Herbal Medicine
Herbal medicine is a traditional healing form of all cultures and is still recognised in many parts of the world as the first medicine. It makes sense to use the plants around us to our benefit and our bodies can easily process them. Herbs rarely have side effects and nudge the body towards self-correction, safely and effectively.
Modern science increasingly supports the use of herbs for health as we come to understand their gentle yet effective nature. Treating the whole person and addressing many health conditions, herbal medicine has incredible potential to restore wellness and vitality.
It is well known that animals have a natural ability to seek out the plants they need and I believe that plant medicine still has an important role to play in human health. There is so much potential but like many traditions we must use it or we’ll lose it.
Western herbal medicine is not the same as Chinese medicine nor homeopathy. It uses the actual plant material itself, and uses herbs mainly native to Europe and the American continents although more diverse herbs are continually being added. These may be Asian, Australian or New Zealand natives.
Many of the plants used are growing around us right here in Nelson and it is my aim to start harvesting and utilising these as part of my holistic approach to medicine. I aim to get more people using simple herb teas as a starting place for health maintenance.
Medical herbalists must train in anatomy, physiology, pathology, biochemistry, differential diagnosis and pharmacology as well as studying over one hundred herbs and their applications along with the philosophy of herbal medicine. The training involves 3 to 4 years fulltime study including extensive clinical experience.
