My training as a medical herbalist consisted of a four year professional qualification in Phytotherapy (another word for herbal medicine) with the College of Phytotherapy . It entailed studying both plant and medical sciences, plant therapeutics, philosophy of herbal medicine, herbal pharmacology, medical diagnosis, clinical examination, differential diagnosis, medicine and nutrition.
It also involved undertaking five hundred hours of clinical training, where I attended training clinics in Bath and London and treated people under the guidance of a qualified medical herbalist, followed by a final clinical examination.
I am a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (MNIMH). The National Institute of Medical Herbalists is the United Kingdom’s leading professional body representing herbal practitioners and is also the oldest professional body, having been in existence since 1864.
I also have a BSc (Hons) degree in Microbiology which left me with a deep sense of awe for bacteria. The recent explosion in scientific understanding about the microbiome (the trillions of bacteria living within us) has only served to deepen that. The microbiome has far-reaching effects beyond the digestive system, being also involved for example in our mental health, skin health, and our immune responses.
I also have a diploma in the treatment of allergy from the British Institute of Allergy and Environmental Therapy.
I keep my knowledge about herbal medicine, nutrition and health conditions up to date in various ways e.g. through herbal conferences, books and courses. For example, in 2020 I attended a herbal Lyme disease conference and I attend the National Institute of Medical Herbalists conference. I attended two weekend seminars on 'Collaborative Oncology' with Chanchal Cabrera FNIMH. I have also taken herbalist Paul Bergner's in depth courses on 'Systemic Inflammation, food intolerances and autoimmunity'; 'Insulin Resistance', and 'Fatigue'.
I have also worked as a herbalist for the mental health charity MIND.