Throughout my journey I have often wondered if formal training was necessary in order to call myself a "real herbalist". Today I want to further explore the idea of becoming an herbalist and how that journey has looked for me.
First, starting with books.
Going to school was never my thing. Paying attention to what the teachers wanted me to learn was close to impossible. I was one of those kids who had a fantasy book hidden inside the math text book which I read secretly all class. My inner nerd loved to learn and my inner rebel didn't want to be told what to learn. And, as an adult, not much has changed.
My inner rebel is no doubt one of the reasons why formal schooling has never worked for me once I realized that I wanted to dedicate my life work to herbalism. That isn't to say that formal or informal training by a trained herbalist is a bad thing. It just has never worked out for me. When I was a bit younger I was persuaded to be a sort-of apprentice for a local herbalist. She required that I do a certain number of hours of work in her house in exchange for one on one classes. In the end, the classes consisted of me taking notes while she read off her "knowledge" in the form of lectures from her notebooks.
And, what is more, whenever I interjected my own herbalism knowledge into the one sides conversation she seemed offended and was quick to point out that she was the teacher and I, the lowly student.
I returned to my path of self study. Instead of paying for classes or spending hours working for someone else as their apprentice I have instead bought a couple of herbalism books a year on a variety of subjects and, more than anything, focused on my herbal garden.
(an excursion into my neighborly herb garden and the herbs I found there, oregano and feverfew)
The study of clinical herbalism involves a lot of time sitting and listening to lectures about herbs. The study from books, similarly, requires the learner to sit and learn at their own pace. Neither is complete without the component of direct experience with plants.
(young herbalist me experimenting with some calming herbs in my mother's kitchen)
To answer the question posed with the title of this post, I do not think that herbalism can be learned through books. Rather, the knowledge passed down to us in books can support real life experiences. While paid courses are controlled by a teacher with a financial incentive to move things along at their pace, learning from books while applying that knowledge in real life helps us along on our path to becoming great herbalists at our own pace.
I don't want to offend anyone or say that all herbalism education is a waste of time or money, or that herbalism teachers in general are scamming us. Scammers exist in any profession and it is important to keep an eye out for anyone who tells you that the only way to become a "real herbalist" is by taking their class.
TThere is one thing that living knowledge from real life humans can do that books cannot and that is ****properly identifying the herbs****. There aren't many but, it is important to note that some herbs have toxic look a-likes. That is why I always recommend verifying any new herb with a few different sources both human, book, and even online blogs.
I want to end this musing on my journey from novice to now by saying that, not all my attempts at mentorship went wrong. In fact, there is one relationship from which I learned a great deal. Oddly enough the experience sprouted from volunteering at a nursery rather than working under a herbalist. That, however, is a story for a future post.
I want to end this musing on my journey from novice to now by saying that, not all my attempts at mentorship went wrong. In fact, there is one relationship from which I learned a great deal. Oddly enough the experience sprouted from volunteering at a nursery rather than working under a herbalist. That, however, is a story for a future post.
I really would have liked to learn from a herbalist - but I dont' find the online courses that useful (I pick up info super quick so find them superficial and frustratingly light on) and face to face here in Australia is often TOO formal and far too expensive for me to even contemplate. Also, I don't plan on teaching anyone or having a clinic so I'm definitely not paying that much! Also - a lot of alsos - this is usually info passed through generations and from self study - I'd like to be part of that flow of information - part of why HIVE can be cool - I've learnt a lot from the herbalists or foragers or medicinal herb users that have stuck around on HIVE. We've lost so much oral knowledge haven't we?
I agree!! totally! You are right, we have lost a lot of oral knowledge. Using herbs as a primary form of medicine was once the main source of medicine in most of the world. But, simultaneously, there is a boom of free - and quite helpful - information online. I want to be a part of that and you certainly are a part of that too.
Iβm into synthetic medicine and Iβll agree with you.
Iβve spent a whole lot of time in classes for 6 years.
Reading on your own and applying it in life is a beautiful plan, but then again mentorship isnβt always a wrong thing.
Mentorship could work fine for some people and not sit in right with others. I guess we should just do what works for us.
It is interesting to hear your perspective! Thanks for the comment, it is nice to hear that I am not the only one who finds time in class to be less than ideal. I actually have an example of a mentorship that was very helpful too but, for some reason, I have decided to leave that for a future post.
Goodluck with it, I hope everything works out well.
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You're right, living knowledge. I learned about herbalism and many things from my grandmother; I ignored that knowledge for many years while in medical school. But then, I saw so much bad stuff in pharmaceutical drugs. I realized that the herbs our family uses work. Looking at how herbs affect physiology became an interesting thing for me, and learning their biochemical component became an obsession; herbs are not for everyone; you'll have to consider the contraindications; it is good, and powerful but can be dangerous if not given correctly and appropriately. ππ
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