What exactly does ‘herbal certification’ mean?

Well, nothing, in a way.

Herbalists are unlicensed practitioners and there is no official ‘certification’ that is recognized on any large scale. The most accepted recognition as an herbalist is becoming a registered herbalist through the American Herbalists Guild. This is attained with a minimum number of educational hours and clinical experience.

I offer herbal certification courses to solely show that students have completed a set number of hours of herbal education and experience. Completing all levels at the Northern California School of Herbal Studies is meant to give you the foundation you need to apply as a registered herbalist after a little more experience.

Some schools may offer a recognition of ‘certified herbalist’ or ‘master herbalist’ but these are not recognized by the American Herbalist Guild or any other organization. And honestly, it’s going to take you more than a couple of years to become a ‘master herbalist’. When does one truly master something like herbalism? Just know that you will be studying for the rest of your life on this path. There are always new things to learn!

So while you may complete the trainings as a community herbalist or clinical herbalist here, I don’t think it will give you more credentials to call yourself a ‘certified’ herbalist. Just be an herbalist and enjoy it!

Of course, once you have completed the clinical herbalist course, you may choose to call yourself that, or you may want to give yourself some time. It depends on your comfort level and experience.