What to Expect When Working with a Clinical Herbalist

With the rise of more holistic wellness practices, you may be hearing the term “herbalist” more frequently. While someone may refer to themselves as an herbalist, this title has broad implications as there are many subsets of herbalism. Let’s explore what it means to be a clinical herbalist and what to expect if you work with one.

What is a Clinical Herbalist?

A clinical herbalist is a professionally trained herbalist who works with clients in a clinical setting to holistically alleviate dis-ease and promote balance in the body, mind, and spirit. Although clinical herbalists solely work with herbal therapies, they are trained in various science-based methodologies to ensure clients receive the most effective and trustworthy care. Some of these methodologies include:

• Drug-herb interactions

• Phytochemistry (Understanding and applying therapeutic plant chemicals)

• Herb formulation (creating custom herbal formulas)

• Herbal energetics (the energy of plants and how they work within the body)

• Posology (therapeutic herbal dosing)

While allopathic medicine is helpful for acute situations that need immediate care, like a broken arm or heart attack, herbalism supports the body with tools that provide ongoing strength, balance, and increased resilience to future issues.

Unlike conventional practitioners who may prescribe lab-made medicines that often come with unwanted side effects, clinical herbalists are more likely to recommend teas, extracts, salves, herbal and nutritional supplements, as well as diet and lifestyle suggestions to synergistically encourage natural support and change within the body.

Herbalists are not able to order or conduct blood work themselves; however, many herbalists, including myself, are able to read and interpret blood work results that clients have conducted through their primary care provider.

Clinical Herbalist Experience

To achieve the clinical herbalist credential, an herbalist must undergo a clinical herbalist program. These programs are robust and come in a few different forms. There are clinical herbalist programs from academic herbal institutions, master's programs (in-person and online), and the accredited AHG Registered Herbalist (RH) program. These programs either provide or require developed knowledge of the following:

• Anatomy and physiology

• Health conditions

• The intersectionality between modern and traditional therapeutic methods

• How to carry out in-depth scientific research

• Advanced herbal formulation

• Herbs and their interactions with the body, pharmaceuticals, and other herbs

• Comprehension of legal parameters that come with an herbal practice

• Developing wellness plans

Additionally, clinical experience (in a clinical setting) is necessary to complete these programs. These are fulfilled under the supervision of a mentor (such as 1:1 training with an experienced herbalist) and often take hundreds of hours to complete.

What to Expect When Working with a Clinical Herbalist

The main goal of a clinical herbalist is to understand and manage the root cause of a client’s imbalance or issue, and then bring harmony to the body through the use of natural herbs and botanicals. To successfully support clients throughout their journeys, a clinical herbalist’s practice may incorporate the following:

• A safe and professional space where clients feel welcome and heard

• A thorough and supported dive into the client’s history, lifestyle, constitution, and imbalances, including a detailed review of the client’s past lab work and tests from previous clinics

• Functional testing - for example, at Wholestic Living, we are certified in functional nutrition and qualified to perform some functional tests such as HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis) testing

• A personalized therapeutic protocol specific to the client’s needs (drug-herb interactions are noted)

• Customized herbal formula(s) from the clinic or a trusted local apothecary

• Educational information, resources, and tools to support the client’s understanding of their own holistic health

• Additional and ongoing support throughout the client’s journey toward holistic health

Although a clinical herbalist is not a medical doctor, they’re adeptly trained to bring the body back into balance. To accomplish this goal, they dedicate many hours to understanding deficiencies and excess in the client’s body while also building a trusting relationship with the client. When supporting a client with herbs, it’s essential for a clinical herbalist to consider (3) things:

1. A client’s constitution

2. The herb’s energetics

3. The client’s current health condition

Every client has a unique body constitution or energy, which includes main characteristics like cool, dry, warm, moist, tense, and relaxed. A plant’s energetic influence on the body and a current health condition can be described in the same terms. For example: cinnamon imparts a hot, dry energy on the body, and a cough may be moist. Once a client’s constitution is understood and the current health condition is evaluated, an herbalist can confidently choose herbal formulas that may energetically support the issue and the client’s constitution back into balance. Without fully understanding these three important energies, an herbalist may not be able to assuredly recommend a therapeutic protocol.

Due to this advanced training and care, clinical herbalists are well-equipped to manage various conditions, which include, but are not limited to:

• Digestion

• Mood

• Allergies

• Sleep

• Immune support

• Fertility issues

• Menstruation irregularities

• Hormonal imbalances

• Skin complications

• Cardiovascular

• Stress

At Wholestic Living, we have a specialized focus on the gut’s relationship with the brain and stress, as we believe that the digestive and nervous systems are foundational to overall health! These two systems function in concert, so if one is off, not only does it affect the other system, but it creates disharmony throughout the body. We focus our attention on these imbalances and work to understand how they’re affecting other functions, like the immune system, and what we can do to bring the body back into harmony.

The Wholestic Living Clinic

At my practice, understanding my client’s constitution and imbalances is a top priority. When we’re able to draw awareness to the root cause of an issue, we can work together to build a sustainable and strong foundation for the body, mind, and spirit to thrive.

While gathering a comprehensive background of my client’s history and indications is necessary, I find that testing (through HTMA), rather than guessing, is a highly supportive tool. Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis uses hair samples to conduct a simple, non-invasive analysis that measures “mineral imbalances, excesses, and deficiencies of both essential and toxic elements.” This valuable data provides a glimpse into the client’s general health or potential imbalance development over the last 3 - 4 months and may disclose insight into:

• Metabolism

• Energy production

• Stress response

• Hormonal imbalances

• Thyroid, endocrine, and enzyme function

• Mineral levels

Once we’ve drawn awareness to the issue, we can take confident next steps toward creating a manageable therapeutic and lifestyle protocol that nourishes the client’s body. Throughout the plan, we may make adjustments to ensure we're always aligned with what the body needs to flourish.

My goal as a clinical herbalist is to provide a caring and effective support system so clients feel nurtured throughout the entirety of their health journey.

Is Clinical Herbalism Right for You?

Grasping the nuances of clinical herbalism may seem a little overwhelming. And while there are many different reasons why people choose to work with a clinical herbalist, here are a few client categories we typically see.

• Individuals who are dissatisfied with the conventional medical system - they’ve either been misdiagnosed, feel unheard, or are tired of constant pharmaceutical support and looking for alternatives.

• Holistically-minded individuals who are looking to live their best life! They recognize life is about thriving and not just about avoiding sickness.

• Individuals who know they need specific support and want to try a natural approach before taking pharmaceuticals, which could have more serious side effects.

• Individuals seeking more personal autonomy over their health.

If you don’t fall under one of these categories, that’s okay! We work with and welcome all clients on their own unique journey.

In Closing,

Clinical herbalists are professionally-trained health advocates that use various herbal, lifestyle, and supplement support to support our clients holistically. Working with a skilled clinical herbalist may provide whole-body insight and health to anyone struggling with an imbalance in the body.

If you’re someone who’s managing recent or long-term issues and would like to know more about working with a clinical herbalist, I welcome you to reach out at Bayan@wholesticliving.com to learn more.

A clinical herbalist is not a doctor and does not provide medical advice intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We share experiences and information and strive to educate clients on supportive, holistic techniques and products.