About the Herbalist

 
Before I dive into what I am, I would first like to make a statement to what I am not…

I, Sky Richarde RH (AHG), am not a doctor, and as such, I am not going to diagnose, treat, or cure any conditions. I am here to assist in the healing process and I will not hesitate to refer to other practitioners and doctors if and when it seems appropriate.

Just because I am in the natural health care field, does not mean that I am against modern medicine in any way. On the contrary, I believe in complimentary and integrative medicine, and strive to work with doctors to do what is best for each individual. Many herbs can work alongside modern medicine, and can even make certain treatments more effective. I would like to help bridge the divide between herbal medicine and modern medicine, being trained in herb/drug interaction and medical pathophysiology has helped make this possible. 

I have met good doctors and bad doctors, just as I have met good herbalists and bad herbalists. Finding the individual who fits your needs is the key, and everyone of us is a complex and unique lock.

The short story…

I have a special interest in sleeping and dreaming, because here is something which is fundamentally more important to our health than food and water, and yet the most brilliant scientists of our time have no idea WHY. Sleep or the lack there of, affects every single aspect of our lives, and in turn, every single aspect of our lives affects it. There is so much healing to be done here on a cultural level, and I am impassioned by the prospect of facilitating some of that healing.  Sleep is a realm in which the two worlds of science and magic overlap the most. Where one can see the interplay of brainwaves and hormones along with the plants that can assist these systems, while at the same time observing the archetypal, metaphorical, sometimes literal, and sometimes prophetic world of dreaming, and how herbs can influence this. I favour herbal medicine that picks up where modern medicine leaves off or cannot really help much… and the world of nightmares, sleepwalking, night terrors and other troubles of the sleeping mind/body is a perfect example.

Beyond this interest I am an herbalist, educator, artist, crafter, adventurer, wild water swimmer, explorer, writer, and vivid dreamer… among other things.

Training and Credentials

Instructor at Pacific Rim College (2021-Present)

Current offerings at Pacific Rim College, on campus, and online through the Diploma of Phytotherapy, the Community Herbalist Certificate program, and the department of Holistic Nutrition…

  • Intro to Herbal medicine (45hr course)
  • Herbal Energetics (45hr course)
  • Fungal Foods and Mushroom Medicines (15hr course)
  • The Nutritional Benefits of Wild Plants (15hr course)
  • Supervisor for the Victoria Native Friendship Center free herbal clinic (45hr clinic)
  • Advanced Sleep and Dream Therapeutics for Herbal Practitioners (weekend workshop offered every couple of years)
  • American Herbalist Guild Registered Herbalist (2018).

Without regulation, American herbalists are held to the standard of regional guilds and associationsm which have strict educational, ethical, and continuing education expectations for their professional members. Since I travel between the US and Canada often the AHG was the most appropriate choice for me.

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Diploma of Phytotherapy, issued by Pacific Rim College, 2017.

3 years of classroom training and clinical experience which included:

  • 510 hours of Clinical Practice (within the school clinic as well as the Victoria Native Friendship Center)
  • 510 hours of Biomedical/biological sciences (includes physical examinations, western pharmacology, physiology, pathophysiology, biochemistry, phytochemistry, etc)    
  • 810 hours of Western Herbal Sciences (includes materia medica of over 200 plants, nutrition, physiology of plants in the body, specific therapeutics for various conditions, and advanced medicine making.) 
  • 90 hours of Nutrition and Supplement training (not including 6 months of intensive supplement seminars for my time working in the health industry)
  • 225 hours of professional development 

This is the most comprehensive course in Western Herbal Medicine offered in North America, held to the standards of England’s regulations regarding Phytotherapists.

Other courses and certificates:

1 year correspondence course with Dr Leslie Ellis (2021-2022)

18 hours of lectures with the American Herbalists Guild 32nd Annual Symposium intensive certification course. (2021)

With Herbalist, Chanchal Cabrera. 10 hours of lecture, covering over 50 plants, and 19 different alkaloids. Safety, sustainability, and ethical reviews. (2021)

45 hour correspondence course with Wild Rose College. (2020)

With Rosemary Gladstar and Sage Mountain. (2012)

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With Slipstream (2016)

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Issued by Victoria BC (2016)

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With Thriving Roots(2015)

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Offered by LearningHerbs.com Herb Mentor program (2012)

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Continuing Education Weekend Workshops: (15+ hours each)

  • A Holistic Approach to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder 2016: Where we dove more deeply into states of PTSD and what herbal support may look like.
  • Inclusiveness in the Clinical Setting with Bryn Eliot 2016: Where I was mentored on how to create a safe, welcoming, and professional environment for people within the LGBTQA++ community.
  •  Medicinal Mushrooms with Robert Rogers 2014: Where I was introduced to the variety of local mushrooms on Vancouver Island, and taught safe practices for harvesting, and using them medicinally.
  • Healing the Emotional and Spiritual Aspects of Dis-ease with Robert Rogers 2014: Where I was trained in the use of flower essences, and good patient communication, with an emphasis on emotional needs.
  • Reading the Body with Margi Flint 2014: A course focused on observing patients in the clinic and knowing how to spot physical markers for deeper states of disease or distress.
  • Materia Medica of Local Plants with Robert Rogers 2014: An extended course on local plant medicine.
  • The Art of Distillation 2014: A course on distilling plant hydrosols, what to look for when purchasing quality and medicinal hydrosols, and how to spot good professional practices.

I want to acknowledge that so many people in life have not gotten the same privileges, freedoms, and support as me. Whoever you are, know that you have my support in reinventing yourself, following your dreams and goals, and getting through and surviving in this wild world. I hope to use my privileges to be the change I want to see in the world, and to support others who may not have been as lucky. Keep on living and letting your being make the world a better place!