Is There An Herbal License in the US?

Mar 18
5 min read

Updated: Jul 28

If you want to get serious about your herbal education, you may have researched certification programs in the United States. Here, we’ll go over what’s available and what the credentials mean.

The American Herbalist Guild is the overarching organization for herbalists in the US, providing information, data, a school directory, a practitioner directory, and a program through which a person can become a Registered Herbalist. But, it doesn't license herbalists. Why?

Herbal Certification

This is because there is not a legally recognized certificate or license in the US to be an herbalist. In place of a license, the AHG has created a strong vetting program where they create a rigorous process of roughly 800 hours through which an aspiring herbalist can learn, study and practice and then obtain a credential as a Registered Herbalist (RH).

In the United Kingdom, however, the legal landscape is different. King Henry VIII created a charter guaranteeing herbalists the right to practice, unfettered and without harassment from physicians and surgeons, in perpetuity under English Common Law. Their system isn't perfect and can be amended (as in the linked article), but it does provide a certain immunity for herbalists which upholds the right of a person/patient to choose their form of health care, especially if it resonates with their beliefs, culture or ethnicity.

The US doesn’t have such a charter, and practicing herbalists have no legal standing for their profession. We certainly are not doctors or physicians—we cannot practice medicine and we must be extremely careful about our words (verbally and in writing) to ensure we don’t claim to be practicing medicine, even when we know that herbal remedies can support health.

Herbal Certificate Options and Herbal Study

For those who wish to gain credentials in herbal medicine, students can obtain certificates of completion for programs that teach various aspects of herbal healing. Programs vary widely and can focus on any number of issues related to health and botany. I’ve seen programs that are strictly science-based with plenty of chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and I've seen programs that combine herbalism with astrology and intuition.

There are study programs that teach both herbalism and homeopathy (a very different form of medicine); or that focus on women’s health or men’s health or children's health; or that are religious-based or culture-based. The point is that there are many perspectives for teaching and learning herbal medicine and it's a broad and rich discipline. An herbal instructor can choose how he or she wishes to teach herbal medicine and they can design their curricula however they want. The student who completes their program can earn a certificate of completion, but this is very different from a legally-recognized license.

A license, such as the legal certification that a massage therapist must obtain, ensures that the student has studied a certain number of hours with an accredited (state or expert-approved) school, completed an exam through which a passing grade confers a license, and also completes continuing or professional education hours or units each year throughout their career to maintain their license and stay up-to-date on their industry. Herbalism has no such license, which is both a blessing and a curse.

Is There an Herbal License: The Controversy

Because there is no governing body in the United States that oversees the legal practice of herbalism, it is basically considered an illegal practice. Not really--that's a bit of an exaggeration-- but it’s not a legally governed career in the strictest sense. There’s nothing wrong with saying you’re an herbalist or learning or teaching about herbal medicine. But there’s a grey area beyond that: herbalists cannot claim to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease or they will run afoul of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) compliance laws that restrict who can do these things (only licensed medical providers and approved drug manufacturers can).

So, this has created varying opinions.

Supporters of a legal standard would like there to be a governing body with clear laws and regulations that mandate standards in curriculum and practice. They assert that this would lead to clarity within the industry and would strengthen safe and healthy standards. Herbal products would be regulated more like drugs and would need prior approval before manufacturing and sale, and herbal practitioners would need state-or-federally approved training and education and be regulated in how they speak, practice, and teach.

Opponents believe this would unnecessarily restrict a traditional healing practice that is a heritage from world cultures where individuals learn and teach each other about botanical healing methods, especially from generation to generation. They also feel that individuals should have the right to determine whether they use plants for their own health without government interference, and whom they seek out for medical guidance.

Getting an Herbal Certificate

What about a certificate? Can I be a certified herbalist?

In the United States, there are many herb schools and gardening programs that offer a certificate. This means that, when you successfully complete their program, you are granted a Certificate of Completion. It is not the same as a license.

Some schools including universities have developed Bachelor's or Master's programs in herbal medicine, similar to a Master Gardener course, but with additional oversight and curricula. There are a number of colleges offering a Bachelor's of Science in Herbal Medicine, which is an accredited bachelor's degree with an emphasis in botanical therapy. Again, this is not a license. It's also a step up from a certificate: it is a degree.

I paused my Herbal Medicine Foundations program because I discovered there was such a wide variance in student needs and objectives, and because the terms Certified Herbalist, Master Herbalist, and Community Herbalist are so vague these days and have little substantive meaning.

Difference Between Community Herbalist and Registered Herbalist

A certificate of completion means you’ve completed a program in a specific area, from a specific school.

Depending on the program, you may be eligible to call yourself an Herbalist, or a Community Herbalist, or a Certified Herbalist, or a Clinical Herbalist. Some programs call their graduates Master Herbalists or Master Gardeners. There’s no legal guidance one way or the other and you must understand the implications and expectations of the program you enroll in.

Be aware that to be a Registered Herbalist you need to go through the American Herbalist Guild’s 800-hour study requirement and submit evidence of written, verbal, live, and other academic study. Also, the RH credential is geared toward people pursuing clinical herbalism especially rather than product-makers or traditional in-the-field herbal crafters and foragers.

Also be aware that the term Master Herbalist has certain connotations; some believe this term is a bit old-fashioned or that it is elitist. Sometimes Master Herbalist courses are geared toward agriculture and gardening, while others are more health-based. There's no right or wrong, but know yourself and understand the path you're taking, and explore as many options as possible.

Do your research and don’t feel you need to pigeon-hole yourself into only one study program. I’ve studied and taken classes with a wide, wide range of instructors and I find value in each.