• To provide information to members of the public seeking a properly qualified practitioner who is bound by Codes of Ethics and Good Practice and who has full professional insurance.

• To assist in setting the criteria for the practice and teaching of Chinese Herbal Medicine within the UK.

• To work with the governments of Britain and Europe towards the regulation of practitioners and the control of the quality of herbs sold in the UK.

• To protect the rights of the qualified practitioner to have access to the herbs needed to treat patients.

• To work with consumer and patient organisations to ensure the safety of the public.

• To work with the suppliers of Chinese herbs to ensure the authenticity and quality of the herbs available.

• To provide assistance and information to the media regarding Chinese Herbal Medicine.

	Did you know
	that the town Saffron Walden was named after the Saffron plant? Read more...

The Register is a member of the European Herbal & Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (EHTPA), an umbrella organisation which represents the Western, Chinese (and other Oriental) and Ayurvedic traditions.

The EHTPA has done a huge amount of work over recent years in preparation for the statutory regulation of herbal medicine in the UK, including the drawing up of curricula and establishing an Accreditation Board to accredit herbal medicine courses which have met the appropriate standards. Working groups on statutory regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture reported to the Department of Health in 2003, and in 2006 a Joint Working Group was set up by the Department in order to pave the way for a joint statutory body to cover regulation of acupuncture, herbal medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Government announced on 16th February 2011 that herbalists, including practitioners of Chinese herbal medicine, will be regulated by the Health Professions Council from April 2012.

These changes in the regulation of the profession are being accompanied by changes in medicines law to give the public further protection and ensure access to safe, high quality herbal medicines to practitioners registered by the future statutory body. The RCHM has been intimately involved in all these processes.

Who can be a Member of the RCHM?
The normal route for membership of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) is via graduation from a UK educational institution that has been accredited by the European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (EHTPA). Graduates of colleges affiliated to the RCHM with such accreditation have automatic right of entry. Courses run by affiliated colleges fulfil the minimum standards for theory, clinical experience and western sciences that are required for the practice of Chinese Herbal Medicine in the UK.

The RCHM also welcomes applications from practitioners of Chinese herbal medicine who have graduated from institutions other than those accredited by the EHTPA, such as those who have qualified outside the UK,  and where those institutions have been subject to a comparable accreditation process.

Applicants who have not graduated from an affiliated college will be asked to present evidence of training, qualifications and  experience. These applicants attend a stringent personal interview.

FIND YOUR NEAREST MEMBER
There are now a great number of people in the UK claiming competence in Chinese Herbal Medicine. Some of them will have received proper training, and some of them may have not.

For your own safety and peace of mind it is strongly recommended that you consult members of an association which can demonstrate high standards of entry and ethical practice. The RCHM fulfils these requirements.

It should be noted that forged certificates are not unheard of, so please do not take a certificate alone as proof of membership, but use the RCHM to select your member.    

RCHM Members and acupuncture
Most practitioners of Chinese Herbal Medicine will have completed a course in acupuncture before becoming a herbalist, and will be able to offer this as part of your treatment, should you require it. Most RCHM Members are also British Acupuncture Council members.  However, some acupuncturists have not trained in herbal medicine, so it is recommended that you check that the person prescribing is qualified in Chinese Herbal Medicine as well as in acupuncture. The British Acupuncture Council will be able to provide a list of qualified acupuncturists and you are advised to check that you will be receiving acupuncture from one of their members.

The Kampo Association
Kampo, literally way of the Han (Chinese), is the name given to Chinese Herbal Medicine in Japan, where the herbal formulae are approved as prescription-medicines. People who have graduated from the Kampo Apprentice course in the UK will be members of the Kampo Association. Kampo originates in a Chinese medical classic, the Shan Han Lun , and there are some differences in the way a Kampo herbalist might work due to the way in which the tradition has evolved in Japan. A particular feature of Kampo practice is that the herbal formulae are not altered at the discretion of the physician, since the classical formulae are regarded as the culmination of long empirical experience which is to be respected. Dosages are comparatively small and the herbs are most often taken in granulated powder form.