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Studies & Degrees in Herbal Medicine

Herbal medicine, also called phytotherapy or botanical medicine, is the use of plants and plant extracts to maintain health and to treat illness. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines herbal medicines as herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations and finished herbal products whose active ingredients are parts of plants or other plant materials. According to a 2019 WHO report, traditional and complementary medicine is used in 170 countries.

The subject sits between tradition and pharmacology. WHO notes that around 40% of pharmaceutical products today have a natural product basis, and that the discovery of aspirin drew on traditional preparations of willow bark. At the same time, herbal treatment is not part of standard medicine in many health systems: the National Health Service (NHS) in England states that it does not use herbal medicines. A serious course therefore teaches both the plants and the evidence for and against their use.

What students learn

  • Botany and plant identification, cultivation and harvesting
  • Pharmacognosy: the chemistry of medicinal plants and their active constituents
  • Materia medica: the traditional and documented uses of individual herbs
  • Anatomy, physiology and pathology, so that students recognise conditions that need a doctor
  • Safety: side effects, doses and interactions with conventional medicines
  • Preparation and quality control of teas, tinctures, extracts and capsules
  • Law and regulation of herbal products, and research methods

Safety takes up a large part of the curriculum. The NHS warns that some medicines do not mix well with herbal medicines, and the fact sheets of the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health summarise, herb by herb, what the science says and the potential side effects and cautions.

Qualifications and levels

  • Within pharmacy and medicine. The scientific study of medicinal plants is part of pharmacy degrees at medical universities. The Bukovinian State Medical University in Ukraine, for example, lists Pharmacy and Industrial Pharmacy among its specialities.
  • Practitioner training. Training as a medical herbalist is usually at degree level. In the United Kingdom the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, first conceived in 1864, states that its members have completed degree-level qualifications or equivalent, and it runs an accreditation system for training establishments.
  • Online and private programmes. Some private institutions teach the subject at a distance. The National University of Medical Sciences describes itself as a privately owned online English-language university based in Seville and lists a Doctor of Botanical Medicine (DBM) among its programmes. Before enrolling in any private or online programme, ask the school in writing what recognition the qualification has in the country where you want to work.
  • Short courses. Colleges and associations offer introductory courses for personal interest or as continuing education for health professionals.

Titles and course lengths differ widely between countries, and there is no common credit structure. Compare programmes by their hours of clinical training, their science content and the body that accredits them.

Regulation

Rules for products and for practitioners are separate, and both vary by country.

  • European Union. The Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products of the European Medicines Agency issues scientific opinions on herbal substances and preparations. A product can be registered for traditional use without clinical trials if it has been used for at least 30 years, including at least 15 years within the EU.
  • United Kingdom. A traditional herbal registration (THR) is granted only for minor health conditions where medical supervision is not required. The NHS advises checking that a herbal medicine carries the THR mark. Herbal medicine practitioners do not need to be registered by law.
  • United States. Herbal products are mostly sold as dietary supplements, which the Food and Drug Administration is not authorised to review for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists four active schools for herbal medicine, one each in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Spain: Camosun College in Victoria, London Metropolitan University, the Bukovinian State Medical University in Chernivtsi and the National University of Medical Sciences in Seville, which teaches online. Course offers in this field change often, so check each school's current course list to see whether herbal medicine is taught as a full programme, as part of a pharmacy or health degree, or as single modules.

Careers

Graduates work as self-employed herbal practitioners, in companies that make herbal products (quality control, product development, regulatory affairs), in pharmacies and health shops, and in research or teaching. Official employment statistics for herbalists are not published separately. Where the profession is not regulated by law, membership of a professional body with its own register, code of conduct and insurance requirements is the usual way to show a standard of training.

Frequently asked questions

Is herbal medicine a regulated profession?

It depends on the country. In England, according to the NHS, herbal medicine practitioners do not need to be registered by law; professional bodies such as the National Institute of Medical Herbalists keep voluntary registers. Check the rules of the country where you plan to practise.

Is a herbal medicine qualification the same as a pharmacy or medical degree?

No. It does not give access to the professions of pharmacist or doctor, which have their own regulated degrees.

Can I study herbal medicine online?

Some private institutions offer distance programmes. Ask the school what recognition the qualification has and how clinical practice is organised, because recognition differs from country to country.

Are herbal medicines tested like other medicines?

Not always. In the EU a traditional-use registration does not require clinical trials if the product has at least 30 years of documented use, 15 of them within the EU, although quality and safety data are still required.