Career Definition for an Herbal Therapist
Herbal therapists use plants and non-pharmaceutical plant derivatives to treat illnesses and other non-emergent conditions of their patients. Through this practice of phytotherapy, herbal therapists assess the conditions of their patients and use their knowledge of Chinese, ayurvedic, European and other herbal traditions for healing purposes and to prevent disease. Many herbal therapists collaborate with providers of traditional medicine to promote greater healing, according to the American Herbalists Guild, www.americanherbalistsguild.com.
| Education | Bachelor's and Master's in medicine or naturopathic medicine |
| Job Skills | Intuitive, listening, people skills, marketing skills. |
| Mean Salary (2022)* | $69,324 (for naturopathic physicians) |
| Job Growth (2021-2031)** | 3% (for physicians and surgeons) |
Source: *Payscale.com, **U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Required Education
Though anyone may practice herb therapy for themselves and as an unpaid hobby, for a career diagnosing and treating others, herbal therapists legally must have medicinal training as either acupuncturists, naturopathic Doctors (N.D.s) or medical doctors (M.D.s). Each of these career paths requires a bachelor's degree and an advanced post-graduate degree that requires between two and six years to obtain. Licensure is also required for all acupuncturists, for N.D.s in 13 states and M.D.s in all 50 states.
Skills Required
In addition to scientific knowledge, herbal therapists must be intuitive and have excellent people skills for the purposes of listening to their patients and assessing their conditions. Herbal therapists generally work in private practices, requiring organizational and marketing skills to run their businesses.
Career and Economic Outlook
Herbal therapy is consistently the most popular and most lucrative type of alternative medicine, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (www.nccam.nih.org).
Pay for herbal therapists vary with degree of training and experience. Medical doctors are typically the highest paid with incomes generally higher than $100,000, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics (BLS, www.bls.gov). Naturopathic physicians specifically earned an average salary of $69,324 in 2022 according to Payscale.com.
Alternate Career Options
Similar career options within this field include:
Chiropractor
Requiring a Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) degree and state licensing, including approximately seven years of education, these licensed doctors use spinal manipulation techniques to treat neck or back pain, in addition to other health issues. A as fast as average employment growth of 10% is projected for chiropractors by the BLS, from 2021-2031. In 2021, the BLS reported an average yearly wage of $81,240 for these doctors.
Massage Therapist
By completing a postsecondary program including about 500 hours of classroom and internship experiences, these therapists usually then need to be licensed or certified before using massage on patients' soft-tissue muscles to relieve pain and stress. A much faster than average increase in jobs of 20% is anticipated from 2021 through 2031 by the BLS. Massage therapists earned $49,260 per year, on average, the BLS said in 2021.
