Becoming a Registered Herbalist

What is a Registered Herbalist?

We offer Registered Herbalist Membership as a way for herbalists to demonstrate core knowledge and experience in herbal practice that establishes a meaningful competency standard for themselves, their communities, and other health professionals and institutions.

We recognize that there are many skilled herbalists worldwide, and choosing to become registered with the American Herbalists Guild is only one of many ways herbalists may demonstrate their skills. For those who welcome review by their peers as confirmation of their clinical skills, the designation ‘Registered Herbalist’ establishes a recognized level of expertise and commitment to herbalism.

How to Apply for RH Membership

The applications for AHG Registered Herbalist membership are fully digital.

Before applying, please view the instructional video here.

Questions? Feel free to contact the AHG Admissions Coordinator.

Who Can Apply?

Clinical herbalists who have completed specific hours of herbal education and clinical practice are eligible to apply. Please see the Criteria for Registered Herbalist Membership Criteria and Application Process for complete details.

When Will 2025 Applications Reopen?

Thank you for your continued interest in the Registered Herbalist (RH) credential. We deeply appreciate the dedication and effort so many of you have shown in preparing your applications. We know how much time and care this process takes, and we truly honor your commitment. We also appreciate that many of you have been awaiting review and after years of work and dedication are frustrated to not yet have movement on your applications.

At this time, the RH application process remains on pause. This is due to a transitional period with the Admissions Coordinator role as well Admissions Review Advisory Committee (ARAC). The committee will reconvene as soon as feasibly possible to move forward with reopening applications although no timeline has yet been set.

During this pause, we’re engaging in a much-needed review of our internal systems, including updates to our Standard Operating Procedures related to the recruitment, training, and support of RH application reviewers. We are also working through the action plan of introducing an improved application, rubric, and procedures required for the assessment of core competencies required for applicants to be successful. This work is essential to ensuring a process that is sustainable, fair, and aligned with the high standards of the RH credential.

While we don’t yet have a confirmed reopening date, we want to reassure you that revitalizing the RH process is a top priority for AHG. For those who have already submitted applications or are preparing to do so, please know your efforts are deeply valued, and we’ll continue to provide updates as they become available. These updates will be provided on the website and we will alert applicants via email once the RH application process resumes.

Thank you for your patience, professionalism, and continued engagement. We look forward to sharing more soon!

Is Associate Membership a Better Match?

If you do not meet the requirements to apply for RH membership, please consider an Associate Membership. The Associate membership is for dedicated professionals in the medicinal plants field, including those involved in herb cultivation, herbal product manufacturing, teaching, research, and client consultation. This category underscores our commitment to utilizing medicinal plants in various ways and aims to enhance recognition and visibility for this fulfilling career path. The Associate membership was created in part to as a response to medical professionals who engage herbal medicine as an allied field.

The Application Review Process

All applications are submitted digitally through the AHG website. There are two parts to the RH application; see details below.

Applicants may work on applications and upload application documents at their own pace.There is no time limit for completing and submitting either Part 1 or 2 of the RH application.

Part One: The first step is to complete Part One of the Application providing details about botanical medicine education, clinical training and experience. There is no fee required to submit Part One. Once the Admissions Coordinator has reviewed the information provided to verify that it meets the criteria for RH membership, applicants are emailed a notification with a link to complete Part 2 of the application process. You can view Part 1 of the application before starting your application using this link. It typically takes us two to three weeks to review Part 1 of the application.

Part Two: In the second part of the RH application, applicants provide three case histories from their practice, two letters of recommendation from former teachers or other herbal practitioners, demonstrate their ability to assess several sample cases we provide, and their knowledge of materia medica. They must also describe their clinical practice, caseload, personal philosophy, and other details about their work as a clinical herbalist, along with a non-refundable application fee ($100 for members, $175 for non-members). Use this link to review helpful details about the Application Process. Deadlines for Part 2 submissions are March 15, July 15, and November 15 each year.

The Admissions Coordinator reviews all Part 2 applications to ensure they are complete before sending them to the Admissions Review Advisory Committee for scoring. The application review process takes approximately three months: March application results are shared via email in late June, July applications in late October and November applications in late February.

Each application is scored by 3 to 5 ARAC members. The Admissions Committee Chair oversees the ARAC meetings, application discussions at the three yearly ARAC meetings, and any changes to admissions policies and procedures.

About the ARAC Committee

The current ARAC committee comprises eleven Registered Herbalists, the Admissions Committee Coordinator and the Admissions Committee Chair. ARAC members serve a 3-year term as volunteers, agree to maintain complete confidentiality for all ARAC matters and are required to recuse themselves from scoring applications submitted by anyone that would present a conflict of interest (former students, personal friends, colleagues, etc.)

For questions about the RH application process, send us an email.