Schia Mitchell Sinclair MNIMH RCST

04/05/2025

So nice to see the sun and the spring blossom in Cambridge - so beautiful! ☀️ 💚💚 🌸

01/05/2025

Really great day today as launches a new range of organic herbal tea. It has been a journey and it's so exciting to see them go from an idea to a real thing. I managed to grab these two boxes before I left the office yesterday and all of my clients in clinic today are getting samples. 🤩🌱💚.

Put on the kettle!! 🍵

23/04/2025

If you are interested in a free webinar on Friday, I'll be talking about stress. Do join us 🙂 Register using this link: https://tinyurl.com/23pskavr
Hope to see you then 🌿

Feeling overwhelmed? 🌿
Join us for a free webinar this Stress Awareness Month:
Discover how adaptogens can support your nervous system, build resilience, and help you feel more like yourself again.

✨ Finding Balance – Using Adaptogens to Tackle Stress
🗓️ Hosted by our brilliant Medical Herbalist, Schia Mitchell Sinclair MSc MNIMH RCST
🕐 1–2pm
📩 DM us to sign up

20/03/2025

A key component of my microcirculation phytonutrient diet is beetroot juice, because its nitrate content improves nitric oxide production and hence microvascular flow and endothelial health. Several studies have found that it can thereby boost physical performance. Now beetroot juice has been shown to improve fitness gains in postmenopausal women. Those who drank a half-glass of beetroot juice before working out saw significantly greater improvements in fitness measures over eight weeks.

Late postmenopausal women, defined as at least six years past their final menstrual period, often find it harder to build strength and improve fitness compared to premenopausal women and men of the same age. Reduced nitric oxide availability may diminish the responsiveness of skeletal muscle and fine blood vessels during exercise. Beetroot juice is rich in dietary nitrate, which is stored only in limited amounts in muscle and is converted to nitric oxide during physical exertion.
In the study, 24 late postmenopausal women completed supervised, circuit-based exercise training three times per week for eight weeks. Half of the participants drank 140 mL of beetroot juice two to three hours before each workout. Before and after the training period, all participants underwent physical fitness assessments, including a six-minute walk test.

The participants who drank beetroot juice prior to exercise showed greater improvements in several aspects of physical function, including aerobic capacity and recovery, compared to the control group. For example, beetroot juice increased the six-minute walk test by 40 metres, while the exercise-only group improved by just 8 metres.

Those who took beetroot juice before working out also had significantly greater aerobic capacity measures, as well as heart rate recovery, with a 10-beats-per-minute decrease after the six-minute walk test for the beetroot juice group compared to a one-beat-per-minute decrease in the control group.
The researchers concluded that the study provided preliminary evidence that consuming beetroot juice before exercise could be uniquely beneficial for late postmenopausal women, helping this population to sustain mobility independence and quality of life.

For more information see: https://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/breaking-news/beetroot-juice-improves-fitness-gains-in-postmenopausal-women-study/?utm_campaign=NUT%20eNewsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8LCays33FE1adq4kJWxhlQXf6FQBt8GDZwTRP-Xc32imtMjDOwbXmhWzPCFoFqBKhAvua-Z292DfgrnQpqBZD-k6BO9Q&_hsmi=337934310&utm_content=337934310&utm_source=hs_email

and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39250543/

19/06/2024

Another fabulous and thought provoking seminar by at Churchill College today. We talked about our interactions with our environment in all its forms and how to keep our nervous systems and microbiota happy. The impact of access to and time in nature on our wellbeing was a big and recurring part of the discussions. How much time do you spend in nature every week?

15/05/2024

*Very* excited to be working with the lovely Robyn from bleedonit to present a workshop in Cambridge late June on the topic of hormonal health and menstrual cycle awareness!

So lovely to be teaching people the skills to start to pay more attention to their bodies. Learning to tell when your body needs something is a huge first step in wellness. I will also be talking about the herbs you can use to gently nudge your body if it feels like it needs a bit of extra help. 🌿

Hope to see you there! 🌼

Booking via Eventbrite: https://rb.gy/tsf30e

12/05/2024

Heavenly weather in Cambridge this weekend. I've got out for a walk on the common. So wonderful to have wildflower meadows so close! 😍🌻

18/04/2024

I use turmeric a lot as a herbalist. Tinctured turmeric goes into formulae where I feel I need to reduce inflammation.

But turmeric has other properties too and this anti viral effect that Kerry talks about is clearly significant. Reading about it reminds me of an ex-housemate of mine who used to take toast liberally sprinkled with turmeric when coming down with a cold. It worked really well for her and is a good reminder that culinary turmeric is very effective, you don't need to spend a fortune on expensive supplements. Just don't inhale while eating the toast!

Curcumin, especially in bioavailable formulations, is developing a growing reputation as a clinically relevant antiviral strategy. A recent study from Japan aimed to investigate the effects of a 12-week consumption of two forms of highly bioavailable curcumin (150 mg/day) on common cold symptoms, immune function and inflammatory markers. A randomised, 3-arm, double blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted from November 2021 to May 2022 on 99 healthy Japanese adults. The cumulative number of days for which common cold symptoms persisted was set as the primary outcome. Immunity parameters, inflammatory parameters, liver function and physical examination results were additional outcomes. A safety assessment was also performed.

Ninety-four people completed the study, and the per protocol set included 30 in the placebo group, and 32 and 33 respectively in the curcumin groups. The cumulative number of days for which common cold symptoms persisted was significantly lower for both curcumin groups compared with the placebo group (by around 20 days). There were no changes for immunity and inflammatory parameters, supporting the concept that the key action was antiviral. No adverse effects were observed.

For more information see https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36927282/

18/04/2024

We had a great two days this week at the Natural and Organic Products exhibition in London. I go with two hats on - my The Herbtender hat but also my own hat as a practitioner. It's always so good to have a chance to reconnect with brands I already know and to see new brands coming on the market that may be relevant to my own practice.

With aching feet and hoarse voices we’re looking back at a super busy first day at . Thank you for all the fabulous chats, with old friends and new ones.

If you’re coming to the show tomorrow please pop over and say Hi 👋 at stand C60.

🇬🇧

18/04/2024

Loving the spring flowers, they really bring me joy. I'm lucky to see so many as I cycle around Cambridge.

What brings you joy?

11/04/2024

Part of a talk I gave last year at the Om Yoga Show for The Herbtender on the subject of stress. Stress affects all of us at some point in our lives, it's so important to find ways to manage its effects on our bodies.

19/03/2024

As a herbalist I treat a lot of women with PCOS. It's a condition that responds really well to herbal treatment.

Polycystic o***y syndrome (PCOS) is a major cause of infertility around the world. The disorder is characterised by elevated secretion of androgens resulting in of ovarian enlargement with accumulation of fluid filled cysts, irregular menstrual cycles and hirsutism. A single-arm study assessed the efficacy of proprietary standardised fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seed extract (1,000 mg/day) in 107 female volunteers (aged 18 to 45 years) over a period of 12 consecutive weeks.

The herbal treatment induced a greater than 40% reduction of mean cyst sizes in both ovaries, with a corresponding reduction in ovarian volumes. The LH:FSH ratio was also significantly improved, with a corresponding reduction in total testosterone and prolactin levels. As a result of this improvement in endocrine function, menstrual cycles became more regular in the trial participants. PCOS is also characterised by insulin resistance, and the fenugreek treatment also reduced its severity, together with significantly correcting dyslipidaemia and improving liver function.

For more information see https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36441141/