Training to be a Western Medical Herbalist

Western medical herbalists undergo a four year degree course in which subjects studied include pathology, physiology, anatomy, botany, orthodox pharmacology, herbal pharmacy and dispensing, biological chemistry, plant chemistry, psychology, herbal medicine Materia medica and therapeutics, and dietetics.  This learning provides a basis for the understanding of how herbs work and allows a modern scientific approach to be combined with empirical knowledge gained from traditional use.  Additionally, they undergo a minimum of 500 hours supervised clinical training in which they take consultations with patients with a wide range of diseases, in a clinic setting.  Western medical herbalists are trained in the same diagnostic skills and examination techniques as orthodox doctors.  They are also trained to recognise poisonous herbs and to understand potential interactions of herbs with conventional drugs.  Although mainly European and North American herbs are used in Western Medical Herbalism, recent years have seen a gradual introduction of many Eastern herbs, traditionally used, for example, in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, as well as some from other parts of the world – such as Africa and South America.