BC Herbalists Association

BC Herbalists Association A nonprofit, volunteer-run, professional association dedicated to providing leadership & standards of education & practice for professional herbalists in BC.

The purpose and goals of the Canadian Herbalist’s Association of BC is to:
Monitor and maintain the educational qualifications and the practice of ethical Herbal Practitioners
Strive to promote better health with herbs
Advance the understanding and knowledge of the practice of Herbalism
Aim to increase the acceptance of herbal medicine through public awareness and the cultivation of research in th

e field of herbal medicine
Provide a collective voice for all herbal practitioners at the government level by providing input for Sector Studies and an application to the Health Protections Branch for recognition as a profession
The CHA of BC also works to unite herbal professionals worldwide; assisting in the protection of the character and status of all herbalists. The posts on our page are intended to promote education in herbal medicine, to share information about the CHA of BC and its members. We do not accept postings from members wanting to promote or sell products or treat diseases. To learn about becoming a member of the CHA of BC visit: http://www.chaofbc.ca/wp/membership/

✨️ Dear Herbal Community, the next Student Herb Club meeting will be on Tuesday, August 25th, from 6:00–7:00 PM, and wil...
08/25/2026

✨️ Dear Herbal Community, the next Student Herb Club meeting will be on Tuesday, August 25th, from 6:00–7:00 PM, and will focus on Anxiety Regulation & Herbal Resilience. 🪻

In this meeting, we will:
Focus: How to integrate herbs for anxiety regulation and resilience. What
roles do anxiolytic herbs play? Let’s explore.

Herbal deep dive: Anxiolytics — calming nervines, grounding herbs, and supportive allies.

Featured video: Herbal First Aid for Anxiety Relief — Suzanne M. Tabert

👉🏼 Register through the link in our bio, or visit our website to become a student member and continue connecting, learning, and thriving on your herbalist path.

📷 courtesy of Canva

Our submission has been sent.The British Columbia Herbalists Association has now formally submitted its response to Heal...
07/13/2026

Our submission has been sent.

The British Columbia Herbalists Association has now formally submitted its response to Health Canada's consultation on the proposed Natural Health Product Compounding Policy and Raw Materials Policies.

Our submission outlines the BCHA's concerns, recommendations, and rationale, with a focus on:

🌿 Protecting individualized herbal medicine

🌿 Using clear, practical, and proportionate regulatory language

🌿 Preserving practitioner clinical judgment

🌿 Preserving the distinction between federal oversight of health products and provincial oversight of health practitioners—including the longstanding exemption for practitioner compounding within traditional, complementary, and integrative healthcare.

🌿 Considering the cumulative impact of recent regulatory changes on practitioners, patients, and small Canadian businesses

While the public consultation is now officially closed, we encourage practitioners, patients, businesses, students, and members of the public to engage with key federal decision-makers. Government consultations are strongest when decision-makers hear from a diversity of voices.

If you're interested in reading our full submission, it's now available through the link below as part of our Consultation Toolkit. You can also find a list of other politicians to engage with + their official email addresses.
https://tr.ee/ikVwNy3zdj

Thank you to everyone who has contributed their time, expertise, and thoughtful feedback throughout this process. We also encourage you to continue sharing your perspectives.

Last chance to have your say.Today is the final day to submit comments to Health Canada's consultation on the proposed N...
07/12/2026

Last chance to have your say.

Today is the final day to submit comments to Health Canada's consultation on the proposed Natural Health Product Compounding and Raw Materials Policies.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to learn about the proposed changes, share our resources, submit comments, and contact federal decision-makers.

If you haven't submitted your comments yet, there's still time.

📍Visit the link below for our Consultation Toolkit and the direct link to the consultation portal.
https://tr.ee/sg8Q24NK4S

Policy should be informed by the people it affects. Every voice contributes to a stronger consultation.

Tomorrow is the deadline.This is your final two days to participate in Health Canada's consultation on the proposed chan...
07/12/2026

Tomorrow is the deadline.

This is your final two days to participate in Health Canada's consultation on the proposed changes to the Natural Health Product Compounding and Raw Materials Policies.

Government consultations are one of the few opportunities Canadians have to provide input before policy is finalized.

If this issue matters to you, please don't assume someone else will speak for you.

Take a few minutes today to submit your comments and help ensure that the voices of practitioners, patients, businesses, and members of the public are heard.

Our Consultation Toolkit is available through the link below.
https://tr.ee/sg8Q24NK4S

Thank you to everyone who has already participated and helped spread the word.

Every voice counts!

⏰ One day left.Tomorrow is the deadline to submit comments to Health Canada's consultation on the proposed Natural Healt...
07/11/2026

⏰ One day left.

Tomorrow is the deadline to submit comments to Health Canada's consultation on the proposed Natural Health Product Compounding and Raw Materials Policies.

If you've been meaning to participate, today is the day.

Whether you're a practitioner, patient, business owner, student, or simply someone who values access to herbal medicine, your perspective matters.

You don't need to write a lengthy submission. A respectful letter describing your own experience and concerns can make an important contribution to the consultation.

Need a place to start?

Our Consultation Toolkit includes:
✔ A plain-language summary
✔ Response templates
✔ Contact information
✔ Direct links to the consultation

Find everything through the link below.
https://tr.ee/sg8Q24NK4S

If you've already submitted your comments to Health Canada—thank you! You've already done the hard part.There's one more...
07/11/2026

If you've already submitted your comments to Health Canada—thank you!

You've already done the hard part.

There's one more simple step you can take.

Forward the same personalized letter (or a slightly adapted version) to:
✔ Your Member of Parliament
✔ The Minister of Health
✔ The Director General of the NNHPD
✔ The federal Health Critics

You don't need to start from scratch. The letter you've already written can help ensure that both Health Canada and Canada's elected representatives hear directly from the people these proposed policies may affect.

Contact information is included in our Consultation Toolkit.

📍Linked here.
https://tr.ee/sg8Q24NK4S

⏳ Just 48 hours left to have your say.Health Canada's public consultation on the proposed Natural Health Product Compoun...
07/10/2026

⏳ Just 48 hours left to have your say.

Health Canada's public consultation on the proposed Natural Health Product Compounding and Raw Materials Policies closes Sunday, July 12.

If you value:
🌿 Individualized natural medicine
🌿 Healthcare choice
🌿 Small Canadian businesses
🌿 A robust materia medica
🌿 Clear and practical policy
..now is the time to make your voice heard.

We've done the groundwork to make participating as easy as possible. Our Consultation Toolkit includes a plain-language summary, letter templates for practitioners, patients, businesses, and members of the public, and emails to submit your comments to.

Everything is available through the link below.
https://tr.ee/sg8Q24NK4S

Every respectful, informed, and personalized submission helps decision-makers better understand how these proposed changes may affect Canadians.

Share your story before it's too late!

Good public policy is shaped by listening to the people it affects.Health Canada's proposed changes to the Natural Healt...
07/09/2026

Good public policy is shaped by listening to the people it affects.

Health Canada's proposed changes to the Natural Health Product Compounding and Raw Materials Policies have implications beyond the herbal profession. They may affect:

🌿 Canadians' access to individualized practitioner-guided herbal medicine

🌿 Patient choice and the availability of personalized healthcare options

🌿 Small Canadian businesses that grow, manufacture, distribute, and dispense herbal medicines

🌿 The diversity of Canada's NHPs and the healthcare options it supports

🌿 The ability of qualified practitioners to exercise their clinical judgment in meeting the needs of individual patients

At its core, this consultation is about finding the right balance between clear, practical policy and preserving access to individualized herbal care.

Federal decision-makers have an important responsibility to ensure that policies are evidence-informed, proportionate, and developed with meaningful input from the people who will be affected.

You can help.

After submitting your comments through Health Canada's public consultation, consider forwarding the same personalized letter—or a slightly adapted version—to your Member of Parliament, the Minister of Health, the Director General of the NNHPD, and the federal Health Critics.

You've already done the work. Sharing your perspective helps ensure that both Health Canada and elected representatives hear directly from Canadians before these policies are finalized.

Our Consultation Toolkit, including federal decision-maker contact information and letter templates, is available through the following link.
https://tr.ee/sg8Q24NK4S

The consultation closes July 12.

07/09/2026

Practitioner compounding is a cornerstone of individualized herbal medicine.

Every day, licensed and unlicensed practitioners of all kinds assess health history, medications, allergies, sensitivities, constitution, therapeutic goals, and response to treatment before preparing or recommending herbal medicines tailored to the individual.

The proposed policy changes raise important questions about practitioner compounding, single-herb dispensing, customized formulas, practitioner dispensaries, importation, and the distinction between compounding and manufacturing.

If these issues affect your practice, this is your opportunity to share your experience directly with Health Canada.

Professional associations play an important role, but individual practitioner voices carry tremendous weight in public consultations.

Visit the link below to read our summary and access the practitioner response template.

https://tr.ee/sg8Q24NK4S

Be sure to email your submission to Health Canada before July 12, when the consultation closes.













image courtesy of Canva

To be clear, if you haven't yet submitted comments to Health Canada's Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Direc...
07/09/2026

To be clear, if you haven't yet submitted comments to Health Canada's Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD), that is priority #1.

You need to do that by July 12.

If your comments are in, give yourself a pat on the back!

You've done the hard part.

Now, there's one more simple way to help.

Forward the same personalized letter—or a slightly adapted version—to your local MP, the Minister of Health, the Director General of the NNHPD, and all the federal Health Critics.

We were going to publish a separate template for this, but we realized that would just make more work for you. You've already taken the time to write your personal letter. It makes more sense to use that. By also sharing it with Canada's decision-makers, you can help ensure that both Health Canada and elected officials hear directly from the people who may be affected by these proposed policy changes.

Every respectful, informed, and personalized voice helps strengthen the conversation.

Take a few more minutes and send your letter to the people making decisions. A list of additional federal decision-makers to contact, along with their emails can be found at the link below.
https://tr.ee/7r9JH_dZDT

Address

Box 8326, Victoria Main
Victoria, BC
V8W3R9

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