Community Herbalist Certificate Program

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You are here » Home / Faculties & Programs / School of Western Herbal Medicine / Community Herbalist Program

The Community Herbalist Program is a unique 4-month program that introduces students to the incredible world of plants and their medicinal uses according to various cultures. This program explores the history of plant-based therapies and how to identify and cultivate herbs, use plant-based foods to maintain health, and make and apply herbal remedies to restore health.

Graduates of this program can use knowledge and experience gained to establish a community-based herbal clinic to assist family and friends, work in the health and wellness retail sector, grow and maintain herbal gardens, create herbal preparations or matriculate into the Diploma of Phytotherapy program at PRC.

To facilitate an easy transition into the Diploma of Phytotherapy, 4 courses (Materia Medica, Western Nutrition, Practical Herbal Pharmacy and Natural Emergency Medicine) within the CHP program are directly transferable into the 3-year diploma program.

Below are the courses that comprise the Community Herbalist Program. Successful completion of all components is necessary for graduation with a Community Herbalist Certificate.

Materia Medica
This is the study of plants as medicines, the essence of any program in Herbal Medicine. Students learn about the medicinal effects of 40 plants through both personal experience and herbal monographs prepared by modern and traditional Herbalists.

Herbal Energetics
Systems of energetics are ways of describing and classifying patterns of disease and properties of plants that provide a basis for herbal therapeutics. In this course, we examine the energetic systems that inform traditional western herbalism. These include the intuitive approach to plant medicine that underlies all energetic systems, the four elements of Greek and Egyptian medicine, the four humours of European medicine and the insights of the Physiomedicalist and Eclectic physicians of the nineteenth century. Students learn to translate the principles of these systems to a contemporary context and apply them in their practice.

Practical Herbal Pharmacy
Students begin the study and practice of transforming fresh plants into medicines by creating various herbal products. The class focus is equally divided between theory and practical work to ensure that students have a firm grasp of concepts. A variety of preparations are covered including Infusions, Decoctions, Tinctures, Syrups, Ointments, Lotions, Poultices, Clays, Capsules, Infused Oils, Salves and many others.

Backyard Gardening
In the age of financial uncertainty, gardening skills are a sought after commodity. This comprehensive and practical 30-hour introduction to backyard gardening in the Pacific Northwest will provide beginners with the requisite skills, knowledge, and support to begin their own organic growing projects at home. At the end of the program participants understand plant growth requirements and how to provide them for a variety of annual and perennial plants, including food and medicinal crops; the role of a living soil system in growing healthy plants and know how to feed the soil using organic methods; basic gardening methods, including seeding, planting, watering, mulching, cold protection, pruning and container gardening; the role of beneficial species in suppressing pests and disease and know how to manage common insect, weed and disease problems organically; and how to extend and share the harvest.

Herbal Therapeutics
Students learn to create customized treatment plans for patients. This includes the use of herbal preparations and diet and lifestyle counselling. Students also learn how to determine the effectiveness of treatment and the limitations of herbal medicine therapeutics within these conditions.

Introduction to Herbal Medicine
All cultures around the world have used plants as medicines either as their sole health care modality, or as a complementary or alternative option. This class explores the history of plant use in various cultures around the world and examines the similarities and differences of their systems of healing.

Ethnobotany PRC's courtyard and herbal gardens

This course provides an introduction of the science of studying native and traditional plants as medicines. Students learn about research tools and techniques used to ascertain ethnobotanical data and also look at the relationships of various cultures with the plant world.

Natural Emergency Medicine
Whether on a family trip or at home, people rely on First Aid for the treatment of acute conditions. For thousands of years for humans and animals this reliance has been on the plant world. This component introduces students to the application of plants and pressure points for treating emergency situations.

Herb Walks
This class gives students the opportunity to learn Herbal Medicine by exploring living plants as they exist in the natural world. Students learn proper identification of medicinal plants and the types of environments in which they naturally grow.

*Courses that transfer into the Diploma of Phytotherapy program.

The Community Herbalist Program is offered twice yearly, with programs beginning in January and September. Classes are scheduled on Thursday and Friday evenings and Saturday and Sunday days.

Graduates of the Community Herbalist Program can use knowledge and experience gained to establish a community-based herbal clinic to assist family and friends, work in the health and wellness retail sector, grow and maintain herbal gardens, create herbal preparations or matriculate into the Diploma of Phytotherapy program at PRC.

To facilitate an easy transition into the Diploma of Phytotherapy, a minimum of 4 courses (Materia Medica, Western Nutrition, Practical Herbal Pharmacy and Natural Emergency Medicine), 10 credits, within the Community Herbalist Program are directly transferable into the 3-year diploma program.

Entering students into the Community Herbalist Program at Pacific Rim College must have a high school diploma or satisfactory post-secondary education, be of good moral character and have an interest in herbal medicines. In addition, all non-native English speaking applicants must demonstrate a mastery of written and spoken English. Any foreign applicant may be required to submit an official score report from an English proficiency exam such as TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Test System).

To register for the Community Herbalist Program, please complete and submit a Program Registration Form available through the button below. For further information, please contact an admissions officer at admissions@pacificrimcollege.ca or by phone. For all registrants, your space in the program will not be reserved until a $250 registration fee has been paid.

International students are welcome to attend Pacific Rim College and are encouraged to apply. Canadian law requires foreign students to have a valid study permit to study in Canada. Pacific Rim College provides international students with the necessary documentation to receive a valid study permit. In some cases students can apply for and obtain a permit upon entering Canada.

Fall 2013 Community Herbalist Program
September 5 - December 22		Holidays TBA
Thursdays	3:30pm - 6:30pm
Fridays	3:30pm - 6:30pm
Saturdays	9:00am - 5:00pm
Sundays	9:00am - 5:00pm

Please click below for the course schedule for the Community Herbalist Program.

Tuition for the Community Herbalist Program is $3700. A $250 non-refundable* registration fee is due at time of registration, and full tuition payment is due on August 26 for the Fall 2013 program and December 27 for the Winter 2014 program.

*Any student determined by the college to be ineligible for program enrolment will receive a refund of the fee.

Community Herbalist Program

Total Requirements

Materia Medica*
Herbal Energetics*
Practical Herbal Pharmacy*
Backyard Gardening
Herbal Therapeutics
Introduction to Herbal Medicine
Ethnobotany
Herb Walks
Natural Emergency Medicine*
Herbal Clinic
Workshops

45 hours
45 hours
45 hours
30 hours
21 hours
12 hours
12 hours
12 hours
12 hours
12 hours
24 hours

This program is approved for Canada Student Loans. British Columbia residents can apply for student loans online through StudentAid BC by clicking here. Students can also pick up a paper application from PRC or any other academic institution registered with Canada Student Loans. For non-British Columbia residents, please visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca for information about Canada Student Loans.

For a list of all financial aid programs available to PRC students, please visit our Financial Aid page.