Guest guest Posted July 21, 2004 Report Share Posted July 21, 2004 I hope this isn't off topic....if so....I apologize for not listed this as OT. Does anyone on this list have an herbalist degree? Chartered or Master? I am wondering if this is a good thing to pursue..... Any info will be greatly appreciated. Candy in AL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Candy, I have one, but don't think it's worth it.. C-M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 why don't you think the degree was worth it? where did you get the degree from? what is it lacking for your desires about herbology??? jsut curious codie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Ok.. I got a lot of mail about my little flippant answer.. Degree in herbology... Hmm, does something like that actually exits? From a major accredited University and what can you do with it?? I think in the UK and Canada are schools that qualify you or in Germany to have the 'official' schooling do run a practice akin to other medical institutions or be able to legally prescribe. My rather silly answer was given because if you have a degree in something , you want to do something with it, make a living or use your knowledge... This is very hard to do, when you call yourself an 'herbalist'.. For legally, you can not diagnose, nor prescribe anything in most States. A Chiropractor can, for he also has limited power to prescribe. One reason that major supplement companies like to hitch hike with a Chiropractor. Doesn't mean, he really knows a lot about herbs himself, maybe has some phytochemical book knowledge, but would he recognize the lovely plantain by his front door? A Beautician can legally give you a rub down with some ointment, for she is legally allowed to 'Touch' you... So can a Massage Therapist and even that is clouded, for in some States no license is required for that business. You can study ethnobotany at most Universities, which comes close to what I think you had in mind. Even if you have a Ph.D. in it, you still can not legally tell someone, in most States, to take digitalis for their hearts.. Some MLM supplement companies actually will give you some paper that says you are an herbalist or herbal advisor, if you have sold enough, but does that mean they know what a dandelion, picked in your yard does? There are good people who teach you to be knowledgeable, Rosemary Gladstar, Susun Weed, Demetria, MarijahMcCain, and her Herbal Healer Academy for instance and many more. Martin Watt is an herbalist before he taught about essential oils.. Get out your famous herbal books and see what they have on education.. You will get sound basic stuff of what to do with all that 'weed' stuff fin your back yard. Classes in ethno botany from a good University are wonderful to take and will enrich your knowledge tremendously. Botany classes alone will give you very valuable knowledge about the phytochemicals and chemistry understanding is nothing to sneeze at, necessary almost when you are dealing seriously with essential oils. There are formal schools in Naturpathy, but even that 'degree' will have it's limits as to how to practice with it in the US. The question was asked by someone , whose relatives asked where her 'learning' about herbs came from and she felt uncomfortable to say 'from a list'. Those relatives felt more comfortable if she would have a 'proper' degree, something achieved in 3 to 5 years of study.. Reality is, that a lot of people on this list, who know a little or so about herbs, have had a lifelong education in it from all kind of sources. I like to hear from others about that and for how long they have studied. With me it started at my grandmothers knee in Germany. Where everyone knew how to use the plants in your backyard for healing, for there was no medicine available, at about any cost in the postwar years. A stepfather who was pharmaceutically trained and enriched my school knowledge of botany, chemistry. Year of studying with every wise person that had knowledge, I could get to know. Years of studying with different native American Elders in my region, including many summers on a deserted island in Lake Michigan , studying with Keewaydenoqua, an Ojibway Elder. ( Google for her) she taught ethnobotany at the University of Wisconsin and in AnnArbor, Mi/ Books are of tremendous value, wonderful , knowledge of generations assembled in them. But nothing beats hands on learning. Take SJW. Right now, I am teaching several people how to make that valuable oil.. Books will tell you about the wonders of SJW and what you can do with it, dissect the properties of that plant to educate you as what it can do for you. But do they tell you to pick it on a hot day, when the sun pulls out the vital medicine , that the petals or buds need to rub off red in your hand ? That this will produce the best infused oil ? Rarely ! Native Americans started training their medicine people from little on, it was a lifelong path to learning. No books where used. Plants where described and taught how to use them , not just for their medicinal properties but also their esoteric use. No latin was used. But something like: 'The tall plant by the lake that will have wet feet, the leaves are lance and arrow formation, it has white flowers during the blueberry moon and the women would have to ask their Elders to use it...' or a piece of sapling, chest high , thickness of a strong man's wrist, from the tree that will resist an ax, before it's trunk becomes scaly, to be gathered during the strawberry moon'... There would be knowledge shared with everyone, so one could take care of minor problems immediately, kitchen knowledge, I call it.. But some was passed on only during special ceremonies or to others who had lifelong knowledge. Requiring herbal knowledge is also a holistic thing, old herbal healers where always trained to 'size' up a person immediately, by their color, skin tone, many other things, much the same as old fashioned Docs still used not so long ago. Studying botany, ethno botany, phyto chemistry, is one thing , having a lifelong study of plants for healing is another, a shingle means nothing in herbal medicinal use if not a lifelong knowledge 'hands on' is included in those studies. You want impress your relatives? Pick a plantain leaf the next time a bug bites them , crush it and put it on. Than hiss at those round-up commercials.. C-M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 ... your reply was a pelasure to read.. the kind of learning you express, is what my heart desires to know.... i want to learn about herbs and plants and their traditional and non traditonal uses.. in hopes of re discovering a self-sustainable way to health.. and also the benifits of natural living. thank you for your insight, i will be in touch via, herbal questions as they come to me. codie, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Thank you, Codie.. I am always happy to share my wisdom, for what it is worth and by all means, I don't know it all.. C-M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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