AboutTandi Hartle Expertise I can answer questions about the staff, quality of education, studying and testing requirements, and accreditation of the school. I can also provide you with information about what you can do with the degree you earn through the college.
Experience I recieved a Bachelor of Natural Health through Clayton College of Natural Health.
Organizations NCH- National Center for Homeopathy
Coalition for Natural Health
Expert: Tandi Hartle Date: 5/14/2008 Subject: Schools for Master Herbalist
Question QUESTION: Hello, I've been looking into becoming a master herbalist. The problem is, I feel like I'm in a daze looking at all the different schools. Do you know which schools are accredited? In the area of herbalists, is accreditation necessary? I also want a school that teaches the basics of anatomy and physiology, etc. so that I have a good understanding of the body as well. Thanks!
ANSWER: There really are a lot of master herbalist programs out there. There are no accrediting agencies currently that specifically accredit master herbalist programs.
If you are looking for a school accredited by the department of education, there is only one that I know of, but the only drawback to it is that it is more expensive than the other programs so you'll have to decide whether it fits within your budget and if that is important to you.
Australasian College of Health Sciences www.achs.edu
This school is accredited by the department of education. I have attended this school for aromatherapy and I can tell you it is a top notch school! The curriculum is very in depth. The do offer anatomy and physiology classes.
Clayton College of Natural Health www.ccnh.edu
They offer a very good program and they are members of the American Herbalist Guild which is good. They do offer anatomy and physiology as part of the herbalist program.
Global College of Natural Medicine www.gcnm.com
They have a very good program, the school is excellent to work with. They do offer anatomy and physiology as part of the herbalist program.
The School of Natural Healing www.schoolofnaturalhealing.com
Dr. Christopher is very well known and highly respected in the herbal community. This is an excellent herbal program as well. It does include a course on anatomy.
What I would suggest for you is to go to www.americanherbalistguild.com and look over the site. They have specific requirements for becoming a professional member. Then compare each school with the requirements for professional membership.
Review each school, the tuition, curriculum, etc... and decide which school best fits your needs and desires. It really is a personal decision because there are many good schools out there. I have listed the schools that I have experience with and know are very good schools. Good Luck with your education.
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QUESTION: Thank you for a quick reply! If I were to go through a program at CCNH, GCNM, or The School of Natural healing, would other schools recognize those credits as substantial for continued learning? I've heard that people look down upon clayton... is GCNM or School of Natual Healing looked down upon also?
Answer It really depends on what you are trying to do and what school you are planning to further your education with. A master herbalist program is not a degree program. There are not any traditional colleges or universities that teach herb classes and therefore they will not give you credit for the course because it is not a part of any traditional degree program. They cannot give you credit for something that is not part of their curriculum.
As far as the idea of 'looking down' on a school, the only thing I can say is "it's in the eye of the beholder." It depends on who you ask. All of the schools I mentioned are legitimate schools, they offer excellent education in the natural health field. There are many organizations that are staunchly opposed to alternative medicine and in so being are staunchly opposed to any school offering that type of education.
There are degree mills out there. I have actually been contacted by them while looking for a school. If you pay X amount of money they will send you a degree without you ever cracking a book. Unfortunately many distance learning schools have been grouped into this category. None of the schools I mentioned are even remotely similar to a degree mill but misinformation may be spread by anyone on the internet and people may believe it. This could happen to any distance learning school so I can't guarantee that you won't run into this type of misinformation about any particular school. All I can say is all the schools I mentioned are top notch schools in the field you are looking to study in and will be respected by your clients.
