Our clinics offer individuals personalized education in self-care with herbs. We offer consultations in our professional clinic in Montpelier and in our supervised student clinics in both Montpelier and Burlington, Vermont. Our clinical services and herbs are available through sliding-scale payment, time exchange and gift; no one is turned away for lack of funds. We look forward to welcoming you.
Learn how to care for yourself and your family with herbs.
Improve your immunity. Improve your digestion.
Sleep better. Experience less stress.
Learn how to make home remedies and choose
nourishing foods.
The Nature of Herbalism
The gentle use of herbs to support the human physiology is both an ancient art and a precise science. Herbalism has a long tradition of helping with both common complaints and more serious chronic conditions. Historically, ailments ranging from difficult digestion, colds and flus, and insomnia all the way to clinical depression, autoimmune conditions, and cancer have been responsive to the use of herbs both as teas, extracts and powders and as part of a healthy diet.
Herbalism is in essence adaptive, in contrast with conventional medical care which is primarily designed to compensate for what the body is not doing for itself. Herbal practice is based on the belief that the human body is a resilient and intelligent system that is innately self-healing and that properly crafted herbal formulas assist and encourage the body in its effort to return to a healthy state. All traditional medical systems understand that every person is physiologically, emotionally and energetically unique—herbalism is not one-size-fits all.
The Role of the Herbal Practitioner
We at VCIH believe that the herbalist’s primary role is as an educator and partner, encouraging and supporting your goals for improved health and wellbeing. Herbalists neither diagnose nor directly treat disease. Rather, we focus on educating you, the client, on how to best enhance your body’s innate healing capacity. Our intent is to help you achieve the highest state of health consistent with your own goals. We will consider your individual constitution and nature and recommend the most appropriate herbal, dietary and lifestyle changes specifically for you. Our goal is to serve as part of your healthcare team; we collaborate with a diversity of alternative and conventional modalities as appropriate.