Do we not give credit to the village herbalists who, through experience, passed down tradition, observation, and practice, probably know more than most? Are you really going to attempt to stop the use of "weeds" that people have been using for 100's of years? I am not anti- certification, however, I think we should be able to practice regardless of the piece of paper we hold. I have full respect for the ND's and the genius of people such as Paul Bergner who specialize in medical herbalism & clinical training for their students. I think this would be a great opportunity for any herbalist. Should we be cautious? Absolutely. Should we be scared, no! There is much to learn from the plants, be responsible about it, talk to other herbalists, study credible books, & KNOW the poisonous plants. I don't think we should feel we need a piece of paper to start learning from the plants. I have studied college level pathology, anatomy and physiology, have received a MH, but I know I could still learn much more from the elder who lives next door if I just opened my ears to listen. There is the use of local folk herbalism that you may not find at your school, wherever that may be. Clinical trials may not support the use of a certain herb, yet we know what it does for us. Herbalism is a basic life skill that can and should be used in our communities. I think herbalists should be ecstatic if people take an interest in responsible earth practices. The more herbalists the better I say, we can all contribute and compliment each other in different ways. Just be humble and responsible about what you know (or don't know)