Herbalism

Herbalism, also known as Herbal Medicine and Phytotherapy, is a folk and traditional medicinal practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts, and is the oldest system of medicine in the world. More than merely the use of “plants as crude drugs”, one of the central tenets traditional herbal practices is that the whole plant often contains synergistic compounds resulting in greater effectiveness and fewer undesirable “side effects” than any single chemical isolate or synthetic analogue. Today one in five pharmaceuticals currently available to Western physicians are derived from plants or plant compounds. Traditional herbal medicines continue to be investigated and exploited as a source of new drug discovery by pharmaceutical companies looking for treatments of a wide variety of modern and ancient ailments.

Herbalists are individuals skilled in the Art, Craft, and Science of Herbalism; the traditional use of plants and their healing properties. Many herbalists, more than simply studied in the use of medicinal plants, operate within a particular cultural and philosophical framework that recognizes the spiritual and energetic aspects of the body and the role they play in health. Herbs, and other naturally derived products, will form the core of any herbalist's program but depending on the herbalist's philosophical tradition and training, they may also recommend dietary changes and eating guidelines, supplements, flower essences, meditation, acupuncture, yoga, massage, exercise, or other holistic modality much as many Naturopaths.

Many in North America turn to herbalists only to seek relief from chronic and sub-clinical health complaints such as chronic stress, anxiety, immune dysfunction, menstrual problems, arthritis, infertility, endocrine disruption, digestive disorders and IBS, while others seek it as a supportive treatment and complementary approach to mainstream therapies for serious conditions such as diabetes, AIDS/HIV, and cancer. Yet in many industrialized countries around the world herbalists function equally alongside mainstream medicine and it is still the primary form of medicine in the non-industrial world.
 

Traditional Herbalists

Traditional Herbalists are any herbalists who work primarily within a cultural, philosophical, and historical tradition of herbal medicine that serves as a framework for their knowledge and its application in an integrated and holistic manner. They usually have some form of formal training either through schooling, apprenticeship, or both in order to gain knowledge not only about the recognition, preparation, and application of natural remedies but also to master the spiritual/philosophical system that is an integral (if unseen) component of their practice.

Every culture and society around the world has a tradition of herbal medicine and so each culture has its traditional herbalists. In many systems the herbal component is but one facet of a group of socio-religio-spiritual practices. Some systems downplay the non-herbal aspects in their Western clinical practices while others such as Ayurveda capitalize on their spiritual/philosophical/holistic aspects.

As a consequence of operating in the framework of a traditional philosophy Traditional Herbalists often accept scientific discoveries about herbs but usually shun mechanistic reductionism (the view that “herbs are only crude drugs” and can be “reduced to one or more active chemicals”) and often utilize a comprehensive world-view system in which energetics and spiritual matters are involved in the healing process and the selection of herbal remedies.

TCM Herbalism

Traditional Chinese Medicine includes an herbalism component that is often not practiced as a stand-alone profession but often integrated with other TCM modalities in a practice. Unlike other herbal traditions that have a unified theory of illness and disease TCM has two different systems – the yin and yang theory and the Five Elements. Much attention is given to the flow of Qi (vital life force) and the balance of Yin & Yang in creating or blocking health. Instead of looking for causes of illness, Chinese practitioners seek patterns of disharmony, blockages, and imbalances through a number of diagnostic techniques including physical examination and taking of case histories.

TCM practitioners may prescribe a number of treatments to address these imbalances only one of which may be herbs which are usually administered as decoctions (teas) two or three times a day. Acupuncture, acupressure, and massage are usually also used to activate or move stagnant energy.

In a handful of U.S. states legal constraints on the practice of herbalism has resulted in the use of the term Chinese Herbologist or Herbology to describe Traditional Chinese Herbalism due to laws permitting the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine but defining “Herbalism” as a medical practice requiring licensure as a M.D.

[Chinese Folk Herbalism is separate from Traditional Chinese Medicine and represents a separate Medical Herbal tradition practiced in China .]

Ayurvedic Herbalism

Ayurveda is one of the traditional herbal systems of much of India . Ayurvedic Herbalists work within the Tradition of Vedic Philosophy and Teachings embodied in the Vedas . An Ayurvedic practitioner works within a unique holistic system, based on the interaction of the body, mind, and spirit. In Ayurveda the origins of all aspects of existence is pure consciousness and energy and matter are one. Energy is manifested in the five elements – earth, air, fire, water, and ether that combine to form three basic forces, the tridoshas , which influence physical and mental processes. Each individual is born with a particular balance of doshas and susceptibility to illness is governed by the predominant dosha .

An Ayurvedic practitioner will carefully assess prakruti and vakruti – constitution and lifestyle – through a detailed case history and physical examination of certain aspects of the patient's physiology. The practitioner will then recommend a course of treatments including herbal compounds, dietary and lifestyle modifications, yoga programmes and breathing exercises, and cleansing protocols all designed to restore balance, remove toxins, and aid in rejuvenation.

Many find value in Ayurveda's holistic approach that deals not solely with the treatment of disease but also offers practical guidelines that can be applied to every facet of daily existence and reconcile health and lifestyle with universal aspects of existence.

European Herbalism

Scientific Herbalism and Galenical Herbalism are the most visible forms of European herbalism today, however there are also practitioners of more Traditional forms of herbalism based in the indigenous, non-Classical European cultures out of a desire to regain a holistic aspect (clearly lacking in Scientific Herbalism) while embracing their own cultural heritage rather than borrowing another culture's spirituality/philosophical identity.

•  Scientific Herbalism or Allopathic Herbalism is a non-holistic form of herbalism that arose in Europe and America . While recognizing natural products are sometimes superior to single chemicals it still holds the actions can still be traced solely to certain “active compounds” and the methodology used in indications and the philosophy of treatment does not differ from that used in the conventional medicine. Scientific Herbalism is most popular in Germany & France where the practice of herbal medicine is largely restricted to licensed doctors, but is growing in acceptance among mainstream medicine in the United States in large part because of its fundamentally mainstream philosophy.

•  Galenical herbalism is the form that arose out of Classical medicine in the Middle Age. Based on Greek and Roman thought and incorporating ideas from the Near East and India during the Middle Ages. It was the predominant system of medicine in Europe prior to the rise of professional doctors & surgeons in the Elizabethan period and is still widely practiced especially in Mediterranean Countries.

•  Traditional Herbalism. A small number of Western practitioners practice in the context of one of the Traditional forms of indigenous European herbalism. As in other parts of the world a large part of their training and knowledge base involves matter other than the purely medical aspects of herbalism.

Practitioners working in such modalities may operate from a very integrated & holistic viewpoint, fully equal to TCM, Ayurvedic, or Native American traditions, but seldom advertise this aspect for fear of criticism from both dominant medicine and the practitioners of scientific herbalism as well as public opinion that often retains a critical view of the of pre-classical and pre-Christian indigenous European cultures.

Other Traditions of Herbalism

•  Unani Tibb – traditional Arabic Herbalism that is widely practiced alongside mainstream medicine in India and much of the Arab world. It's name means “Ionian Medicine” referring to the island where Hippocrates, the father of Greek & Classical Herbalism medicine, lived. It derives a good deal of its foundations from Classical Herbalism preserved and expanded by Muslim scholars through contact with other cultures and was once practiced from India to Spain.

•  Siddha – is the Herbal Medical Tradition of the Tamil peoples of India & Sri Lanka, rarely encountered in the West although some Ayurvedic Practitioners may be cross-trained in it and Siddha remedies and herbals may be encountered in Indian & South Asian markets. Many single herb remedies that are termed Ayurvedic and are to be found in health food stores are in actuality Siddha tradition herbals since Ayurvedic herbal remedies are seldom single herbs but rather compound formula.

•  Tibetan Medicine – is a form of traditional medicine strongly influenced by Ayurvedic medicine and sharing many common features. There are only a handful of practitioners in the West.

•  African – There are many African herbal medicine traditions usually closely allied with the spiritual and religious practices of the culture and often inaccurately termed “shamanic”.

•  Native American – The indigenous peoples of the Americas have a rich tradition of herbal medicine that varies widely between different groups and contributed much to Western herbal knowledge. As with other indigenous peoples their herbal healing traditions are often deeply interwoven with their mythic, religious, and spiritual traditions, the learning of which takes years of study and apprenticeship. Outsiders are seldom if ever taught more than bits and pieces of knowledge. As a result there are very few native practitioners and almost no true non-native ones, a fact alternative health consumers should keep in mind. In the United States , Native American traditional healers practice exclusively within the boundaries of Tribal Lands where their practice is permitted by law.

Medical Herbalists

Medical herbalists have extensive knowledge or training in various aspects of anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, differential diagnosis and also pharmacology, biochemistry, and botany, as well as traditional herbal medicine that enables the herbalist to be able to talk and interact on equal terms with conventional medical practitioners .

Many Medical Herbalists often hold advanced degrees, college level training, or the equivalent. Because of their training they are more capable of understanding and appropriately dealing more serious and complex complains as well as being able to predict herb/drug interactions. In addition Medical Herbalists possess the expertise to appropriately utilize the more potent herbs that can be dangerous in unskilled hands.

While trained in aspects of conventional medicine a Medical Herbalist may be Traditional, TCM, Ayurvedic, Western, or Clinical/Scientific, etc. in the philosophy of their practice and patient interaction. In Europe, India, and China where Traditional Herbalism is taught at college level courses as a degreed medical profession one can find Medical Herbalists functioning fully equally alongside other medical professions.

Medical Herbalism is much more common in Europe, Australia , and New Zealand (where they are recognized fully as medical practitioners) and often are simply referred to as Herbalists in distinction to Folk Herbalists with lesser training. Medical Herbalists are less common in America & Canada where the medical establishment favors the Clinical Herbalist (q.v.) and Scientific Herbalism paradigms. Medical Herbalists in the U.S. rarely use the title due to potential legal challenges regarding the term “Medical”. Naturopaths often fill role a similar that of Medical Herbalists in the U.S. and Canada .

Clinical Herbalists

Clinical herbalists are herbal practitioners that have been trained or whose education has focused primarily on working with physicians in a clinical setting. The focus is usually on integrative practice as a compliment to Mainstream or Allopathic practitioners and physicians.

Clinical herbalists often function as an adjunct to Allopathic practices by providing herbal guidance to support mainstream practitioners & treatment modalities rather than as a stand-alone modality, as such they may or may not have the medical skill and training of other herbalists nor embrace any particular philosophical approach to their practice, relying instead on the Physician's guidance in the direction of patient care. A large number of Clinical Herbalists are allopathic practitioners – physicians, nurses, medical assistants – who have taken brief seminars or courses in herbal studies in order to function as a Clinical Herbalist.

Many, but not all, Clinical Herbalists self define themselves as practitioners of Scientific Herbalism and often function as allopathic herbalists using much the same philosophical model of disease treatment as mainstream medical doctors do and usually do not advocate many of the “unproven” or “unscientific” holistic components that occur in traditional systems of herbalism.

Practitioners

We are seeking practitioners in this area.

If you would like to join the network click the link below.

If you are a practitioner Join Today