THE VETERINARY BOTANICAL MEDICINE ASSOCIATION

DEDICATED TO DEVELOPING RESPONSIBLE HERBAL PRACTICE SINCE 2002

WHAT IS THE VBMA?

Founded in 2002, The Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association, or VBMA, is a group of veterinary professionals and herbalists dedicated to developing responsible herbal practice by encouraging research and education, strengthening industry relations, keeping herbal tradition alive as a valid information source, and increasing professional acceptance of herbal medicine for animals. 

Whether you're just beginning to explore the possibility of incorporating herbal medicine into your practice, or if you're already utilizing herbal medicine but wish to learn more, the VBMA is here to help you on your journey via educational opportunities, consultations and conversations with your peers on our members only website, access to our Herbal Wiki Index, and much more!

READY TO PUT OUR MORE THAN TWO DECADES OF EXPERIENCE TO WORK FOR YOU?

VBMA SPONSORED EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

​VBMA WEBINAR RECORDING: STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR VETERINARIANS

Need some tips on mitigating the stress in your life? Purchase a recording of our VBMA webinar "Surfing the Wave - Staying Upright Amid the Turbulence", presented by Richard Mandelbaum, RH. ​When circumstances shift around us, we need to support and nourish our innate resilience.  This includes our adaptive adrenal response and autonomic nervous system, as well as how they interplay with our immune system vigor.  We'll also look at resilience through the lens of Chinese tradition and Five Elements, and the impact of stress on the Spleen Qi, and from there other Organ Systems.
The VBMA will be at the 2025 American Holistic Veterinary Association Conference in West Palm Beach, FL from September 6th- 9th. We're so thrilled to have David Winston, RH(AHG), DSc (hon.) as our speaker! Our annual herbwalk will be held on Friday, September 5th at Pan Gardens. It's a private tour, and the garden is comprised of 100% native Florida plants. Learn more and sign up HERE.
The 2025 ACVBM Annual Conference will be held online on Sunday November 9th and feature Diana Hermann, MAcOM, Dipl. O.M. (NCCAOM)®, L.Ac. Our friends at the ACVBM will join us in this educational venture and are sponsoring speaker Steve Marsden presenting 'You Can Win With Skin' on Saturday November 8th.

Six hours of CE will be offered each day, 10:30 AM - 5:30 PM ET/7:30 AM - 2:30 PM PT. Time subject to change

VBMA LEARNING LIBRARY

The VBMA has been sponsoring educational opportunities since 2008, all of which we offer as recordings to allow you to learn at your own pace as your schedule permits. There are currently 20 teleseminar audio recordings, 19 webinar video recordings, and 9 conference lecture recordings available for you to choose from! Anyone is welcome to purchase access to items in the VBMA Learning Library, veterinarians and non-veterinarians alike.

FIND A VETERINARIAN NEAR YOU

Are you looking for a veterinarian in  your area who provides complementary and alternative treatments for pets? The VBMA has member veterinarians in the United States, as well as in many other countries around the world. Click below to find one near you!

WHY USE HERBS IN YOUR PRACTICE? 

VBMA Members Cindy Lankenau, Marge Lewter, and Jamie Moran share their answers to that question and more in the videos below!
​VBMA ENDORSES QUALITY HERBAL PRODUCTS
​VBMA recognizes that the herbal product industry has faced quality control and regulatory challenges, and we recommend supporting those companies attempting to self regulate in a meaningful way. Companies that manufacture herbal products marketed for humans should be members of the American Herbal Products Association, an industry organization which explores issues, interacts with regulators, and establishes policy.  Veterinary product companies should be members of the National Animal Supplement Council, an organization which develops policies and procedures on adverse event reporting and quality control.
AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR PET OWNERS
The VBMA does not endorse any products sold on the internet for self prescribing to animals. We believe in the interests of safety that any herb should always be prescribed by a qualified practitioner. There are companies using our name with the suggestion that we endorse their recommendations or products. We specifically DO NOT support any website that unethically sells herbs to the public for non prescribed use in animals.  If you are in any doubt as to the authenticity of a claim made on a website about VBMA, please contact us at [email protected]. You may use the 'find a veterinarian' link on our site menu to find a qualified practitioner near you.
All content © the Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association 2025.
​The VBMA is not affiliated with the American College of Veterinary Botanical Medicine (ACVBM).