About me
I trained for six years with the International Register of Consultant Herbalists, spending time with herbalists all over this country, and in Ireland, gaining experience and knowledge of traditional herbalism and many specialisms, such as fertility. I continue to enhance my skills and develop my practice. I see education as being a life-long pursuit.
I am very keen on good nutrition as a basis for health and have done much research in this area. Although personally I strive to follow the laws of nature and eat only what is wholesome and life-enhancing, I also live in the real world and am as subject as everyone else to the temptations that can bring. We all lapse at times into comfort eating and drinking — sometimes a good herbal detox treatment is all that is needed to restore the equilibrium.
Gradually I am growing more and more of my own herbs and making my own medicine, both out of enjoyment, and to ensure integrity of freshness and quality in the finished product; I also grow most of my own vegetables, and garden organically. Most holidays are spent camping in Scotland.
My background is in social work, particularly in the field of mental health, where I have helped many people to overcome anxiety and depression by using cognitive behavioural therapy and other techniques.
IRCH — The International Register of Consultant Herbalists and Homeopaths
IRCH prides itself on being not the largest, but the most holistic training school and herbal register. The six year training programme includes Anatomy and Physiology, Naturopathy, Materia Medica, Herbal Medicine and Herbal Practice.
Every herbal practitioner trained by the IRCH is registered not only with the IRCH but also with the EHPA, the European Herbal Practitioner’s Association, that acts as an umbrella organisation, overseeing and monitoring the standards and practices of each herbal school.
A thorough grounding in Anatomy and Physiology is necessary in order to be able to track down the cause of any disease, which may be presenting symptoms in another part of the body entirely, but it will not be possible to achieve true healing until the cause of the imbalance has been corrected.
Naturopathy gives the herbalist another set of tools and techniques to use in addition to the herbal medicine. To simplify, naturopathy includes knowledge of nutrition and different diets, including fasting; hydrotherapeutic healing such as hot or cold poultices or baths; exercise, and appropriate use of sunshine and fresh air, and the importance of a positive mental attitude.
Materia Medica involves learning in detail over a hundred medicinal herbs, and gives the framework and the desire to go on learning about the many more that exist in our amazing natural world.
Herbal Medicine puts into practice the knowledge of medicinal herbs, and is the pinnacle of the training, where the student herbalist not only works through many case studies, but also spends time with a variety of experienced traditional herbalists with a wealth of knowledge and practice to impart. The new practitioner starts to devise their own treatment programmes, under strict supervision.
Herbal Practice gives the necessary knowledge to the new practitioner of such matters as insurance, confidentiality and other principles of good practice that are vital for the protection of both herbalist and patient.
The IRCH produces a professional Journal of Natural Medicine, where new and old knowledge is shared and case studies published.
Each year the IRCH holds an AGM and Conference, hosting prestigious speakers, qualified and experienced in Herbal Medicine and other associated disciplines, such as iridology.
See IRCH website for more details.