Herbal medicine

Rudolf Steiner once said that, “for every human illness there exists a plant which is the cure.” Herbal medicine is the use of the whole plant, or at times certain active constituents, to active the healing of the body and the mind. There are many traditional perspectives on plant based medicine, spirituality and healing traditions. Ayureveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine,Western Herbalism, Tibetan medicine, Indigenous and folk traditions, ancient Greek and Arabic Medicine to name a few. Peoples interaction with the natural world, particularly the plant kingdom has been instrumental in determining the course of history, the development of cultures and the state of human consciousness.

What conditions do you treat with herbal medicines?

I first discovered herbal medicine as a teenager, even before I was introduced to Naturopathy itself. I grew the plants, and used what I could at the time with what I could learn all before google ever existed! I traveled to herb club meetings, read books and asked a lot of questions from people that were using and growing plants for their own medicine. I became captivated that access to medicines could be this simple if we only had the education about them. Not long after I became aware of a course that was available to study herbal medicine, as well as other healing modalities so I shifted my focus from studying western medicine to Naturopathic Medicine. And the rest is herstory.

Plants contain within themselves the vital force of life, known as chi, and along with the spiritual qualities of herbs hold a unique restorative force. I have always felt the connection with medicines that come from nature as I have found that they connect us with something greater than ourselves, and through this connection, we find deeper meaning and purpose in life. The healing they provide is gentle, and corrective.

When used in harmony with the patient, the plants individual essence can be harnessed to address ailments of the body and mind. Nature itself provided these and for thousands of years have been used within many cultures, and this natural way of healing can have the most profound impact on well being with the least impact on the environment when herbs are cultivated and prepared sustainably.

These unique qualities of herbs ensure that it is not only the symptoms that are being treated but the root cause. Herbs facilitate the restoration of health within the body. They can do what many medicines cannot. They are antiviral, antibacterial, immune modulating, immune building, strengthening and tonifying to organs and glands, lymphatic and blood cleansers, stimulate the elimination and detoxifying of organs, and much more. The medicines can be taken, used and prepared in a variety of ways:

• Herbal tisanes or infusion such as a tea

• Herbal Tinctures

• Herbal creams

• Herbal oils and ointments

• Herbal tablets and capsules made from the dried herb

• Herbal Spagyric

The most common preparations of herbal medicines I use in my practice are tinctures and tablets. They have been prepared under stringent regulations to provide the highest quality medicines to practitioners in Australia which I have been using for 23 years. Many herbal medicines can be taken by children, pregnant women and the elderly but only under the assessment of a qualified herbalist/Naturopath such as myself as there are plant medicines that have safety issues.

If you’re interested understanding more about how herbal medicines can support your physical and mental health, please contact me for a free introductory chat.