Cornwall Herbal Clinic

20/11/2025

Herbs can support functional infertlity. This is where there is no organic cause, but the hormonal activity and tissue health is not conducive to egg quality, ovulation, implantation and pregnancy. The individual reasons for this would be explored in a consultation, followed by bespoke herbal medicines and lifestyle suggestions.

19/11/2025

Three new tinctures bottled and ready for the dispensary. Hawthorn berry, Ginger root and Rosemary leaf. I'm sure that most Medical Herbalists would include these in their top twenty therapeutic plants. Benefits are too numerous to mention because plants have such a broad range of actions. That's why they are so effective and well tolerated.
I stock over a hundred and twenty extracts to select and blend for each patient's bespoke remedy.

18/11/2025

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will weaken the protection of some important species unless an ammendment is agreed. Some of our Cornish M.P.s have voted against the ammendment, putting nature at risk. Cornwall Wildlife Trust and I encourage you to contact your MP and ask them to lobby and vote for nature.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is being promoted as a way to speed up housing and infrastructure delivery in the UK. But those working across the environmental sector have warned it could have serious consequences for nature, including here in Cornwall.

17/11/2025

Up early on Saturday before the herbal conference started, I took a walk along the river Avon. Several important herbs were in late growth. Do you know their names and how they help?

16/11/2025

New connections made and fresh ideas to follow up after a brilliant weekend in at the National Institute of Medical Herbalists 161st conference. Topics included integrative health care, community herbal education and how herbal medicine, offered alongside conventional treatment, is improving outcomes for cancer patients.

14/11/2025

Looking forward to sessions on integrative oncology, ethnopharmacology and how herbal medicine can empower community health at the National Institute of Medical Herbalists conference today. Not to mention meeting up with herbal colleagues!

03/11/2025

Autumn reading. Time to turn inwards. Rest. Nourish body and mind.

02/11/2025

I'm pretty sure that this little seedling is Valeriana officinalis. At this stage, it's so different from the mature plant, which has deeply toothed leaves.

I'm still getting to know Valeran. I put in it sleep mixes to promote relaxation, and it is helpful. It has such a deep and distinctive aroma (not everyone's cuppa tea) that I'm sure it has lots more to offer.

What have you discovered about Valerian?

25/10/2025

Sometimes plants tell a story.
These two work really well together for certain respiratory problems.

Look at the Elecampane (with the big leaves) and nestling in the middle, self seeded, Greater mullein.

Mullein soothes irritation, loosens and expels mucus.Elecampane also helps clear congestion and is an antimicrobial, warming lung tonic. A clever pairing.

24/10/2025

A hot ginger and lemon drink is really warming after a dog walk, sea swim or even a winter wander around town. It's much more than a nice taste though. I've just peeled and chopped a kilo of root, which is now steeping in a kilner jar, for herbal prescriptions. Ginger helps with many functions; digestion, circulation, inflammation, respiration, reducing nausea and pain, to name a few. It's also a herbal "'kicker" , directing and supporting the actions of other herbs. Ginger contains interesting constituents including a group of molecules called gingerols and shogaols. Link in comments.

22/10/2025

Reducing exposure to environmental toxins will help your health. Take a look under the sink or in the bathroom cupboard. Are there products with strong fragrances, chlorine bleach, formaldehyde and quaternary ammonium compounds?

Some of these not only cause respiratory problems and headaches but can lead to reduced cognitive performance in later life.

You can swap these products for safer alternatives. Damp dust with a microfiber cloth, use baking soda on hobs, hydrogen peroxide if you need to disinfect. Avoid spraying - apply solutions directly into cloths. Ventilate the room when cleaning.

During a consultation, we look at all issues that potentially affect your health. I help you make positive changes so you start to feel better.

As cooler weather draws us indoors, it’s a good time to look more closely at the products we use to keep our homes clean.

17/10/2025

An in depth consultation recently made me reflect on how well herbalists vs G.P.s know their patients.

My GP is excellent but I'm just the 60+ woman she sees in the consulting room. She doesn't know how I live, with whom, what I do for a living, what I eat, how I sleep, my digestion, my health history, family history or what I do for fun.

The nine minutes doesn't allow for any of that. Unlike the family GP of my mum's generation. So it's a case of "try this and come back if it doesn't help".

A herbal consultation is quite different and the time we spend always reveals important detail that helps inform an effective treatment plan.