How to Become an Accredited Herbalist

Alternative medicine is gaining widespread attention and popularity in the United States. What was once considered alternative is now becoming mainstream. People are finding health benefits in herbal treatments and appreciate the healing they receive from non-chemical medications. In fact, many insurance companies now cover acupuncture and herbalist treatments under their medical care. Becoming an accredited herbalist can be a very rewarding and lucrative career move. To receive accreditation, you take courses through an accredited school. Education Portal states, "Accreditation is offered by the Council of Naturopathic Medical Education and local accreditation commissions."

Things You'll Need

• Tuition
• Internet connection

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Instructions

• 1

  Acupuncture school often offer an herbal treatment program.

  Search for schools that offer majors in herbalism. The schools with the strongest herbalism programs tend to be alternative medicine schools. Research acupuncture schools; most offer a natural medicine program. There are a variety of universities that offer degrees in natural medicine. Be certain the school you are considering is accredited. These accredited degrees in herbal treatments may fall under the titles of naturopathic medicine, oriental medicine or traditional Chinese medicine.

• 2

  Narrow down your choices of schools and reach out to the admissions departments at each one. Prepare a list of qualities and questions that are important to you. You will want to ask who they are accredited by, what is the class ratio of students to instructors, how large is their library, what is their placement rate, do they offer clinical training, what is the graduation rate, if the school has an on-ground herb garden, do they offer business and marketing courses, and what services do they provide for their graduates. Also inquire about the length of their program, the cost, and if financial aid is available.

• 3

  Schedule an appointment to tour the campus of each school you are interested in. Ask if you can sit in on some classes. Decide which school is right for you.

• 4

  Begin your program. Complete all the general education courses you need for your natural medicine degree. These courses are very botany and science-oriented. Get the ground works down. As your program progresses, your courses will be focused much more in specialized herbal studies. Determine the herbalist you would like to be, as there are many specific herbalist areas of study. Examples include women's health, aromatherapy, migraine treatment and gardening.