The Herbal Academy Review

The Herbal Academy has a wonderful reputation when it comes to training herbalists. Keep reading to find out my review of The Herbal Academy after taking several of their online herbal courses over the years.

My herbalist training.

Before I get started on my review of The Herbal Academy let me say that I know it can be overwhelming when it comes time to deciding which school you want to use to pursue an herbal education. There are a lot of great ones out there these days. Fifteen years ago when I purchased my first course we didn’t have the option of learning online. I discovered a local school and purchased their family herbalist textbook then went through it on my own. I would email in my test answers which was fine but things have come a long way since thanks to advances in technology.

A couple of years ago I decided to invest in my education again through The Herbal Academy. I had collected a nice library of books over the years and learned so much through those. You can read about some of my favorites here but I also knew that I was being led into a place of sharing my knowledge with others and it was time to invest in myself again.

If you are reading this then that same desire to share about herbalism might have been placed on your heart too. Let me encourage you to listen to that calling and take the action steps needed to walk into that. The first step might look like choosing your education path and I hope that this review can help you in that.

Why The Herbal Academy?

Let me explain why I decided to go with The Herbal Academy when it came time to invest in my education again.

1. PAYMENT PLANS – I will be honest, money was a big factor for me in choosing a school. We were on a tight budget and payment plans helped me to afford the courses. Another way I was able to make the courses more affordable was by becoming an affiliate for them. As an affiliate blogger I was able to use a 35% coupon code towards courses.
2. LAYOUT – I liked that I could log in and study at any time and download the PDF’s to print or keep on my computer.
3. TEACHERS – The Herbal Academy has done an excellent job at gathering experts in the field as their course instructors. The courses are taught by a variety of well educated herbalists.

Herbalist Certification Online

You can choose individual online courses such as the Introductory course and the Botanical Skin Care course or you can choose a path package which has more than one course combined. Some of the packages include a Family Herbalist Path, Entrepreneur Path, Professional Herbalist Path or the Clinical Herbalist Path which is what I chose.

Included in my Clinical Herbalist Path was the Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced. I have completed both the Introductory and Intermediate courses and will finish the Advanced course this fall. I’ve loved the topics covered and have learned so much. Below is a brief description of the courses I’ve taken.

The Introductory Herbal Course is a good place to start if you are new to herbal medicine. It’s a beginner’s course filled with easy training guides, recipes, downloadable flipping books and charts to get you well on your way to becoming an herbalist. The course begins with the basics of medicine making and wildcrafting, anatomy, introduces you to many many plants, covers common discomforts for adults and children, and discusses the overarching holistic approach of herbalism. The Intermediate Herbal Course begins with an introductory unit as a review, and then quickly advances into more complex topics. The program dives in deeper, working through each body system and discussing the herbs; their actions and energetics; their safety and side effects; in-depth coverage of anatomy and physiology; and guidance for herbal formulation. The Entrepreneur Herbal Course is geared towards herbalists who have already studied at the beginner and intermediate levels, who want to make and sell their own herbal products. Lessons on sourcing herbs, Good Manufacturing Practices, labeling requirements, writing a business plan, and creating a brand are some of the many lessons included in this fast track program! The Advanced Herbal Course is an in-depth program geared towards students interested in becoming clinical herbalists. This program picks up on the body systems not fully covered in the Intermediate Course, and covers more complex topics including herbal wisdom traditions, health and wellness of men, women, and elderly, assessment and herbal therapeutics, and steps to becoming a clinical herbalist; as well as regulatory and legal obstacles facing professional herbalists and herbal products businesses.  

Is The Herbal Academy Accredited?

The biggest question most people have when considering an herbalist training is if the school is accredited. First you need to understand that there is no governing body that requires licensing or certification for herbalists. Legally you can practice with our without formal training. It is however illegal for an herbalist to treat, cure or prescribe. Think of yourself more as an educator for your clients. With that said, The Herbal Academy will award you a certificate of achievement and you can go on to become registered with the American Herbalists Guild.

Downfalls

Honestly there are not many downfalls to the courses but I will cover some things that I would like to see improved if I had to choose.

• I would love to see the courses available through an app to make them more accessible.
• The courses do expire after a certain amount of time with the option of a paid extension. For the price I would’ve liked to see access throughout the life of the course.
• The printed books are very expensive. Because of this I did not purchase them but instead saved the pdf’s and will at some point have Four Pillars Printing print them for me.
• Each unit within the courses are dripped meaning that the units are only able to be accessed once the prior unit is completed. This can be good to keep the student focused on the current lesson or frustrating for someone like me who would like to skim through the whole course before taking it one unit at a time.

Overall Review of The Herbal Academy

My overall review of The Herbal Academy is a positive one. I have no regrets about choosing them for my Clinical Herbalist certification and I’m sure I will use them again in the future for workshops and other mini-courses. I also become a member of their online archive of herbal resources called The Herbarium which has been very helpful to use as reference for ongoing research.

More Schools of Herbal Medicine

Here are a few other suggested herbal courses that you can look into to make the right decision for your needs.

• Rosemary Gladstar’s course The Science and Art of Herbalism
• Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine
• Trinity School of Natural Health Master Herbalist Program
• My Family Herbalist Course, Herb School, which was created to provide an affordable starting point for budding herbalists.

Best of luck on your herbal education path! I hope this review has been helpful, be sure to ask any questions in the comments below. If you feel like The Herbal Academy is the right fit for you then please click on my affiliate link here which will pay me a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Pin it for later: