What kind of herbalist do you want to be?
What kind of herbalist are you, right now?
What kind of herbalist do you want to be?
There are actually lots of different kinds of herbalists.
As an herbalist, you can cultivate different skill sets and access different levels of training.
Some herbalists are grounded in science, some are grounded in folk tradition, while many more are a mix of science and tradition.
Here's a short list of some different kinds of herbalists:
Herb farmers and horticulturalists grow herbs for personal use or for profit. They have farms, greenhouses, homesteads, garden beds, and processing areas where they grow, dry, process, and package herbs.
Extract makers process herbs into tea blends, tinctures, vinegars, oils, salves, and more.
Wildcrafters gather herbs from natural, wild places.
Ethical wildcrafters gather herbs from natural, wild places with a knowledge of and respect for the ecosystem and the communities where they wildcraft.
Herbal educators share their herbal knowledge.
Community herbalists use their herbal skills to support their communities. This could be a clinic or a community apothecary or a neighborhood friend who shares what they have.
Folk herbalists are grounded in the traditions of natural healing. These traditions can be ancient or cultural or even family secrets handed down.
Home herbalists have herbs woven through their everyday lives. They have herbs growing and they use herbs in their cooking and throughout their homes, in addition to using herbs for health. Home herbalists create delicious herbal extracts and preparations that people love to take.
Certified herbalists have gone through a focused herbal training program and have earned a certification from a specific herb school and/or program. Certifications can vary from basic herbal programs to intensive specializations. A certified herbalist is not necessarily a clinical herbalist.
Clinical herbalists provide advice about working with herbs therapeutically. They have gone through specialized training programs which include anatomy and physiology, materia medica, herbal therapeutics, herbal extraction, and much more. These programs also include time serving clients in a clinic.
Registered herbalists are clinical herbalists who have gone through a strict evaluation process by the American Herbalist Guild. This evaluation covers 800+ hours of study and 400+ hours of clinical experience, among many other requirements. You can find a list of AHG registered herbalists here.
It's very common for one herbalist to be many things on this list without being everything on this list :)
For example, I am a certified holistic herbalist. I earned my certification at the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies in the 90s. I respect science and tradition. I am an ethical wildcrafter, herbal horticulturalist, extract maker, and herbal educator. I am a home herbalist, a folk herbalist, and a community herbalist.
So, that brings us back to my original questions.
What kind of herbalist are you right now?
What kind of herbalist do you want to be?
I would love to know.
Let us know in the comments :)