Herbology Handbook: Part 1 - Herbology and the Herbologist

by Jason J. Duke - Owner/Artisan

Fresh Content: July 31, 2022 23:31

An Herbologist Studies Herbs 

Herbology is the field of study that encompasses the way in which the kingdoms of biology, stones, and minerals have roles in human culture. Herbology study reaches back in time to the earliest written records and includes all oral traditions. The ancient lore of plants and rocks, the extensive history of human use with the kingdoms of biology and chemistry, and the healing legacy of herbs used in herbalism, altogether stretches into our modern scientific time and beyond towards the future.

The Herbologist Studies Herbology

An herbologist is someone who studies herbology and any of the ways the kingdoms of biology relate to humans. The kingdoms of biology are found everywhere, and therefore the study of herbology by an herbologist penetrates into all aspects of life, including culinary uses, entertainment, spirituality, rituals, and common edible herbs used in healing, medicine, and health promotion.

An herbologist will study and learn general information concerning any areas of herbology, but oftentimes as an herbologist progresses forwards in study and practice they will specialize in any particular area.

Key Areas of Herbologist Study

  • A basis in the kingdoms of biology
  • Learning human biology
  • Studying botany and plant identification
  • Responsibly foraging wild herbs
  • Gardening and cultivating herbs
  • Learning ethnic cultural uses of herbs
  • Culinary cooking of herbs and spices
  • Seeking the spirituality of herbs
  • Carrying forward the history of herbs
  • Researching biochemistry
  • Learning skills of the herbalist

Types of Herbology

Understanding Herbs is Herbology 

Herbology includes four major areas of study in the understanding of plants, stones, and minerals.

  • Personal
  • Cultural
  • Spiritual
  • Scientific

Personal Herbology

Personal herbology is the basis of herbology within personal experience as a person has in their relationship with plants, stones, and minerals, such as seeing the shapes and colors of stones used by people, appreciating crystals and their personal meanings, smelling the aromatics of spices, and tasting the flavors of edible herbs.


Cultural Herbology

Cultural herbology is observing the traditional and modern way a culture wisely incorporates the use of plants, stones, and minerals into daily life, including native locations where the plants grow and stones are collected.


Spiritual Herbology

Spiritual herbology is the metaphysical energies and other subtle qualities of the finer existence of plants, stones, and minerals which are used in  spiritual practices, including astrological attributions and other religious beliefs and rituals uses. Classical Chinese thinking, like many traditions, uses a well-recorded philosophy of Yin and Yang to explain all that is in the universe.


Scientific Herbology

Scientific herbology is how plants, stones, and minerals are understood scientifically through classification and chemistry, including any edible herbs. Study is conducted utilizing the classical empirical applications of the healing theory within herbalism along with the theoretical study of modern herbal medicine.


The Herbologist Can Also Be an Herbalist

 An herbologist is sometimes confused with the specialized scientific branch of herbology that includes the herbalist who practices using herbs scientifically, both empirically and theoretically, as medicinal remedies for health and healing.

Herbal WisdomHerbal wisdom is when someone is being attentive of an important consideration in achieving success with herbs in herbalism for health and healing.
"An herbologist studies everything about plants, stones, and minerals in their relationship with humans and their wide array of uses, whereas an herbalist is only the specialized area of herbology that includes the edible uses of plants, stones, and minerals. So, therefore an herbalist may also be an herbologist, but an herbologist may not be an herbalist who practices the uses of edible plants, stones, and minerals.

As an example of the difference between an herbologist and herbalist: a prudent herbalist doesn't use inedible toxic and/or intoxicating plants as herbal remedies, rather the study of herbology by the herbologist discovers which inedible toxic and/or intoxicating plants shouldn't be used for health and healing. An herbologist may know how toxic and intoxicating plants are used for spiritual purposes, ritual use, or in recreational activities.


Herbology Handbook
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