"I think it's going to become more and more popular and widely accepted,"
says Andrew Bentley. He is a herbalist in Lexington, Kentucky.
"Insurance companies are starting to pay for it -- that's an indication.
Several years ago, the only people interested in it were hippies. And now
herbalists are involved in government committees. So it's definitely become
a lot more mainstream and I see that trend continuing."
Herbalists are generally paid by the session they spend with a client.
How much they charge depends on their experience and environment.
Aviva Romm is a herbalist, author and executive director of the American
Herbalists Guild. "It depends on what state you're in and whether you're urban
or rural -- in urban centers, you'll charge more," she says.
"But I would say for clinical practices, most herbalists make anywhere
from $25 to $175 an hour. In a year, they're making anywhere from less than
$20,000 to well over $150,000. But most make about $50,000 to 60,000 a year."
"So how much you make in a year depends on how many clients you have,"
says herbalist Shawn Schultz. "It really varies from year to year, depending
on your clientele. It depends on how much you want to work. It could be a
little or it could be a lot. Some people devote their whole career to it,
and others do it more on the side."
Earnings and employment information from the U.S. Department of Labor is
not available for this field at this time.