The Associate membership category is designed for individuals who have dedicated substantial time and effort to careers involving medicinal plants. This category encompasses a broad range of professions, including herb cultivation, herbal product manufacturing, teaching, research, client consultation, and more. By using the term "Associate member," we aim to bring together these diverse paths and demonstrate a commitment to utilizing medicinal plants in various ways.
Furthermore, the Associate category aims to enhance visibility and acknowledgement for this rewarding career path. This new designation intends to inspire other enthusiasts of plants and the environment to consider herbalism as a viable profession and join the AHG community, connecting with herbalists worldwide. The inception of the Associate membership category was driven, in part, by the requests of numerous medical professionals who view herbal medicine as an allied field, despite not having immersed themselves fully in clinical herbalism. We aim to accommodate medical professionals through this category, given the significant positive feedback received thus far.
Associate Members Include:
· Intermediate-level clinicians who haven't yet completed the required clinical hours for RH membership.
· Career herbalists who specialize in non-clinical roles.
· Practitioners in other fields related to clinical herbalism and allied health providers with herbal training.
· Students graduates from herbal schools across the country who meet the criteria for this designated membership category.
· Individuals who have been actively working in the herbal field for a considerable period and have made significant contributions to the field of herbalism.
Disclaimer: “Associate member” is not a mark of competency in clinical practice as the RH (Registered Herbalist) title is. This distinction is not a credential. Although Associate members are asked to submit minimal evidence of their work and study, this membership category is not peer-reviewed for educational and practice standards. While the Associate membership may function as a stepping stone to the advanced RH membership, it also stands alone as an intermediary category. RH is still considered the highest standard for clinical herbalism offered within the AHG. The RH credential offered through the American Herbalists Guild is an acclaimed and widely recognized credential that may be acquired through 1200+ hours of study in a variety of aspects of herbal medicine. The RH designation is currently the only widely recognized committee-reviewed credential available to herbalists in the US.
Recognition of your professional specialty via our internal member's only website directory
Networking opportunities and roundtablesspecific to Associate members (upcoming meetups for Associates include business development and clinical roundtables)
Associate member badge
Who can become an Associate member?
In order to qualify as an Associate member, you must submit documentation reflecting a minimum of two years of training or experience, averaging five hours or more per week (a total of approximately 500 hours) and acknowledge the statement of ethical guidelines
How do I become an Associate member?
You can document your membership qualifications by submitting information according to the options below:
Certificate of Completion from an herbal school or training program. This document must include the name of the school and instructor(s), the name of the course or program, and the number of hours of the course or program.
Documentation from a supervisor, teacher, mentor, or program coordinator. If you work in an herbal education program, as a veterinary herbalist, at an herb shop, on an herb farm, or do other types of work that are directly focused on herbal skills, your work hours may apply. Please ask your employer or mentor to provide information that specifies the skills you have obtained in this workplace and the number of training hours this represents. This can include a supervised clinical setting.
Contracts for speaking, teaching, or herb-based work. If you teach workshops in your community, present at an herb conference, etc, these hours may apply. You can submit a copy of your contract or work agreement.
To enroll in Associate membership: assemble your documentation according to the list above into one PDF file. Have this ready to upload.
Why become an Associate member?
The Associate membership category is designed for individuals who have dedicated substantial time and effort to careers involving medicinal plants. This category encompasses a broad range of professions, including herb cultivation, herbal product manufacturing, teaching, research, client consultation, and more. By using the term "Associate member," we aim to bring together these diverse paths and demonstrate a commitment to utilizing medicinal plants in various ways.
Furthermore, the Associate category aims to enhance visibility and acknowledgement for this rewarding career path. This new designation intends to inspire other enthusiasts of plants and the environment to consider herbalism as a viable profession and join the AHG community, connecting with herbalists worldwide. The inception of the Associate membership category was driven, in part, by the requests of numerous medical professionals who view herbal medicine as an allied field, despite not having immersed themselves fully in clinical herbalism. We aim to accommodate medical professionals through this category, given the significant positive feedback received thus far.
Associate Members Include:
· Intermediate-level clinicians who haven't yet completed the required clinical hours for RH membership.
· Career herbalists who specialize in non-clinical roles.
· Practitioners in other fields related to clinical herbalism and allied health providers with herbal training.
· Students graduates from herbal schools across the country who meet the criteria for this designated membership category.
· Individuals who have been actively working in the herbal field for a considerable period and have made significant contributions to the field of herbalism.
For more information, see the Associate Member FAQs.
Disclaimer: “Associate member” is not a mark of competency in clinical practice as the RH (Registered Herbalist) title is. This distinction is not a credential. Although Associate members are asked to submit minimal evidence of their work and study, this membership category is not peer-reviewed for educational and practice standards. While the Associate membership may function as a stepping stone to the advanced RH membership, it also stands alone as an intermediary category. RH is still considered the highest standard for clinical herbalism offered within the AHG. The RH credential offered through the American Herbalists Guild is an acclaimed and widely recognized credential that may be acquired through 1200+ hours of study in a variety of aspects of herbal medicine. The RH designation is currently the only widely recognized committee-reviewed credential available to herbalists in the US.
Benefits:
Associate members enjoy all General benefits, plus:
Who can become an Associate member?
In order to qualify as an Associate member, you must submit documentation reflecting a minimum of two years of training or experience, averaging five hours or more per week (a total of approximately 500 hours) and acknowledge the statement of ethical guidelines
How do I become an Associate member?
You can document your membership qualifications by submitting information according to the options below:
To enroll in Associate membership: assemble your documentation according to the list above into one PDF file. Have this ready to upload.