What is a Western Medical Herbalist?
A qualified western medical herbalist has undertaken four years of training including study of medical sciences, diagnostic skills, pharmacology, materia medica and herbal therapeutics, in addition to completion of a minimum of 500 hours of supervised clinical training, qualifying with a BSc in Herbal Medicine (Phytotherapy). Qualified herbalists may belong to two professional organisations, the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH) and/or the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy (CPP). Members can be identified by the letters MNIMH or FNIMH and MCPP or FCPP after their name. All members are covered by full professional insurance and adhere to a strict professional code of ethics. Western medical herbalists use primarily British, European and North American herbs, although some Ayurvedic and Chinese herbs are also used. If you would like information on training to be a medical herbalist then contact the National Institute of Medical Herbalists for details of courses.
