How Do You Become An Herbalist?

Are you considering becoming become an herbalist? It is by far one of the most rewarding experiences! There are a few things to consider when beginning your herbal journey. What does your relationship with the plants look? How do you already use them in your everyday life? In what ways would you like to better get to know and understand the plants? As medicine, food, botanical art, or perhaps spiritual healing? What do you already know, and is there something that you feel most drawn to? Where did your ancestors come from? And how did they utilize the plants? Is there something that currently inspires you and calls you to venture further down the plant path. How would you like to work with them? If you're reading this, you've already heard the call.

Now is the time to step into action and find your place among the plants as a healer and as an herbalist. 

There are many different ways that this can take shape. Herbalists are quite varied and unique in their offerings. You can choose to study Herbalism to enhance and empower your health and widen your natural resources. Or perhaps you would like to better care for your family,  friends, and pets learning to efficaciously use the plethora of herbs that grow all around each of us, no matter where you live. As you become an herbalist, you will learn to identify hundreds of medicinal and edible plants and learn to make potent remedies that will serve you as natural medicine for the mind-body and Spirit throughout your lifetime. 

Many of our students go on to work as community herbalists, some open their own, Apothecary, and many start their small businesses, with beautiful, handcrafted, herbal remedies, lotions, and potions. Others go to work directly with clients to help them, meet their greatest health potential with the use of medicinal plants. Others go on to become writers or work in medicinal gardening, many become specialized growers and herbal farmers or go to work in specialized botanical stores, or the natural products industry. 

It truly is endless what you can do with the information that you will learn as a budding herbalist! Regardless of the path you choose, the most important part is that becoming an herbalist is that it allows us to empower ourselves to take our health back into our own hands and learn to work with the plants that our ancestors have used as food, medicine, food and fiber since the beginning of time.

We all have herbalists in our lineage. This is an ancient path. This is what we like to call a "remembering", of what lies within our DNA, just waiting to be brought back to life. It is our return to nature. Becoming an herbalist is reclaiming our autonomy. Our right to know how to take care of ourselves, our family members, and others. It is an opportunity to build deep relationships with the plants that serve us every day. It is a privilege, a joy and it is one of the greatest journeys you will ever take!

Herbalism in the United States is an entirely unregulated field, and we prefer it that way! There are no federal or state licenses or certifications for herbalists. The closest thing we have to a license or certification is to become a Registered Herbalist through the American Herbalist's Guild, which takes years of study and practice. However, you do not need to be a registered herbalist to work as an herbalist.

What is the definition of a Herbalist?

(From The American Herbalist’s Guild)

Herbalists are people who dedicate their lives to working with medicinal plants. They include native healers, scientists, naturopaths, holistic medical doctors, researchers, writers, herbal pharmacists, medicine makers, wildcrafters, harvesters, and herbal farmers to name a few.

While herbalists are quite varied, the common love and respect for life, especially the relationship between plants and humans, unites them. Persons specializing in the therapeutic use of plants may be medical herbalists, traditional herbalists, acupuncturists, midwives, naturopathic physicians, or even one's grandmother.

First, Consider…

First, you may want to consider what your end goal is—do you want to be your own family's herbalist or a community herbalist? Maybe an herbal product developer or maker, or maybe work with clients in a clinical setting? Perhaps you want to grow, forage, and wildcraft medicinal plants? You may also seek to have a career in the natural products industry, or work in or open an herbal apothecary. It is perfectly okay to not know what your end goal is right away as often we find the answers along the path of your herbal education.

The next step is to choose which herb school is right for you. At Twin Star, we offer comprehensive training that will prepare you for a career as an herbalist in whichever direction you plan to go. When you study with us, you'll receive certificates at the end of our training programs, accruing vital hours, detailing what topics you've learned and skills you've become proficient in. These certificates serve as your credentials (hours studied) instead of non-existent federal and state licenses.

STEP ONE

Whether you want to learn for the sake of your health, to hold the healing space in your family or community, become a clinical herbalist, herbal product maker, or both (or if you just want to gain an understanding of the field), you’ll start with our Foundations of Herbalism level 1 training in Connecticut or our Foundations of Herbalism in Asheville, NC. We offer two locations for our in-person version of this class as well as a fully online and self-paced option. This course will give you a fantastic overview of many herbalism-related topics.

In this course, you'll learn about traditional herbal healing, herbs for each system of the body, how to make herbal remedies and recipes, plant identification, gardening, foraging and wildcrafting, spirit-based herbalism, and much more.

STEP TWO

Our Herbal Practice & Protocol Advanced Herbal training. This 200-hour professional herbalism course builds upon what you learned in Level 1 and offers essential skills and training for caring for and educating others about herbal health, and developing skills to become an active community herbalist.

STEP THREE

To go on from here to become a clinical herbalist, if you so choose, you'll complete the following additional prerequisites before finally moving on to The Practicing Herbalist Clinical Training program.

a) Take The Art of Flower Essence Therapy online course. This can be taken regardless of whether or not you decide to become a clinical practitioner! It is a fantastic introduction to the wonderful world of flower essences. It will teach you all about how this gentle and effective healing modality helps balance and restore the emotional body.

b) Take the Introduction to Ayurveda online class, a four-hour lecture by Ilana Sobo, which is available for purchase on the After Class Pass page of our website.

STEP FOUR

Lastly, to take the path to becoming a clinical herbalist with Twin Star, you'll take The Practicing Herbalist Clinical Training. This course is co-taught by our founder and director, Lupo Passero, and Ilana Sobo. You'll complete lectures and mentorship hours, and meet and perform herbal consults, all to prepare you to meet and treat clients in your practice!