The American Herbalists Guild is the only professional organization for herbalists of all traditions in the United States of America. The Guild was founded in 1989 as a non-profit, educational organization. It was founded to represent the goals and voices of herbalists who come from a wide variety of traditions such as Michael Tierra, James Green, Roy Upton, Grace Marroquin, Mindy Green, Amanda McQuade Crawford, Christopher Hobbs, Paul Lee, Cascade Anderson-Geller, Mara Levin, Savannah Hogan, Brigitte Mars, Jane Bothwell, Lesley Tierra, David Winston, Steven Foster, Kathi Keville, David Hoffmann, David Bunting, Mark Blumenthal, Ed Smith and Sara Smith. Past presidents include: Aviva Romm, MD, midwife, RH(AHG) immediate past president (1999-2011), Steven Horne RH(AHG), David Eagle RH(AHG), Feather Jones, RH(AHG), Roy Upton RH(AHG), Tieraona Low Dog MD, RH(AHG), and David Hoffmann, MNIMH, RH(AHG). It is the only peer-review organization in the United States for professional herbalists specializing in the medicinal use of plants. AHG's membership consists of professional members who must meet conditions for certification, general members (including students), and benefactors. They publish the Journal of the American Herbalists Guild (Founding and Executive Editor Aviva Romm, MD, midwife, Herbalist; Managing Editor Tracy Romm, EdD) and hold annual conferences at which research is presented. The professional title granted after education, reviewed clinical experience and review by a multidisciplinary admissions board is Registered Herbalist (AHG).
A major goal of the American Herbalists Guild is to establish standards for herbal training. An approved study program has 200 hours of anatomy, physiology and human sciences, 60 hours of botany and plant identification, 400 hours of herbal materia medica and therapeutic herbalism, 80 hours of pharmacognosy, pharmacology and dispensing, 400 hours of clinical skills, 20 hours of practice management/ethics, and 40 hours of history of herbal medicine and research skills. Professional members can achieve certification through apprenticeship or other methods providing they meet appropriate standards.
The organization engages in charitable donations including the Annual Community Service Award and the AHG Herbalists Health Trust. The organization's members include some of the most respected and prolific botanical medicine writers in the world.
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