Our Story

The Berkeley Herbal Center encourages and renews a living knowledge of the healing powers of plants through the study and practice of traditional Western herbalism. The Center is committed to educating healers into successful careers as practicing herbalists and herbal educators.

Established in 1995, the Berkeley Herbal Center is a leading educational and clinical center for sustainable systems of Western herbal­-based healing. Based in Berkeley, California, the Center offers the most comprehensive, integrated education in Western herbal medicine and practice, and is one of very few schools nationwide with clinical internships in Western herbalism.

Western herbalism provides critical healing solutions to economic, physical, mental, and spiritual challenges in a changing healthcare environment. Based on time-­honored traditions practiced worldwide today, Western botanicals offer a highly effective, affordable healing modality that is in balance with our natural resources. Throughout history, plants have been central to all forms of medicines; worldwide, 20,000 documented species are used for medicinal purposes. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 75 percent of the world population depends on botanicals for their basic healthcare needs. In addition to providing primary healing for a wide range of health challenges, herbs can increase the effectiveness of modern drugs, decrease their side effects, and sometimes replace them.

Our knowledge of plants and plant medicines is based on a deep relationship to the land, place and home. This understanding is handed down through many generations using natural wisdom and scientific study. While allopathic drugs burden our natural resources and create waste contributing to global pollution, the use of local plants deeply benefits the body and the earth.