• What does it mean that you’re a ‘qualified’ Medical Herbalist?

I graduated from Heartwood Education with distinction, which awarded me with a diploma in Medical Herbalism and is equivalent of Level 6 (i.e. BSc level). This four year, full-time, course conferred eligibility to apply for membership of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH), the largest and oldest professional body of herbal practitioners in the UK.

• Can I see a herbalist as well as my NHS/private doctor?

Absolutely. Herbal medicine is not an alternative to you receiving medical care either via the NHS or privately. I can help to guide you through the NHS care you are receiving and I am trained to understand pharmaceutical medicine, so I will not prescribe herbs that are contraindicated with any medicine you may be taking.

• Is herbal medicine dangerous?

Like most things, herbal medicine can both heal and harm. I am trained to prescribe the correct herb(s) at the correct dosage and quantity. There are some plants that are restricted called The Schedule 20s and I do often use these in my prescriptions as they have incredible medicinal properties when used safely, at the correct dosage.

• What plant will help my… ‘ insert ailment here’?

Herbal medicine is holistic and involves understanding the root cause of what’s going on for you, as opposed to ‘fixing’ a symptom. I’m trained to really get to the root of what’s going on and this is different for everybody, which means that the herbal solutions will be too. For example, I can have two people come to clinic with the same diagnosis leave with totally different herbal prescriptions. So there is usually no straightforward answer to this question and I recommend a consultation to explore what’s going on for you.

• I’m not sure what financial tier I fit in to

The sliding scale tiers are there to guide you in choosing the cost most appropriate to your current situation. All I ask is that you are honest and that you amend your fees if and when your financial situation changes. Please just acknowledge that this is a trust-based system for increasing access to healthcare and plant medicine. Paying less than you can afford may reduce my ability to continue offering reduced cost appointments.