First, let me tell you what I don't do. I don't distribute marijuana, I don't work with crystals, I don't talk to spirits or your dear aunt Melva, I don't hug trees while practicing primal screaming while naked in old growth forests, and I don't talk to mushrooms psychically (you know who you are).
So, what exactly does a medical herbalist do? Medical herbalists are specialists in plant based medicines, not only do we know what herbs are needed for various illness, but we also know how to identify the healing plants, harvest, and make medicines from the raw materials. Medical herbalists are health care providers who are trained in Western orthodox medical diagnosis and use the aforementioned medicinal plants to treat their patients. Medical Herbalism is a four year degree, with an additional two years if you would like to be a doctor of Natural Medicine (which I plan to do). As herbalists we study Anatomy and Physiology, Pharmacy, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Botany, Nutrition, Materia Medica, Psychology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clinical Practice, Lab Tests and Diagnosis, and a host of other things. In addition we are required to have thousands of clinical hours before we are able to graduate and set out on our own.
So, what sets a Medical herbalist apart from other natural healers? As I mentioned in the beginning, Medical Herbalists are specialists in plant based medicine, this means a very specific thing, we are trained in the pharmaceutical makeup of plants, we learn their constituents (the primary chemicals which make up a plant) and apply the various constituents in patient care - meaning we have an in depth knowledge of how herbs metabolize in the body and also know what plants interact with various pharmaceutical drugs and even how they interact with daily nutrition. This means that our medicines are unique and are dispensed on a case by case basis, with consideration to the whole person including their various chemical intakes (traditional or alternative).
So, what can we treat? A good herbalist will understand the process of disease and will have an experts understanding of how various diseases effect the body. With that knowledge we can better understand what constituents to apply in treatment. Does the patient have chronic fatigue? We will know (for example) that many cases of chronic fatigue start with issues in the liver, thus a liver cleanse and bitters can be prescribed. If for example a patient is seen with diabetes, an herbalist will known which herbs balance blood sugar levels and which herbs are best used to manage pancreatic distress. Generally herbalists are very successful in the treatment of things such as issues with the immune system, allergies, autoimmune conditions, fatigue syndrome, emotional and hormonal health, fertility, pregnancy, childbirth (herbs to make an easier delivery) , digestion and nutritional deficiencies, skin, heart and circulation, bones and joints. There are also many herbalists who specialize in the treatment of more serious illnesses such as emphysema, heart disease, cancer, and even HIV and AIDS (If you need help in finding an herbalist specializing in serious illness please feel free to contact me OR Google the works of Dr. Hulda Clark, or look up Donna Roth)
Is Herbalism a new form of medicine? The simple answer is a BIG resounding "NO". Medical herbalism has a written history of over five thousand years with materia medica texts dating back to some of the first civilizations. Man kind has used herbal medicine with great success (we are still here after-all) for tens of thousands of years. Herbalism was modern medicine before "Medicine" as we know it - I like to think of it as traditional medicine in which we become fully aware of the cyclic nature of healing.
Does it work? Yes, it works. It works in a manner that is harmonious with our bodies, lacking the side effects of processed drugs (though processed pharmaceuticals have their time and place). Herbal medicine is not as simple as popping a pill and forgetting about your illness, herbal medicine is not about treating the symptom of disease but rather the cause of the disease, it is medicine for the whole body.
Now you know a bit more about herbal medicine and I feel like I was able to a summarize what I am currently studying.
I will be taking patients in 2017, schedule now :-P
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