title: Credentialing of practitioners of botanical medicine.
abstract: This article discusses how practitioners, regardless of other professional licenses they may hold, could be credentialed in botanical medicine. The article reviews the field of clinical botanical medicine and the history and modern status of botanical medicine, as well as organizations currently involved in botanical medicine credentialing. Many different types of professionals prescribe botanical medicines, and the potential for collaboration among them is great. The current trend treats botanical medicine as a narrow subdivision of allopathic medicine and does not acknowledge the breadth, depth, and diversity of botanical medicine and ultimately will not provide maximum benefits for patients. An alternative approach that instead credentials practitioners skilled in the use of a wide variety of botanical medicines in a responsible, scientific fashion is presented.
authors.affiliation: Botanical Medicine Academy, 69113 Camp Polk Rd, Sisters, OR 97759, USA. dryarnell@bendnet.com
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yarnell
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abascal
authors.forename: Russell Howard
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Greenfield
authors.forename: Aviva
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Romm
authors.forename: Sidney
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sudberg
mesh_terms: D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000592:standards*; D003406:Credentialing; D029001:Herbal Medicine; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States