WHO KNEW.....?

Years ago, I was listening to Radio 4 and there was an interview with a guy who referred to himself as a Medical Herbalist. He went on to discuss some of the diseases he had treated, and the patient outcomes. I was in the kitchen and stopped in the middle of kneading the bread. I had one question:

Herbs can provide a 'medical system’?

I thought of medicinal herbs as rather sweet but ineffectual – chamomile tea before bed – sort of thing. That anyone actually used them to practice medicine, and that they could be effective,  was a new one to me. The guy was well-educated, articulate, not obviously a weirdo, and very well informed, so I listened to the end.

So. That was interesting.

The next week I picked up a glossy women’s magazine and there was an article covering a variety of complementary health care options, using the patients’ perspectives rather than practitioners. One woman told of her ill health over several years, the many GP visits, and the eventual realisation that the steroids she had been prescribed was the last option the orthodox system could offer her. In desperation she went to visit a Medical Herbalist, and after three months of taking the herbs she felt an improvement, after six months she began the slow weaning off steroids, and eight to nine months later she felt ‘completely well’. She was so impressed with her recovery that she trained to be a Medical Herbalist herself. And the contact details were there: the contact details for NIMH – the National Institute of Medical Herbalists – the oldest professional body of medical herbalists in the 

world.

This was serendipity….

So I trained to take the degree in Herbal Medicine, first with a private college, then it was transferred to a University in London. And I qualified as a Medical Herbalist. I have a practice in Bridgwater where I see patients and sometimes do workshops, and I help run a training school in Porlock to provide the world with professional herbal medicine practitioners.

My NIMH certificate

I also joined another professional body - The College of Practising Phytotherapists - CPP. Phytotherapy is just another [more modern] word for herbal medicine. These two professional bodies just make sure you keep your standards up and keep up your training every year.

No day is the same - I see patients, I teach, I write, I grow and pick herbs, I make medicine.... I sometimes forage, to pick the best herbs in the best condition to make tinctures and teas for my patients. I grow some in my herb garden at home.

My home-grown, hand-picked Feverfew

This was a tincture I made from fresh cleavers ages ago. All gone now...

Sometimes I buy in raw materials from organic sources to make my own medicines from, or if push comes to shove, I buy in the tinctures already made from a specialist supplier.

When I give talks I always ask the question; Do you know what a medical herbalist is? The answer is usually a no…

I had a patient recently, and I asked her the same question. I was surprised that she also answered with a no, and wondered how come she had booked an appointment without even really knowing what it was that I did; but she explained that her sister was an old patient of mine and she had told her to come.

The point is: People know what Homeopaths are, Chiropractors, Acupuncturists – they have heard of Ayurvedic medicine and Chinese Herbal Medicine. In fact, some people think that’s what ‘herbal medicine’ is. The Chinese roots and insects and stuff.

But, no.

Here in the West we have a long tradition of herbal medicine, but it is very much overshadowed by orthodox medicine. I am not one of those ‘alternative medicine’ believers that think the NHS has nothing to offer; it is not unknown for me to engage in a dialogue with GPs and Consultants so we can find the best route of treatment for our patients.

Orthodox medicine is vital in life-saving scenarios and surgery etc, but it has gaps. I think that orthodox medicine can stop you dying, but it doesn’t often make you well.  So use both…