These are the current courses and routes available in the UK and Ireland to study herbal medicine and become a medical herbalist.
Course |
Course type |
Level |
Number of years to complete (based on full time study) |
Total cost of the course (course fees only, not including books, travel, accommodation, and additional clinical hour fees**) |
Accredited by |
| Betonica medical herbalist training programme (Somerset/Devon area) |
Subject based diploma course – self home study and seminar days | Diploma | 4 years | £8540* (sliding scale of fees and a payment plan available) | Working toward independent accreditation |
| College of Naturopathic Medicine – Diploma in herbal medicine (seminars taught across the country) | Module based diploma course – self home study and seminar days. (Please note a Diploma in naturopathy may also be required to qualify.) | Diploma (degree level) | 3 years (minimum) | £19,040* (amount per year dependent on route taken) | Association of Master Herbalists (AMH) |
| Heartwood Professional course (plus a clinical training programme) (online) | Module based course – all online apart from clinical hours which are undertaken with a medical herbalist | Diploma (degree level) | 3 years(starting in September 2017) | £9500* (payment plan available) | Accredited by the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH) |
| Irish School of Herbal Medicine (County Laois, Ireland) |
Module based – all online apart from the clinical hours | Information not available | 4 years | £9016 (£2254 per year)* (**) | The Irish Association of Master Medical Herbalists |
| Lincoln College – BSc Herbal Medicine(Lincoln) | Modular block learning – self home study and seminar days (8 x 3 day weekends a year, plus clinical training) | Undergraduate degree | 3 years | £23997 (£7999 per year)* | EHTPA |
| School of Intuitive Herbalism (Stroud) | Traditional apprenticeship style – self study | Information not available | 4-7 years (based on prior experience) | £9800 (sliding scale £4000 – £9000 – max £1400 per year)* | Supporting apprentices towards individual accreditation |
| Sensory herbalism apprenticeship (Dorset) |
Self study and apprenticeship to a local herbalist, as well as residential weeks seasonally | Diploma | 3 years + | £5550 (£1850 per year) | Supporting apprentices towards individual accreditation |
| The School of Herbal Medicine (Somerset) |
Seminar based with blended learning. Based on one weekend a month. | Advanced diploma (level 6) (beyond undergraduate degree) | 6 years | £18000 (£3000 per year)(Includes all 500 hours clinical training) | Accredited by NIMH |
| The Plant Medicine School Veriditas Hibernica apprenticeship – and then Colaiste Luibheanna clinical training programme (Coachford,Cork, Ireland) |
Apprenticeship with Nikki Darrell for 2 years, then self directed home study and seminar days (6 blocks of 4 days, plus 500 hours of supervised clinical training) | Degree equivalent (Diploma awarded) | 4 years | £5719 (**not including any clinic hours – all must be completed and paid for separately, cost about £1585) | Accredited by IRH and access to CPP. |
**Additional clinic fees are payable on some courses.
Please note: This information may be subject to change.