So you want to be an herbalist? Clinical herbalist and herbal educator Bevin Clare breaks down what you'll need to know to get started working with medicinal plants

New Life Journal, August, 2008 by Bevin Clare

Herbal medicine is one of the oldest fields of both formal and informal study. The systems of study and training vary widely from culture to culture, country to country, and tribe to tribe. Here in the United States, herbal medicine has a wide variety of roots and is practiced in as many ways as there are medicinal plants. The diversity of applications and fields of study that fall under the category of herbal medicine is one of the most exciting aspects about herbalism and an herbal education here. In this country, an herbalist can be a gardener, a plant conservationist, a craft person, a clinician serving their local community, and/or a complementary practitioner in a hospital.

Whether interested in herbalism as a new career, a hobby, a way to support your community or family, or a way to become closer to the Earth, there are several common components in many studies of herbal medicine. As an aspiring herbalist, you can decide what components are important in your herbal education depending on the type of herbalist you want to become. Begin by choosing the aspects you're most intrigued by, and you may find that you'll naturally move on to other aspects of study. Herbal medicine has a long tradition of self-study, apprenticeship and formal schooling. All methods of obtaining an herbal education have their inherent strengths, and students should choose those that best suit their needs and the field they're entering. Most students find a combination of self-study and training with a mentor or teacher to be an effective way to begin their path. You can also find out about more formal schools and apprentice programs in your area [see sidebar at right].

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AREAS OF STUDY iN AN HERBAL EDUCATION INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

ECOLOGY

Herbalists use an important and essential aspect of any environment: plants. It's important to understand the many facets of plant life in the environment and the role they play in your life as an herbalist.

BOTANY

To identify and use wild plants, at least a small amount of botany is essential, and many herbalists find botany a rewarding way to connect with their herbs. There are many field guides that can give a beginner's view of botany, and courses and herb walks are great ways to begin this study. Here in the east, Newcomb's Wildflower Guide is an excellent introduction to a key-based approach to botany, and nothing beats going out and identifying your local flora again and again.

MATERIA MEDICA

Learning about medicinal plants is the study of materia medica, and it's important for any herbalist to learn to know how to use their plants. The study of materia medica can be approached from many angles, including traditional systems, medical herbalism, pharmacognosy and history. Beginning to understand the plants in your bioregion is a great place to start. While there's extensive information on materia medica in books, finding a teacher who knows and uses their plants well is an excellent way to learn.

CULTIVATION AND GARDENING

The best way to learn to garden is to start a garden, and many herbs are easy to grow. Learning to grow your medicinal plants allows for a new way to connect with the plants, and many herbs are lovely in the garden.

WILDCRAFTING

Appropriately using wild medicines is best learned from someone in your local ecosystem who understands the plants that can be sustainably and responsibly gathered. You'll need some botany to correctly identify wild plants and medicine making to turn them into medicines. Be sure to consult the United Plant Savers at-risk and to-watch lists to be sure you're only gathering medicines that are fit to be gathered: www.unitedplantsavers.org.

NUTRITION

There's a fine line between food and medicine and between herbs and medicinal plants. Studying nutrition is foundational to any clinical practice in herbal medicine.

MEDICINE MAKING

Turning plants into medicine is a wonderful process, especially if you're growing or ethically gathering your herbs from the wild. To learn how to make medicines, it's often best to find a local teacher to pass on the simple techniques so you can begin to experiment on your own. The Herbal Medicine Maker's Handbook by James Green gives an extensive overview for beginner and intermediate medicine makers.

PHILOSOPHY

Being an herbalist goes deeper than the tools you use, and any herbalist should have a guiding philosophy that helps them to understand their place in the ecosystem and world within which they live. There are many books and teachers in the area of philosophy of health, our world and ecosystems, and the study of medicine. Additionally, many herbalists feel that the action of plants in the body cannot simply be explained through the action of their phytochemicals, and a philosophical or energetic understanding allows for many other ways of explaining a plant's influence in the body.

PHYSIOLOGY

If you work with people in a more formal clinical setting, it's often desirable to have an understanding of the human body in states of health and disease. Physiology and pathophysiology trainings are offered in many settings, including self-study. Beginning with a picture book such as the Human Body Book is a good place to start on your own.