Some of them will have received proper training, and some of them may have not. It is difficult, if not impossible, for a member of the public to establish the authenticity of the claims or the validity of the certificates of a practitioner who is not an RCHM member. A non member will not be bound by the regulations of a professional body and may well not have professional insurance. For your own safety and peace of mind it is strongly recommended that you only consult an RCHM member when you are considering taking Chinese herbs. It should be noted that forged certificates are not unheard of, so please do not take a certificate alone as proof of membership, but use the RCHM to select your member.
Herbs are now available in a number of formats, both traditional and modern.
The traditional method is to boil a mixture of dried herbs to make a tea, or to use pills. The herbs are now also commonly prescribed as freeze dried powders or tinctures. The herbs will certainly taste unusual at first to anyone who has not tried them before, but the vast majority of people get used to the taste very quickly. There are no standard prices for treatment or herbs. This will depend on the individual practitioner and the part of the country you are in.