How to Choose An Herbalist
by Patricia Staino
H
erbalists feel deep connection to plants and the earth; they like to speak of their relationship with plants and the respect for what they contribute to the earth. “Once you spend enough time with plants, you get to know them and see what they have to offer, their generosity, their beauty, their scent,” says Lupo Passero of Twin Star, a New Milford-based apothecary and school of herbal and energetic arts. “Just following nature and paying attention to the beautiful order that was created for us is so intriguing. And it’s a
never-ending study, so it’s not likely you’ll ever get bored. One could study herbal medicine for 50 lifetimes and still wouldn’t learn all that there is to learn about the plants just in their immediate ecosystem.” There are currently no state or federal laws regulating herbalists, which suits Passero just fine: “I think that’s a blessing because I would hate to see the government get their hands on something that is really a birthright of all people. A lot of herbalists could have gained their knowledge directly from indigenous people, or their own grandmother, or an elder in the com-
Professional Intuitive Energy Work
Justin Speller
Certified Holistic Practitioner
617-435-7798 Wethersfield, CT
Unable to let go of negative emotions? Dealing with nagging injuries or pain? Do you keep getting in your own way? Clear traumas from your current life, past lives, and ancestral lineage going back 7 generations on both sides using: Universal Source Energy • Advanced Clearing Energetics EFT/Tapping • Matrix Re-imprinting Release & Replace Shortcut • Guided Self-Healing To book a FREE consultation visit: www.tapintothelight.com tapintothelight@gmail.com
26 Hartford County Edition
NAHRT.com
munity who has worked with plants for a lifetime. Just because someone went to the best herb school in the country doesn’t mean they’re going to be a better herbalist than someone who has studied with their grandmother or a First Nation’s person for the last 10 years.” That being said, herbalists do selfregulate, following guidelines set forward by the American Herbalists Guild (AHG), which was founded in 1989 in the mountains of Breitenbush, Oregon. While there are no formal “degree” programs, herbal education, like yoga teacher training, is based upon the hours spent learning. The AHG recommends that a practicing herbalist have more than 1,600 hours of training. An herbalist’s education should include medical applications of the plants, botany, plant identification, phytochemistry, understanding herb/drug interactions, medicine-making and proper formulation. Passero recommends students study for two-and-a-half to three years before going out to practice on their own. And while not all students become herbalists, they do find ways to incorporate what they’ve learned into the paths they’ve been traveling. For example, a massage therapist may start working with botanical oils, while a therapist may use flower essences with patients and a chef may add new herbs to her menu. “There are many different ways to share this knowledge, and that’s why we call it an art as well as a science,” says Passero. Customers should be comfortable asking herbalists very specific questions, such as where they studied, what they studied and how long they studied. A good herbalist should learn by getting outside and working with the plants, not only studying them on the internet. In addition to affirming an herbalist’s knowledge, clients should be comfortable with their personality and most importantly, their personal philosophy of health and healing. “My personal philosophy is looking at folks’ emotional, mental and spiritual needs as well as the physical needs because they’re all connected,” says Passero. “But clients should follow their gut and their
