Qualities Needed to become a Herbalist
An herbalist is an individual who studies a plant's seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for the purpose of understanding what effect that plant will have on health. They use plants to prevent disease, to treat disease and preserve an overall state of health in a person. According to the World Health Organization, it estimated that 80% of the people in the world useherbal medicinesfor some part of their primary health care.
Due the widespread use of herbs it is important that people understand that the herbalist they use should have certain basic skills. Some of these skills are:
- Skills in working well with people
An herbalist should have the ability to work well with their clients. It takes great skill to assess the needs of a patient when taking a history of the health problem the person has. The herbalist should be able to quickly convey a sense of trust, so that the individual is willing to share personal information that is pertinent to care, even if it is information that the person does not believe is important.
An example of this could be a man who is seeking help to get better control of his diabetes but is too embarrassed to discuss that fact that he may on medication for erectile dysfunction. Leaving out this information could cause a possible interaction between the medication and the herb. For this reason, the ability to establish trust is vital to the herbalist's skill set.
- Skills in understanding basic science
Every herbalist should have at the very least a basic understanding of human anatomy and physiology (study of the how the human body works), pathophysiology (study of human disease) and pharmacology (study of the use of medication). Herbs can be used to treat a variety of disease processes and similar to conventional medicine, affects the functioning of the body.
For example one would not want to give a person withhypertension(high blood pressure) an herb that may raise their blood pressure while trying to treat them for heartburn. One example of this is the use of the herb,Licorice, which causes the kidneys to retain fluid and sodium and could potentially raise a person’s blood pressure. They must know what the side effects and adverse affects of a given herb is. Proper understanding of how herbs affect the body and interact with medications is crucial.
- Skills in understanding the proper use of herbs
There are literally thousands of different kinds ofplantson this planet. An herbalist should be skilled in the ability to identify different plants and know what part of the plant is good for medicinal use. Here are some things every herbalist should know:
- Only specific parts of certain herbs can be used. An example of this would be that the root may be good for medicine but the leaves are poisonous, as in the case of rhubarb.
- Some herbs can only be used if they have been cooked, as in the case with poke root.
-There are herbs that have to be dried for a period of time before they can be safely used. This is the case with cascara sagrada, which is most popularly used to relieveconstipation.
-Golden sealis an herb that should only be used for short periods; usually no longer than seven consecutive days at a time, while other herbs, like catnip, can be used for much longer periods of time.
- Rue is just one of the many herbs that are not safe to be taken during pregnancy. The reasons range from causing defects in the fetus to causing miscarriage or pre-term labor.
Many herbs can be used for several different functions and in variouspreparations. They can be used as teas, poultices, liniments, salves, essential oils, enemas, and as a cleanser for wounds. Herbs made in a concentrated form should not be used as a tea. Herbalists should have a good idea of how to use these plants for their multiple purposes.
Herbs are a wonderful asset in the use of maintaining health and treating disease. However, they must be used with caution and with a correct understanding of their properties. For this reason, the skills discussed above are important for every herbalist to acquire and develop.
