About The California Board of Naturopathic Medicine

Naturopathic medicine is one of the oldest continuously licensed health care professions in the country. Its roots lie in German traditions of "Water Cure" or hydrotherapy from the mid-19th century. Naturopathic medicine expanded upon the water cure and herbal therapies and was developed into a comprehensive philosophy and system of health which came to the United States around the turn of the 20th century.

California became the 13th state to recognize naturopathic medicine and provide licensure to naturopathic doctors. The Act, which created the Bureau of Naturopathic Medicine, was effective January 1, 2004. The first ND license was issued on January 14, 2005. The Naturopathic Medicine Committee was formed effective October 23, 2009, under the Osteopathic Medical Board of California (OMBC), however the programs remained autonomous from one another.

On January 1, 2023, the Committee became the California Board of Naturopathic Medicine and was removed from the OMBC and was placed as the newest board under the Department of Consumer Affairs.

There are currently 1,241 naturopathic doctors licensed by California (this number is updated monthly).*

The Board is completely funded by application and licensing fees and its staff is responsible for answering public inquiries, analyzing licensure documents, issuing licenses, responding to correspondence, coordinating legislative, regulatory, and budgetary activities, preparing reports, and administering disciplinary and enforcement activities.

* Disclaimer: All information provided by the Department of Consumer Affairs on this web page, and on its other web pages and internet sites, is made available to provide immediate access for the convenience of interested persons. While the Department believes the information to be reliable, human or mechanical error remains a possibility, as does delay in the posting or updating of information. Therefore, the Department makes no guarantee as to the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, currency, or correct sequencing of the information. Neither the Department, nor any of the sources of the information, shall be responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the use or results obtained from the use of this information. Other specific cautionary notices may be included on other web pages maintained by the Department. All access to and use of this web page and any other web page or internet site of the Department is governed by the Disclaimers and Conditions for Access and Use as set forth at California Department of Consumer Affairs' Disclaimer Information and Use Information.