by Bobbie Grennier, Master Herbalist
Master Herbalist
Master herbalists must study hundreds of hours worth of material, including information on harvesting, the systems of the body, herbs that work with each system, gardening, formulation, botany and working with clients.
Master herbalists have studied the use of herbal remedies to relieve health problems and passed the requirements to attain herbal expertise using the roots, leaves and flowers of herbs to make many types of herbal remedies, like herbal teas, poultices and salves.
Herbalists help people become healthier through the use of herbs and natural whole foods. They often teach their clients about nutrition and other natural ways to support the proper function of the body through organic nutrition.
What is a Master Herbalist?
Let’s first take a look at the study of herbs in general. Herbal medicine, herbalism or botanical medicine, are all one in the same and involve the use of herbs for therapeutic or medicinal purposes.
An herb is a plant or it’s parts, that are valued for medicinal, aromatic or savory qualities. The mustard on your table and many of the spices in your kitchen cupboard are considered herbs, and so are most of the vegetables in your salad and many of the plants growing in your yard.
As far back as anyone can remember, plants have been a primary source of nutrition for people, and eventually plants revealed their medicinal qualities to us as well. We see references to medicinal plants in the Bible, and other historical texts. Plants that are used for medicinal qualities, have been referred to as herbs for over 4000 years by European and the Mediterranean cultures. The word herb finds its linguistic roots in the word herbe and the Latin word herba.
Historically, the term herb only applied to non-woody plants, but today, the term herb refers to any part of any plant that’s used for flavoring or for medicine. Although the term herb sometimes finds itself referred to along with food spices, it is generally used in reference to any plant or plant part having nutritional or medicinal value. So keep in mind, an herb can be a fruit, a bark, a flower, a leaf or a root.
Herbal medicine finds itself broadly classified into a few basic systems: Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic Herbalism, and Western Herbalism originally from Greece.
So, that’s a little general background information about the history behind being a master herbalist. Now, let’s figure out what it means to be a master herbalist in general.
Master Herbalist
This term, “master herbalist“, is one that gets hotly debated amongst those who seriously practice herbal medicine. Becoming a master herbalist is not to be taken lightly. It involves years worth of study and dedication to understanding herbal plants and their healing properties.
A Master Herbalist needs to understand the botany behind each medicinal herb. That understanding varies depending on which herbal system they choose to study: Chinese, Ayurvedic or Western Herbalism.
A Master Herbalist needs to posses knowledge about harvesting techniques for the plants they wildcraft. The master herbalist needs to have trust with the herbal store they purchase their herbs from. Harvesting dates and locations can be important to some medicinal herbs.
Master Herbalists need to know how to prepare their herbs for different types of use. Some ways of herbal preparation inlcude: tinctures, extracts, tea drinks, salves, etc.
Since herbal medicine is the oldest form of healthcare known to mankind, that makes the master herbals on of the oldest healers known to mankind as well.
If you’d like to learn more about becoming a Master Herbalist and it’s rich history throughout the ages, please visit the Herbal College at Herbal-College.com or the Herbal School at Herbal-School.com and look at the different herbalist programs we’re offering there. Herbalism is alive and well, and still widely practice through the world with a great deal of success.
What Master Herbalists can do:
Master herbalists can make and sell their own herbal remedies, write articles and books about herbal health, run health food stores and teach others about herbs. Some may become consultants to pharmacists, physicians and health food stores on the proper use of herbal remedies.
What Master Herbalists don’t do:
Master herbalists do not practice medicine. They do not diagnose illnesses or prescribe medications. They do not perform invasive procedures on their clients.
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Kiva Rose is an herbalist in the Anima Medicine Woman Tradition. She teaches and practices down to earth herbalism, nutrition and healing based on the same principles our ancestors followed within an adaptive and contemporary context.
