Herbal Education

Professional Medical Herbalists

A medical herbalist studies for at least three years full-time to reach the standard required to register as a professional with the New Zealand Association of Medical Herbalists (NZAMH). A large number of subjects are covered in-depth and include: herbal materia medica (healing materials), philosophy, principles and practice, safety, quality issues, and the medical sciences: anatomy, physiology, pathology, clinical skills, pathophysiology, phyto-pharmacy and herb-drug interactions.

Our members are also required to complete 30 hours (or points) annually of approved professional development education, including herbal medicine, as well as hold a current first aid certificate.

The NZAMH also accepts naturopaths appropriately trained in herbal medicine. If you are considering studying for a natural medicine qualification we suggest you consider the listed colleges. These colleges offer the highest quality herbal medicine and naturopathic training in New Zealand. Some are also accepted by professional associations overseas. They all differ slightly in their style of delivery and subject matter, so investigate each thoroughly to discover which college best suits your requirements.

The following colleges have been approved for NZAMH Professional Membership recognition. If you trained at one of these colleges you are welcome to apply for professional membership - standard application.

Current Colleges Recognised in New Zealand 

We only have one college operating in New Zealand that is currently recognised by the NZAMH:

- South Pacific College of Natural Medicine (Bachelor's degree)

Online Overseas Colleges we currently recognise for application:

Heartwood College in the UK - Professional Course only

Closed colleges but still accepted as a standard application with 30 CPD points:

Canterbury College of Natural Medicine (CCNM – Christchurch)
Waikato Centre for Herbal Studies (WCHS) and Waikato Centre for Herbal Medicine (WCHM)
International College of Herbal Medicine (ICOHM) – 3 Year Diploma in Clinical Herbal MedicineNaturopathic College of New Zealand (Level 6 - before 2019 and now Advanced Diploma Level 7) 
Wellpark College of Natural Therapies

You can apply as a standard application if you are registered as a Professional Member of the NIMH or AHG

Overseas pathways and other Non-Standard Applicants

We welcome applications from suitably qualified medical herbalists or naturopaths who have trained overseas. Each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. 

Please apply via the Join Us page and click on the non-standard application option. Your application will be assessed by the Education Committee.

Please contact us if you have any questions. Elizabeth Bedford - education@nzamh.org.nz or Hester Cronje - admin@nzamh.org.nz

Community Herbalists

You may not want to become a full time Medical Herbalist but would like to provide safe herbal help as a Community Herbalist. You can also join the NZAMH as an Associate member after completing the course.

The Herb Federation offers the following course you can do to learn more about herbs.

Herb Federation Courses 

Herb Federation Certificate course

Scholarships are also available for new herbalists. Click HERE

Please contact us if you have any questions.