TRAINING IN HERBAL MEDICINE
Becoming a medical herbalist to the standard of the NIMH involves
3-4years study on a BSc programme.
Studies include biochemistry, botany, pharmacology and herbal
traditions as well as medical sciences such as anatomy, physiology,
pathology and diagnostic techniques. Medical herbalists are trained
in differential diagnosis of illness and ethical aspects of medicine
in the same way as doctors but their treatment plan and diagnosis is
different.
The medical herbalist makes a diagnosis based on a conventional
scientific framework using a case-history and referring to laboratory
and diagnostic tests where they are relevant. I may examine your chest
using a stethoscope or your eyes and ears with specialist viewing
instruments and interpret blood and urine tests. When I come to
diagnosis I may express it differently from a doctor, describing
imbalances and insufficiencies as well as relaxed or tense systems.
Medical Herbalists in Britain generally prescribe quite small doses of
herbal compounds such as tinctures which may contain several
herbal ingredients. NIMH members are commited to using whole herbs
and not standardised extracts. This is because we believe the
effectiveness and safety of the plant may be dependant on the natural
mixture of chemicals which has been shown to be safe in traditional
use over a long period of time.
It has also proved very difficult to identify which component of a herb's
chemical complexity is the most active ingredient in many cases, indeed
herbalists believe that this very complexity can be the source of a herb's
beneficial effect as different chemical constituents work together to bring
about a physiological change. This phenomenon is known as synergy and
it is recognised in conventional medicine where some drugs are
combined for better effect.
Herbal prescriptions are quite individual, each patient will be given a
selection of herbs suitable for their health needs based on a wholistic
assessment. Most people will take herbal medicine for about 6 months,
some will continue to take it for longer. Changes in the body build up
slowly but you would expect to see the beginnings of change in the first
month of treatment.