Okay, I am sure you get it. I am an herbalist. Great.

But what does that really mean? Did I just print off a certificate to start calling myself certified so I could set up a shop and start a business?
I am glad you asked.

First off, there are a lot of herbalism schools and certification programs out there. Personally, I went through the School of Natural Healing because of its long history and extensive education programs. The School of Natural Healing was founded in 1953 by Dr. John Christopher, one of America’s most well-known herbalists. Dr. John Christopher was a practicing master herbalist for many years prior to starting the school and lived a life dedicated to healing people around him from countless diseases and illnesses. His own life story was marked by debilitating diseases even as a child that he was able to heal permanently.

The program used in the School of Natural Healing was adopted by several other herbalism education schools around the world because of how thoroughly it addresses disease and the ways to prevent disease. After the introductory course, the levels are designed as one-year courses with several required reading assignments, video lectures, study guides, and tests. The educational material comes from Dr. Christopher himself, as well as many other experts in the field. I can very confidently say that while I had already been traveling down a path of natural living guided by my own research for some time, the information from my lessons was definitely new to me and challenged me to learn at a deeper level and grow into an even healthier lifestyle.

At the end of each course, a certification is awarded to those who have passed the class. So yes, I do have a certification as proof that I have satisfactorily completed my work. No, I did not just take a class in order to print out a certification and start seeing clients. It is not about the piece of paper. It is about the information and the education behind that piece of paper and how well you are prepared to use it. All of the certifications in the world won’t mean a thing if you don’t know how to put that knowledge into action and create real change for people. In the end, that is the real goal: positive outcomes for real people.

If you are interested in taking herbalism classes to start taking care of yourself naturally, the School of Natural Healing offers a Family Herbalist introductory course that serves as the prerequisite for all of their other classes. You can receive a significant discount on this class through the link here. Yes, maybe I am biased, but I truly do believe that their program is outstanding. If you are at all curious, it is a great way to invest in yourself.