What is an Herbalist??? Nicole Telkes of the Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine
You may be one of many people asking just what it means to be an Herbalist. You may have encountered words like Certified Clinical Herbalist, or Master Herbalist. Sometimes people have strange letters after their name that many practitioners don’t even know the meaning of. The bottom line is that anyone can call themselves an Herbalist, or even Master Herbalist. Herbs are regulated by the FDA but the practice of using and consulting with herbs is not. This, in turn, can be a double-edged sword. While the field of Herbalism is left open to much creativity and diversity, it is also left open to the occasional quack, or people practicing irresponsibly. If someone is practicing as a professional Herbalist, I would expect:
1) They have spent a
significant amount of time dedicated to studying and using herbs medicinally
and nutritionally. “Significant” to me,
means that the person in question has either been trained through
apprenticeships over their life as many tribal, traditional practitioners have;
or have gone to a school of botanical medicine, or taken some
curriculum/apprenticeship in herbalism totaling at
the very least 500 hours.
2) They have interned in
clinics, holistic centers or other places where they have had to work with
people in short, and long term cases for at least a few years prior to opening
a practice.
3) They have an understanding
of basic materia medica of
plants, therapeutics, plant identification, basic sciences (especially A&P),and further their knowledge yearly, as massage therapists
and other modalities are required to.
Herbalists
are specialists in the field of Herbal Medicine. Just as an herbalist sends someone to get
acupuncture or massage if it is ouside of their
scope, so should other practitioners send clients to those in their town that
specialize in herbs. There is a
difference between someone being able to decipher what herb to take if someone
has a cold, and someone that is able to navigate through hundreds of herbs to
create a formula that is specific to a person’s body and helps to prevent the
person from ever getting the cold.
Herbalists can be practicing holistically or allopathically. If a doctor prescribes an herb for something,
it does not make them an automatic herbalist or holistic practitioner. Please make sure to always ask people what
their qualifications are and what there titles mean. Anyone you put the trust of your health into
needs to be responsible, accountable, and able to answer you questions.
I tend to follow many of the guidelines presented by the American Herbalists Guild (AHG). To look at their guidelines you can go to www.americanherbalistsguild.com.
512-426-3113
texasherbalist@yahoo.com
I am a holistic
practitioner, focusing on herbal therapeutics.
I offer private consultations, private classes, group classes and
apprenticeships. I specialize in the
modern use of local plants. Other
therapies sometimes include: limited nutritional counseling and private classes
on raw foods preparation, whole, and vegan food cooking and how to better
integrate healthier foods into your diet, ritual, guided meditations. My intakes cover all aspects of your life
from the physical, to the emotional, and even spiritual.
Initial intakes are $75,
four for $200, herbs and other supplements not included in price
Please call to schedule an
appointment. No one will be turned away for lack of money