Becoming a member of our organisation means you'll join a lively and supportive network of over 300 practitioners of Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) and acupuncture, and enables you to access a range of specialist benefits, including CPD (Continuing Professional Development) and the opportunity to access audited supplies for your herbal medicines via our Approved Suppliers Scheme. In addition, membership means you'll have a dedicated profile page on our searchable register, offering prospective patients an easy way to find you and your services online.

Cost of full membership

£365 per year (see below for details of our New Practitioners scheme, which offers a discount on this cost)

Membership requirements

The standard 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). This automatically grants the graduate, who will typically also already hold a qualification in acupuncture, eligibility to join the RCHM. For details of EHTPA accredited institutions and courses, please see Training in CHM.

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/or have additional training and experience to meet the standard required of RCHM members. Such practitioners are encouraged to apply to join the RCHM via the interview route.

Benefits of being an RCHM member

• An individual profile page on the RCHM's register that can be found via an easy online search: a photo, personal statement and tick-box list of specialisms that make it easy to see who you are and what you can offer patients
• Access to a reduced rate on professional insurance cover via Balens' block-insurance scheme for RCHM practitioners. This insurance can cover both herbal medicine and acupuncture
• Access to invaluable information about sourcing high-quality ingredients via the Approved Suppliers Scheme
• Biannual RCHM herbal safety briefs, keeping you abreast of safety developments in the field of CHM, in line with best practice recommendations
• The opportunity to formalise professional learning via our mandatory Continuing Professional Development programme; for more details, contact the office
• For UK members, full access to Evidence-based Clinical Chinese Medicine, a twice-yearly publication collating the latest international research on commonly seen health conditions
• Invitations and reduced entry to all RCHM events and celebration days, including the RCHM annual conference
• Access to the RCHM Practitioner Share Group on Facebook: a safe and supportive online space in which you can ask questions, and share ideas and knowledge about any aspect of CHM
• Free subscription to the RCHM Journal: a twice-yearly publication with stimulating articles in the field of CHM
• Regular news about the RCHM Chinese Herb Garden in Bristol

New Practitioners Scheme

We know that the period just after you finish your studies can be both exciting and daunting. So the RCHM has created a programme specifically to support new graduates of courses in CHM from colleges that have been accredited by the EHTPA (we also welcome enquiries from people who have recently achieved qualifications they feel are of an equivalent standard). Benefits include a significant reduction on the costs of the first two years of membership of the RCHM, the opportunity to join a flexible professional development scheme, and guidance when needed on the specifics of CHM treatments and more general matters relating to practice, including conducting research and marketing your business. Please contact the RCHM office for more details.

Friend of RCHM

If you belong to an affiliated profession, have benefitted from CHM or simply have an interest in finding out more, we warmly invite you to support our work by becoming a Friend of the RCHM. Please contact the RCHM office for more details. Friend Membership costs £36 per annum.