Skills Needed to become a Herbalist
An herbalist is a person who works with plants and essential oils to aid others in achieving optimum health and wellness. It is this double passion for herbs and helping others that allow herbalists to flourish at their craft. There are also some skills that are required to move a person from "plant lover" to herbalist.Here are eight important skills and attributes for anyone interested in becoming an herbalist.• A good eye for plant recognitionQueen Anne's Laceis a beautiful plant with delicate white flowers, and the unique ability to heal skin. It is also nearly identical in appearance to the toxicwater hemlock. To the untrained eye, a simple mistake while foraging could be deadly. That is one of the many reasons plant identification is such an important skill to the herbalist. Properly identifying herbs allows an herbalist to accurately determine if the plants are safe, and if they will be effective for particular ailments. Field guides and courses in botany and horticulture are highly recommended.• People skillsHerbalists help people through the use of plant material, and the people are as important as the herbs themselves. Learning interpersonal communication, the art of listening and the proper ways of describing herbal protocols are important for an herbalist.Working with a single mother who is having difficulty with stress and insomnia will require a very different approach than working with a professional athlete who needs to amp up her endurance training. Knowing the clients’ situation, listening to their unique needs, designing an herbal plan for their individual situations, and explaining things clearly are people skills that are a must for a practicing herbalist.• Business skillsOn the surface, business skills may not seem to have anything to do with herbs. Spices and teas seem a world apart from accounting and computer work. That said, the two worlds fuse perfectly in many ways. When you buy and sell herbs, accounting is involved. Customer service is needed for assisting clients, a working knowledge of billing software can be important for taxes at the end of the year, and document production is a necessary part of designing labels and client forms.
Likewise, computer skills are a good idea for herbalists hoping to establish a web presence, and writing ability goes a long way for anyone wanting to start an herbal blog. All that, combined with superior organization skills, and a clean set of files for each client or sale, can be crucial for herbalists.• EthicsEvery time an herb is gathered, a client is seen, or a sale is made, ethics take center stage. Ethics with fellow humans involves honesty in all herbal dealings. Including the appropriate herbs, never substituting poor quality materials to save money, and never pushing a product on a client who does not need it are all keys to being an ethical herbalist. Ethics are also important when dealing with the natural world. When wildharvesting, never strip an area clean of plants, only take what is needed, and avoid all endangered or threatened plants.• Networking and public speakingHerbalists are a friendly group. They are generally fun individuals who welcome the chance to share their knowledge with others. Making friends in the natural health community, and connecting with other herbalists, is a wonderful way for herbalists to continue learning and growing in their profession.Public speaking can also be important, particularly for herbalists who want to teach or speak at seminars. If a course in public speaking is not possible, speaking in front of a small gathering of friends and family can also be very helpful. The point is to practice consistently, and get comfortable talking about the material.• Technical skills and creativityLearning to process decoctions, tinctures, distillations and salves takes practice and the ability to follow instructions. It also takes a mindset that allows mistakes during the learning process. This trial and error, the practicing of simple and complex processing techniques, is a big part of what herbalism is all about. Creativity also plays a big role, as an herbalist must be able to blend custom creations for various health ailments, make adjustments at a moment’s notice and design marketing materials (including tags) that are eye-catching and unique.• The ability to think scientificallyThere is no denying it - herbalism is the beauty of nature and the logic of science, all rolled into one amazing profession. How herbs interact with various body systems, physiology, anatomy, chemistry, botany, and horticulture are all involved in an herbalist's career. For example, knowing which herbal constituents affect the circulatory system as opposed to the digestive system is very important. Likewise, knowing which herbs grow well in different soils, and which herbs prefer specific seasons, allows an herbalist to wildharvest, garden and process herbs much more effectively.• The desire to be a lifelong learnerHerbalism is a wondrous thing. It cannot be learned in a single course, nor can it be mastered after a few months of training. Herbalism is a lifelong commitment to learning. After years of constant study, there will always be more to learn. It may be a new plant, a new preparation, or a new set of health ailments that can be addressed by an herb. In every case, there should always be a desire to acquire new knowledge. Individuals who have a passion for constant learning do very well in the field of herbalism.Herbalism perfectly blends passion, science, nature, business, technical skills, personality, ethics, compassion, and creativity. There is a little something for both sides of the brain, and people who enjoy variety do very well in the field of herbalism. Most of all, it is a rewarding career path for people who love plants as much as they enjoy helping others feel their very best.
