herbalist certification

[Guest guest]

Besides NCCAOM, is there any other licensing body out there for

herbalists? I had a chat with a neurologist doing a study of drug-herb

interactions in his neurology practice, and found he had little knowledge

of the education involved in getting California Board and/or NCCAOM

licensure. So, I'm putting together a one page resource listing for him

on 'How to find a qualified herbalist'

 

I recall some controversial threads about what qualifies one to be an

herbalist. I don't want to add to the controversy. I certainly believe

and know folks who are certainly qualified without having some silly

piece of paper. The degree does not the scholar make. But for this

particular audience, I just ask the academy members for info about

licensing or certifying bodies out there.

 

Thank you.

[Guest guest]

Pamela,

 

There continues to be a lot of confusion over the certification/licensing of

herbalists.

 

In a nutshell:

 

As an " herbalist " , Chinese or otherwise, one does not require a license

anywhere in the U.S. and in most countries of the British Commonwealth of

nations. This is based on common law precedents that have only in the past

decade become better known by alternative health people ar large. Though I

continually receive inquiries from visitors to my website about herbal

" licensing " . There is no such thing or such a requirement.

 

Various professions, such as naturopathy, and acupuncturists in a few

states, include herbs in their scope of practice, but this does not restrict the

ability of others to use herbs and to call themselves herbalists.

 

The NCAAOM is **not** a licensing body itself. Its acupuncture exam is used

a major criteria for licensing in many states. However, its herbology

certification exam is not the basis of licensing of herbalists anywhere, to my

knowledge. Moreover, I believe its policies to be highly discriminatory toward

non-acupuncturists who wish to qualify.

 

The American Herbalists Guild has a Chinese herbal certification based on

peer review and evaluation of several written case studies that the candidate

presents.

 

The Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) in the UK is a private,

non-governmental body that certifies Chinese herbalists, without requiring any

specific knowledge of acupuncture as a prerequisite. I think its certification

consists of peer review, presentation of cases, and an exam, but I'm not sure

about details.

The RCHM, last I checked, had a requirement that members carry professional

liability insurance, which might be fine in the UK, but irrelevant in countries

where it is not even available.

 

 

 

I have a 'How to find a qualified herbalist' on the RMHI website at:

http://www.rmhiherbal.org/a/c.healthqa.html

from which you might pick up some ideas.

 

I wrote it many years ago after a former client of mine needed a referral in a

distant city. I used the NCCAOM Chinese herbology directory, and my former

client was very dissatisfied with all 4 people I found listed in the directory.

None of them seemed to know how to do the basics of a TCM pattern assessment

workup, but instead recommended anm herbal formula based exclusively on the

medical diagnosis. I'm sure there are qualified NCCAOM certificate holders, but

this experience led me to question how these people ever got certified. It's my

understanding that while the NCCAOM certification currently requires an exam,

many people initially qualified by peer review based on documented experience

and qualifications.

 

Due to the difficulty in verifying the validity of international diplomas and

certificates, I believe that what is needed is a Chinese herbal certification

based primarily on a mandatory objective exam, and which does not discriminate

against non-acupuncturists, or against people who studied by apprenticeships

with independent practitioners (not affiliated with accredited schools).

 

These days, I've found that the most reliable way to find a qualified

practitioner is to ask on groups like these. Owning a college degree and various

pieces of paper these days seems to have very little relationship with ability

or skill. Caveat emptor.

 

Roger

 

 

 

 

 

> Pamela Zilavy <yinyang

>herbalist certification

>

>Besides NCCAOM, is there any other licensing body out there for

>herbalists? I had a chat with a neurologist doing a study of drug-herb

>interactions in his neurology practice, and found he had little knowledge

>of the education involved in getting California Board and/or NCCAOM

>licensure. So, I'm putting together a one page resource listing for him

>on 'How to find a qualified herbalist'

>

>I recall some controversial threads about what qualifies one to be an

>herbalist. I don't want to add to the controversy. I certainly believe

>and know folks who are certainly qualified without having some silly

>piece of paper. The degree does not the scholar make. But for this

>particular audience, I just ask the academy members for info about

>licensing or certifying bodies out there.

>

>Thank you.

>

 

---Roger Wicke, PhD, TCM Clinical Herbalist

contact: www.rmhiherbal.org/contact/

Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute, Hot Springs, Montana USA

Clinical herbology training programs - www.rmhiherbal.org