Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most common questions people have about herbalism and Herbalist Mo. If you don’t see your question below, email us at HerbalistMo@gmail.com.

Hours, Fees, and Financing

What are your office hours?

Telehealth (Zoom, Facetime or phone) appointments are available Monday through Wednesday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding major holidays. You can find more information on my Contact page.

What are your appointment fees?

Fees range from $70 to $175, for existing or new clients of Herbalist Mo. You can find more information on our Services page.

Does insurance cover my visit?

The cost of a visit to a professional herbalist is not covered under most insurance plans. However, if you contribute to a Health Savings Account, you may be able to receive reimbursement or payment for your expenses. Contact your HSA provider for more information.

Do you offer financing?

Prior to your first visit, please let me know if you have a financial hardship that makes a payment plan necessary. We can discuss ways to reduce your costs without sacrificing the attention your health requires.

The Client Experience

What will my first appointment be like?

During your first appointment, you’re invited to share in-depth information about your health history, including any chronic conditions, physical and mental health issues, current goals and lifestyle information. The appointment includes Chinese tongue and face readings, a key component of a complete assessment. Every client receives a Personal Health and Lifestyle plan with recommendations for herbal remedies, supplements, lifestyle changes, dietary modifications and other healing practices. The herbs recommended will be custom formulated to your body and unique health needs.

What can I expect from the healing process?

You may experience changes in your health within just 3-5 days of the start of your herbal formulas. Based on your responses, you may receive suggestions for dosage changes or adjustments to your custom formula, as your body begins recovering its natural balance.

In a follow-up appointment, we’ll discuss any changes you’ve noticed that may on the surface seem unrelated. These changes are indicators to a trained practitioner to adjust your customized plan, so you continue to move toward your healthy best.

How long will it be until I feel better?

Natural healing is a gentle, but also deeply effective, method of dealing with the root causes of a condition. Addressing, for example, body pain directly and immediately is important, but natural healing goes deeper than pain relief to the source of the original issue. Because this process takes some time, you should expect one to three months of healing work for every year you’ve suffered with your condition.

It may be necessary to make monthly visits for the first 2-6 months, and less frequently over time. If you’re concerned about financial hardship, payment plans and discounts are available. Herbalist Mo is committed to making herbalism accessible to all.

Basics About Herbalism

What is an herbalist?

An herbalist is a person who is in constant discovery of the healing properties of plants, and applies that knowledge to help people and their communities live healthier, happier lives.

What is an herb?

According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, an herb is a plant or plant part valued for its medicinal, savory, or aromatic qualities. Indeed!

Why should I see an herbalist?

When you’ve run out of answers for your personal health concern, you’re curious about alternatives to drugs or surgery, or you prefer to find the most safe, natural, and effective solution to your problem, a visit with a professional herbalist is a smart place to start.

What is Western herbalism?

Western herbalism is a broad term that encompasses traditional European, Eclectic and Native American philosophies of herbalism and healing practices.

What is traditional Chinese medicine?

Traditional Chinese Medicine [TCM] is a 5,000-year-old system of medicine that incorporates the use of herbalism, acupuncture, energy work, and other specialized techniques such as moxibustion and abdominal massage. For thousands of years, the Chinese have used plant, animal, and mineral substances that not only relieve symptoms of disease but restore imbalances at their root.

Chinese herbalism incorporates highly specialized pulse and tongue readings to assess the human body. The Chinese were perfecting the arts of pulse and tongue assessment to detect subtle changes in the human body long before MRI’s, blood tests, and modern science and research methods were developed. A few thousand years later, we’re still astounded at the depth of knowledge and experience Chinese medicine offers to our modern understanding of disease. Herbalist Mo incorporates these methods into every client assessment, with questions about physical and emotional concerns.

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine originating in the region of India. Ayurveda, which means the ‘Science of Life’, brought us the concept of doshas, or 3 basic types of energy present in every body — kapha, pitta and vata. Disease is said to be caused by an imbalance of these doshas, or the presence of ‘ama’, or toxins. Ayurvedic medicine focuses on disease prevention by keeping us balanced through healthy living practices like good diet, exercise, a healthy mind and herbs.

How do herbs work?

Herbs flavor…
Have you ever added cinnamon to a holiday cookie recipe, or seasoned a Thanksgiving stuffing with sage? If you have, then you already know how an ordinary kitchen herb can improve the flavor of food. Herbs have so many great qualities, including healing properties that make them indispensable to us.

Herbs nourish…
As researchers study how plants affect human physiology, science continues to confirm what trained herbalists and ordinary people have known for millennia — herbs nourish and balance your physical body and mind the way fresh, whole food does — with essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients working together in a beautiful chemistry that we have yet to reproduce in laboratories.

Herbs improve health!
Whole plants concentrated into herbal remedies have a profound effect on specific health problems. For instance, lavender flower is a favorite herb in teas that relax and promote sleep. Lavender flower is also included in many herbal formulas to calm and soothe upset stomach and indigestion. The same essential oils that make lavender-infused products smell so lovely, have also been shown to reduce the symptoms of mild depression.

How does a professional herbalist become certified?

The American Herbalist Guild is the only organization in the United States that offers certification for professional, clinical herbalists. Certification requires at least four years of training and clinical experience, demonstration of practical skills, and ongoing continuing education.

Are herbal therapies safe?

Nature has always been a valued healer, in all her ways. It’s widely known that many plants are gentle, effective healers in their whole, natural state. Using herbal remedies made from whole plants and plant parts ensures the safest, most gentle results.

It is only in the last century that healing and medicine have become chiefly laboratory science based and stopped relying on the native intelligence of plants to stimulate profound changes in our health. Pharmaceutical medicine is engineered to mimic the healing effects of plants. Sadly, it lacks the full spectrum of essential ingredients found in whole plants that provide checks and balances for their safe use as health remedies.

I encourage clients to ask questions about the safety of herbs as they come up. This allows us to sort the facts from the fiction. Clients are reassured and discover that herbal therapies aren’t just highly effective – they have almost no side effects when dispensed after a thorough examination by a trained, professional herbalist.

If you are highly sensitive, you may begin with very small dosages and comfortably work up to optimal dosages. This allows you to avoid strong responses, which can be a very favorable sign that change is taking place but may be unfamiliar for those new to natural healing.

Herbalist Mo