Botanical medicine is one of the fastest-growing areas of integrative veterinary practice in Canada. Clients are asking about herbal options with increasing frequency, and the evidence base supporting certain plant-based therapies is expanding. At the same time, it’s a field that requires genuine education to navigate well — herb-drug interactions are real, quality control in herbal products is inconsistent, and the line between evidence-based botanical medicine and unsupported claims is one that trained practitioners need to be able to draw clearly. Here’s a thorough look at what’s available for Canadian veterinarians who want to build competence in this area.
What the CVMA Says
The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s current position on integrative veterinary medicine acknowledges botanical medicine explicitly as an emerging area within the broader IVM framework. The CVMA holds that all integrative modalities, including botanical medicine, should be subject to the same standards of evidence and scientific rigor as conventional veterinary medicine. Certification training in herbal medicine exists and is emerging, but it’s not currently recognized by the CVMA in the same way that ABVS-designated specialties are. That context matters when you’re evaluating programs and deciding how to represent your credentials to clients and colleagues. The field is moving, and the CVMA advises practitioners to stay current through reputable sources as the evidence and regulatory landscape continue to evolve.
1. CuraCore Canada — Botanical Medicine Training for Veterinarians
CuraCore Canada offers a 40-hour online botanical medicine course that’s specifically designed to ground practitioners in the pharmacologic science behind plant-based medicine rather than tradition or anecdote. The curriculum covers mechanisms of action for different classes of herbs, their clinical indications and contraindications, herb-drug interactions, and how to have honest, informed conversations with clients about herbal options. Critically, it also addresses quality control issues and the ethical concerns around proprietary blends — particularly in the traditional Chinese herbal medicine market, where ingredient transparency can be inconsistent. The course is RACE and NYSED approved, available ongoing through the Canadian site in CAD, and veterinary technicians and students are eligible for a 35% discount. It’s a strong starting point for practitioners who want a scientifically grounded foundation before going deeper into either the Western or Chinese herbal medicine traditions.
2. CIVT — Certification in Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine
The College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies offers a 12-month, fully online certification in veterinary western herbal medicine that’s become one of the most respected programs of its kind internationally. The course runs across four modules, each taking approximately three months of part-time study, and covers 40 clinically important herbs in depth — their pharmacology, traditional use, safety considerations, dosing, and clinical applications across a range of conditions. The program was originally developed by Dr. Susan Wynn and Dr. Barbara Fougere, the editors of Veterinary Herbal Medicine, which remains the authoritative textbook in the field. Tutor support and case-based learning are built into the structure, and the certification can be credited toward the CIVT Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine for practitioners who want to go further. Students enrolled in the certification receive one year of free CIVT membership, which includes access to journals, databases, and discounted webinars.
3. CIVT — Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine
For veterinarians who want a more advanced and comprehensive credential in western herbal medicine, CIVT’s Graduate Diploma builds on the certification and takes the study of plant-based medicine to a graduate level. It’s a longer, more demanding program that covers a broader range of herbs and clinical applications, including complex cases and conditions where conventional medicine has limited options. The diploma program has produced practicing veterinary herbalists across Canada and internationally, and graduates have gone on to hold faculty positions with CIVT, contribute to the professional literature, and advocate for evidence-based botanical medicine within the broader veterinary community. Enrollment is ongoing and self-paced, with structured support from experienced tutors.
4. CIVT — Certification in Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine
CIVT also offers a dedicated certification in Chinese herbal medicine, taught in collaboration with Dr. Steve Marsden, a University of Saskatchewan DVM who also holds a doctorate in naturopathic medicine and a Master’s of Science in Oriental Medicine. The course covers Chinese medical concepts including physiology, etiology, patterns of disharmony, and examination methods, alongside an introduction to a broad range of classical formulas. It’s an intermediate-level program suited to veterinarians who already have some foundation in TCVM or are working alongside an acupuncture-certified colleague and want to extend into herbal medicine as a complementary modality. The certification can provide recognition of prior learning credit toward CIVT’s Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine.
5. IVAS — Certification in Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine
The International Veterinary Acupuncture Society offers its own pathway into Chinese herbal medicine through a 180-hour certification course delivered by CIVT. It’s designed for licensed veterinarians seeking foundational training in VCHM and covers materia medica, classical formula study, dispensary practice, herb-drug interactions, and herbal therapeutics with an emphasis on integrative approaches that combine traditional and biomedical understanding. IVAS’s program is approved for 99 RACE CE credits, it’s recognized internationally, and enrollment is available at any time through the IVAS website with study beginning immediately. For Canadian veterinarians already connected to the IVAS community through acupuncture training, this is a natural next step into herbal medicine within a familiar educational framework.
6. IVAS — Advanced Certification in Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine
For practitioners who’ve completed the foundational IVAS certification and want to go further, the Advanced Certification in Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine is a 500-hour program that provides in-depth training across eight modules, each running 60 to 65 hours. It’s designed to develop advanced expertise applicable to complex and refractory cases — the patients where conventional medicine has limited options and where the depth of a practitioner’s herbal knowledge can make a genuine clinical difference. The course is self-paced and designed to be completed in 15 to 21 months, with 21 months available as the outer limit. Graduates can articulate into CIVT’s Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine with recognition of prior learning, making this a legitimate pathway toward the most advanced credentials available in veterinary Chinese herbal medicine.
7. Chi University — Herbal Medicine Certification
Chi University is one of North America’s most established TCVM institutions and has trained more than 12,000 veterinarians worldwide in traditional Chinese veterinary medicine. Their Chinese herbal medicine certification is designed to integrate with their TCVM curriculum, meaning it works particularly well for veterinarians who’ve completed or are pursuing Chi’s acupuncture training and want to add herbal medicine to their TCVM skill set. The program covers classical formulas and their applications across clinical conditions, and Chi’s faculty includes practitioners with decades of clinical experience in integrative TCVM practice. Chi is IVAS-recognized, and completion of their herbal program counts toward IVAS certified membership for veterinarians who want that professional designation.
8. VBMA — Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association Herbalist Certification
The Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association offers its own Certified Veterinary Herbalist (CVH) credential through a comprehensive exam process. Candidates must pass a 100 to 200 question multiple choice exam with a minimum grade of 75 percent and contribute a minimum of 10 test questions to the VBMA’s question bank within three years of certification. To sit for the exam, candidates need a qualifying graduate-level herbal training background — recognized programs include CIVT’s graduate diploma, Chi’s herbal program, and other established pathways. The VBMA also connects practitioners to a broader community through its practitioner training program directory, which lists short courses, certification and graduate programs in both Chinese and western veterinary herbal medicine. Veterinarians who earn VBMA certification are automatically eligible for consideration as candidates for diplomate status with the American College of Veterinary Botanical Medicine, which represents the most advanced credential currently available in the field.
9. American College of Veterinary Botanical Medicine (ACVBM) — Fellow Designation
The ACVBM is working to establish diplomate status in veterinary botanical medicine, and the path to Fellow of the ACVBM (FACVBM) represents the most rigorous credential currently available to veterinarians who want to practice and be recognized as advanced practitioners in this field. The requirements include completing a graduate-level herbal training program from a recognized institution, accumulating five or more years of clinical experience, and meeting additional criteria established by the ACVBM Board. Canadian veterinarians who complete programs like CIVT’s Graduate Diploma, Chi’s herbal certification, or comparable pathways are building toward eligibility for this credential. The ACVBM’s mission is to increase proficiency and competence in veterinary botanical medicine and ultimately establish it as a recognized specialty, which is a long-term goal with real implications for how the field is perceived and regulated in Canada and beyond.
Starting Points Worth Knowing
Two resources worth bookmarking before diving into any formal program are the VBMA’s practitioner training program directory, which aggregates short courses, certification options, and graduate programs across both western and Chinese herbal medicine traditions, and CIVT’s free introductory webinar library, which lets practitioners sample the content and approach before committing to a longer course. The CVMA’s current position statement on integrative veterinary medicine is also worth reading in full, not because it restricts what Canadian veterinarians can learn or practice, but because it provides important context about how botanical medicine is currently situated within the profession and where the regulatory and scientific conversation is heading.









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