Why Practice Energetic Herbalism and What is Index Herbalism?

(C) 2025 by Kathryn Sisler Waple and Emily Kuchlbauer (Sunday Herbal)

One of the beautiful things about herbalism is that like many other different art forms there are as many ways to practice working with plants as there are unique human cultures across the globe. While this rich abundance of practices means that herbalism really is “the people’s medicine” and that everyone can discover their own personal relationship with plants, for many herbalists, even ones who have been practicing for years, developing a well rounded course of study can be challenging. There are so many options, theories, practices, teachers, and plants that any herbalist can get bogged down in the decision fatigue of learning how to learn. 

One of the most common frameworks available to the budding herbalist today is what is called “Index Herbalism” which treats working with plants for prophylactic and acute health concerns as a static reference system based on the allopathic western healthcare model. Part of this framework was developed out of necessity. For most of humanity’s existence, herbalism was an oral tradition passed down from mentor to mentee. During the last two hundred years, the chain of oral tradition was broken through genocide of First Nation People, the supression of folk healers, women and anyone who did not fit the white male professional doctor model. Much of the information that was preserved was what had been recorded by the encroaching western medical profession and documented using the model of “if this, then that”. What is commonly found in many modern herbals is a reference book that lists the “ailment” and then provides a list of herbs that are “good for” that ailment. 

The failing with the “if this, then that” model is where Energetic Herbalism shines. If you have a headache, knowing the cause of the headache, or the pattern imbalance in the person, will determine which herb(s) will restore balance to the pattern and relieve the symptoms. Taking a holistic view of the pattern of the person and matching it to the pattern of the plant requires a different kind of work: observation, a working knowledge of tastes, herbal actions, herbal organ affinities (where the plant works in the body), and a basic understanding of physiology and anatomy. Energetic Herbalism asks that we look at and work with the whole person, and that we work with and understand the whole plant. While it may seem like more work in some aspects, the beauty of this learning framework is that an herbalist trained in energetics may develop a complete home pharmacopeia with a deep understanding of just a dozen or so plants, rather than learning hundreds of plants for individual ailments under the framework of index herbalism or “this for that” use cases. 

Energetic Herbalism 101 will provide you with a complete foundation to embark on developing a holistic and intuitive relationship with plants. Rather than learning how to pair plants to symptoms, you will learn how to pair plants to people with symptoms. Explore the benefits of a collaborative model of herbalism rather than an extractive one — in a safe community setting with in-class activities that will delight your senses and help you grow as an herbalist.