Why see a herbalist?

Something I asked myself when I first visited a herbalist!

Why see a herbalist?

Back in 2017 when I was ill and a friend suggested I saw a herbalist I asked the same thing and I was very sceptical!

For me the most important factor was Herbal Medicine treats the whole person as an individual. A consultation with me is an hour to an hour and half, it’s your chance to take some time and share your health story. Sometimes patients have been dealing with chronic illness for a long time and there may be many layers to what is going on, both physical and emotional.

So Herbalists treat the person, not the symptom. It’s important for me to understand the bigger picture and consider your entire health history, not just your present symptoms.

You also don't need to be dealing with a health condition to see a herbalist for an 'MOT'.

In a consultation I ask questions about your health history, any medications you’ve taken in your life, any current medication that you’re taking, your diet and lifestyle (no judgement here) as well as all the systems of the body to give me an overall picture.

The aim is to uncover the root cause for your present symptoms and by creating a herbal prescription to help your body regain balance and for you to feel better. Two patients may present with digestive issues and very similar symptoms, but the causes behind the symptoms could be very different. Sometimes we don't even start with herbs but with gut health, duet and lifestyle.

Every patient is unique and everyone has a health story unique to them. Similarly a herbal prescription is also bespoke to the individual. Medical herbalists have extensive training in plant chemistry and a herbal prescription could contain 5-9 herbs, all carefully chosen to suit the patient and their health issue. We also have training in herb/drug interactions as it’s very common for patients to be taking daily medication.

For me seeing a herbalist is about much more than physical health, we take into consideration emotional wellbeing, a person’s constitution - do they run hot or cold, have food cravings, do they wake feeling refreshed...it’s all about the whole person.

I hope this answers some of your question, seeing a herbalist changed my life in more ways than one and here I am years later a qualified medical herbalist myself!

If you want to find out more, book a free discovery Zoom, link in my bio!

Cath
Medical Herbalist