I'm a clinical herbalist and nutritionist. I studied at swiha in AZ. I formulate teas and tinctures and write customized protocols for people. I LOVE plant identification and using wild harvested medicines. Another one of my specialties is identifying constitutions of individuals using tools such as the Ayurvedic Doshas and other holistic systems. It is immensely helpful for choosing herbs for people, creating peace in the home, and being able to make better decisions on how I interact with people in the world.
Lately because of THC, i've been considering that we re-do our life over, and over, and over again in an eternal loop. After I listened to the thc about it I had a headache every day for a month!
THC has been a real life changer and it is always nice to find a community of people who are like us. I know we've all felt pretty alone at times because when you are a person who has questioned the system from the start you're usually the only one around doing so! And that makes us look like weirdos in the eyes of the conventionally minded.
Plant a medicine in your yard or on your porch, or sit with a plant that catches your third eye and begin your journey towards connecting with healing medicines of the earth!
Blessings,
Lexi
Hi Lexi,
I can relate so much! I am also a lover of Ayurveda, plants, and the incredible healing both can bring about. I'm an amateur herbalist and wildcrafter but trained in plant ID, taxonomy, and environmental science.
How is being a clinical herbalist? I've heard that most herbalists have to support themselves with supplemental income and that herbalism is typically more of a hobby. I'd love to go to herb school and ultimately align my profession with my goal/passion of facilitating healing through reflection, energy work, and plant medicines. Would love to hear your story <3
Much love,
~Jenny
Hi Ladies! Me too... a plant lover, earth lover, holistic healing lover. I used to do more wildcrafting and medicine making, but never made a full living at it. I am now Holistic Esthetician, incorporating TCM (trad chinese med) with Facial Gua Sha, and also Thai Herbal Poultice, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, and facial toning and sculpting techniques. In early stages of building my business. Greg/THC is such great stuff! Nice to see people like you all here~
Jenny,
Ooo, we would be a good pair. I only dabble in taxonomy and enviro sci! My husband and I wildcraft and ID for fun as well as for when I teach classes about wild harvesting! It is one of my favorite things to do. Nothing is better than being with the plants.
You should definitely check out schools! My program at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts is... well of course, in my opinion, the best! haha. You are trained in clinical herbalism, manufacturing, medicine making, cultivation, ethnobotany, a bit of botany, and more! The founding herbalist there, JoAnn Sanchez is phenomenal and I have really stuck to the style of herbalism I learned there. We focus on the individual person and finding herbs that meet their very specific needs, as every person is so vastly unique. Herb energetics and each individual's constitution are main keys to success in clinical herbalism.
There are schools that you can attend online, as well! I believe Dr. Christopher has an online class...... also maybe 7song. I know there are more, but I don't know of them. Also the school in Boulder, Colorado is pretty amazing (not available online)! It is founded by Paul Burghner (one of my favorite herbalists) and is now run by a wonderful woman.... her name isn't coming to me right now.
I love clinical herbalism! Definitely one of my life's callings. You can do a ton with it, but it really depends on where you live and your business skills when it comes to making a living doing it. My husband brings in our main source of income, so I am lucky that I can just do it in my spare time and not have to worry about paying the bills by myself, because I am not super business savvy yet. Some herbalists say that it is not possible to do just clinical herbalism to make a living. My school, SWIHA is dedicated to teaching everyone how to make their passion a business. I definitely believe that it can be a career in which to pay the bills! It requires marketing yourself by giving frequent presentations and classes with partnering businesses like health food stores, herb shops, co-ops, and with other like-minded people. You want a good newsletter set up and a website and to be active on social media. It is very smart to specialize in something, such as woman's health or something specific like that. Pairing up with a naturopathic doctor is a really good idea, too! I have friends who own herb shops and they get all their clients through just having a store front. You can become a grower and have success selling bulk herbs. I also know herbalists who make their living selling products such as herbal beauty products, home health, and things like that! Stuff they create and manufacture themselves (chapsticks, soaps, bug spray, deodorant, etc.). Education is a good money maker and you can host classes, intensives, and probably best of all retreats! (gotta build up clientele to do retreats and intensives). Also getting groups of people together to have a group class that meets a few times a month, or does intensives about herbs of whatever is popular (example a group who wants to lose weight and you put them through an herbal program to do so where they can all support each other and learn at the same time). Weight loss is big. I don't do it, because I am better at helping people who need to gain weight.
What I do is I partner with local businesses to each classes and give presentations. It is a great way to find clients, especially when the business does all of the marketing! In Arizona I partnered with Whole Foods and gave free presentations there. Here in Illinois where we now live I teach classes at a Co-Op where I am paid and I can easily find people interested in consultations.
To practice clinical herbalism I offer consultations to people (I mostly do local, though you could do well doing phone/ Skype consultations so that you can widen your range of clientele) where we spend an hour at a time together. I do an intake session, then write them up an individualized protocol with formulas of a tincture and tea, plus lifestyle suggestions and dietary suggestions, and then have a second hour where I explain it all to them. After that we do follow up sessions to support, adjust, and write new protocols as needed. I provide packages where people can get a cluster of consultations in bulk for cheaper, and I have packages were I teach specific skills, like whole food eating, or raw food cooking, etc. Cleanses, as well.
this is a ton to read!!! but I hope you are cool that I wrote so much hahaha. I look forward to your reply if you find this ! I know it has been forever since you replied to what I said!!
Lexi
dsgnjunkie wrote: Hi Lexi,
I can relate so much! I am also a lover of Ayurveda, plants, and the incredible healing both can bring about. I'm an amateur herbalist and wildcrafter but trained in plant ID, taxonomy, and environmental science.How is being a clinical herbalist? I've heard that most herbalists have to support themselves with supplemental income and that herbalism is typically more of a hobby. I'd love to go to herb school and ultimately align my profession with my goal/passion of facilitating healing through reflection, energy work, and plant medicines. Would love to hear your story <3
Much love,
~Jenny
Mycelia,
Your work sounds awesome! What a great field to get in. Herbs are crazy useful for beauty and esthetics ! I just taught a class on the uses of Plantain and how it is my favorite skin healing herb! oo yea you do way cool stuff. Some I have never heard of! If I lived in your area I would totally want to be your client haha. If you want to ever talk about doing a retreat together you should email me! Sounds like we both need to build up clientele, but when we do we should totally talk about it. My email is alceaholistichealth@gmail.com Hopefully you find this reply. I usually don't realize I have replies on this site for like ever, haha.
mycelia wrote: Hi Ladies! Me too... a plant lover, earth lover, holistic healing lover. I used to do more wildcrafting and medicine making, but never made a full living at it. I am now Holistic Esthetician, incorporating TCM (trad chinese med) with Facial Gua Sha, and also Thai Herbal Poultice, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, and facial toning and sculpting techniques. In early stages of building my business. Greg/THC is such great stuff! Nice to see people like you all here~
