As a clinical herbalist, Jillian Borchard offers herbal consultations and wellness counseling to her clients through her Owings Mills, Md.-based practice, Greenspring Herbs.

Her official undergraduate work was a bachelor of fine arts degree (BFA) from Washington University in St. Louis (1995). But unofficially, her connection to the herbal remedies found in the forests of the Ozarks led to her passion for forest protection and an ancillary education in environmental activism. “Although the work I was doing to protect the environment was entirely extracurricular, I knew it had more to do with my life’s work than creating art,” Ms. Borchard says.

After considering various herbal medicine training options and deciding to pursue an herbal education full time, Ms. Borchard initially earned certificates in Roots of Herbalism, Foundations of Health, and Clinical Herbalism from The California School of Herbal Studies. With an eye on opening her own practice and future treatment capabilities, she went on to earn a masters of science in herbal medicine from the Tai Sophia Institute.

Ms. Borchard is a member of organizations including United Plant Savers, Heartwood, and the American Holistic Health Association (AHHA). “My work is informed by both my commitment to people’s health and my commitment to the health of the planet,” she says. “The two are not separate, and in fact, are completely dependent on one another.”

My life path into herbal medicine began in the forests of the Ozarks, where I learned that many of the plants we were seeing that indicated a healthy forest ecosystem also were highly valued for their medicinal properties.

The last part of my studies in California focused on how to use herbs clinically. That got me started with my first five case studies, but I did not feel confident or knowledgeable enough to establish myself as a professional herbalist. That is why I decided to pursue my Masters of Science in Herbal Medicine at Tai Sophia Institute. I wanted to learn more about physiology, phytochemistry and to take advantage of the faculty-supervised student herb clinic that comprises the last year of the program for those pursuing the clinical track.

Establishing a practice was my goal in studying at Tai Sophia, and my experience in the student clinic confirmed that for me.

The thing I enjoy most is coming up with an herbal formula that is specific for the individual sitting in front of me. It is exciting in the creative aspect; through my ability to give a custom formula to my client, I feel the client is receiving something far beyond what they would have found in a health food store.

I am a member of United Plant Savers, which is an organization devoted to the preservation and propagation of at-risk and endangered medicinal plants. I am also a member of Heartwood, a forest-protection organization. Both of these organizations are extremely important to the future of herbal medicine. There are already plants that have been so completely stripped from the wild that it is unethical to use them in herbal medicine anymore. Additionally, the habitats that support many widely used medicinal plants are threatened by logging, mining and development every day. My work is informed by both my commitment to people’s health and my commitment to the health of the planet. The two are not separate, and in fact, are completely dependent on one another.

My biggest professional goal for the future is to establish a botanical sanctuary in the Ozarks where people can come to learn about medicinal plants and reconnect with the natural world.

I devote two days a week to my clinical practice, three days a week working in the supplements department at a health food store and one evening per week working as a supervisor intern at the faculty-supervised student herb clinic at Tai Sophia Institute.

Working as a clinical herbalist demands a thorough understanding of hundreds of herbs, a good understanding of human physiology, the ability to clinically assess one’s client, the ability to be an educator and the ability to be a healing presence in the clinic room.

During an initial consultation I take an in-depth look at the client’s health history, their health concerns and their primary healing goals. After our discussion, I make recommendations pertaining to diet and lifestyle, plus herbs that I think would support the client’s healing goals. I often recommend an herbal blend that I formulate specifically for them. During follow-up visits we track improvements, address other issues not previously addressed and modify formulas as needed.

Every client is uniquely rewarding, as well as challenging. I feel most rewarded when it is obvious that the herbs I have recommended have had a positive impact on my client’s well-being.

A unique challenge to my role as clinical herbalist is helping clients to understand that herbs are not substitutes for drugs. Herbs have their strengths, as do drugs. People often have unrealistic expectations about what herbs are capable of, but they also tend not to know when an herb makes more sense than a pharmaceutical drug. A lot of what I do is education about these points.

Some herbs I use often are marshmallow root, licorice root, ashwaganda root, and skullcap herb.

The most common myth is that herbs don’t work. My greatest reward is seeing this myth proven false over and over and over.

When I first decided to pursue my passion for medicinal plants, I got in touch with every herbal program in the United States that offered a full-time curriculum. That quickly narrowed the choice down to four schools! At that time, Tai Sophia’s herbal program was not in existence. I chose the California School of Herbal Studies because it had everything I was looking for at the time, and excellent teachers. The curriculum was very strong in human physiology, materia medica, medicine-making and botany. When I visited and sat in on several of these classes, I felt like I was in heaven.

The program lived up to all my expectations, but when it was over I still felt like I needed more education before I could turn herbal medicine into a career. That is when I found out about Tai Sophia and decided to pursue my masters in herbal medicine. Tai Sophia took everything I had learned in California to the next level, and prepared me for the work I do today as a clinical herbalist.

I think it is important to consider what you want to do with the educational experience. Each program and teacher has something unique to offer.

A basic herbal medicine program contains materia medica, physiology, phytochemisty, botany and herbal preparation. Students should expect to learn: how to identify, harvest and prepare a variety of medicinal herbs; the proper uses and dosages for a variety of plants; and the basics of human physiology.

No. Currently herbal medicine is an unregulated field.

There are so many different careers one could make out of studying herbal medicine that if a person has a passion for the subject, their aptitude for a particular area will become apparent with time. Not all people who study herbal medicine need to become clinical practitioners. Herbalists find careers in product manufacturing, research, growing and wildcrafting, writing, teaching and more.

The Internet has made learning about herbal medicine a lot easier for the most part, but it can be very hard to know if what one is reading is credible or not. I think it has also made it a lot easier for people to get duped into buying low-quality products.

I believe that the demand for experts in the field of herbalism is going to continue to grow, and that demand for clinical herbalists will increase over the next five years. At some point in the not-too-distant future, I believe that herbalism will become part of the dominant paradigm of health care.

Starting out, $50 to $70 per hour; once established, in the $90 to $120 per hour range.

I believe it is important to be passionate about whatever life path one chooses to really be successful.

I don’t think herbal medicine is a career to get into for the money. But I do think that if one is dedicated to building a life based on herbal medicine, the money is there. This is still a field in which one must be willing to be a pioneer.

Editor’s note: If you would like to follow-up with Jillian Borchard personally, click here.