Anne McIntyre Herbalist and Ayurvedic Practitioner

Anne McIntyre Herbalist and Ayurvedic Practitioner Medical Herbalist, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Author & Teacher
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Herbalist, Ayurvedic practitioner, author of over twenty books, lecturer and gardener, Anne McIntyre has lived and worked in the Cotswolds for more than three decades, using her own blend of herbal medicine and Ayurveda to treat patients in her busy practice. Anne runs practical courses in herbal medicine, Ayurveda and foraging in the UK from her beautiful Cotswolds home. Alongside these workshops

Anne also has written unique online courses in Ayurveda for the Western perspective which can be found on her course website, www.learnlivingayurveda.com.

The yeah, whatever herb.I’ve been going through the handouts for upcoming courses and found these gorgeous photos of Cal...
09/05/2026

The yeah, whatever herb.

I’ve been going through the handouts for upcoming courses and found these gorgeous photos of California poppies, Eschscholzia californica, taken in my garden in peak summer. I’ve included California poppy in a number of my books (here the photos are from Drugs in Pots and Dispensing with Tradition) as it is one of my absolute favourite herbs and it is equally loved by my patients too!

In Western herbal medicine, California poppy is such a fabulous ‘feel good’ remedy. I often call it the “yeah… whatever” herb because of the way it helps to lift the spirits, soften stress, tension and overwhelm, bringing a sense of calm, ease and emotional lightness. It’s traditionally used to support sleep, reduce anxiety, relieve headaches and migraines, as well as to ease pain, palpitations, tachycardia and hypertension.

From an Ayurvedic perspective, it’s especially helpful for cooling excess pitta in the mind (sadhaka pitta) - that fiery, overthinking, perfectionist energy that can show up as irritability, low self esteem, over ambition, insomnia, overanalysing, headaches or OCD. Reducing pitta in the rasa and rakta dhatus, it can relieve palpitations, hypertension and pain from inflammation.

And on top of all of that, I think that even just looking at these gorgeous flowers brings joy to my day! 💛

If you’d like to find out more about this and other helpful herbs that you can grow in your garden, why not check out the courses link in my bio ⬆️

I moved here to Artemis House over twenty years ago with my three daughters and named the house after Artemis the moon g...
07/05/2026

I moved here to Artemis House over twenty years ago with my three daughters and named the house after Artemis the moon goddess - the protector of women who also oversees nature and fertility.

I wanted the garden to illustrate the benefits of herbs through our lives, and that is why I decided to lay it out as a spiral representing a journey through a woman’s life expressed through herbs. As you move through the seasons of womanhood, you find herbs growing at each stage to support you at that time.

We collect as many plants as we can from the garden. These are the tools of our trade. We need to have the best possible herbs and growing our own is our best guarantee of quality. I love that, regardless of your access to a garden, everyone can at least grow pots of herbs like mint, basil or coriander on their window ledge to start on their herbal journey.

One of the things I love to do is to be a conveyor of knowledge - even though I sometimes feel that even after over 45 years in practice, I still only know the tip of the iceberg! Understanding the world of nature and what it is to be human is a feat few have truly achieved and everyone has their own take on it. We’re all exploring and through the courses at Artemis House I hope that our explorations and discussions have been helpful starts or continuations for students on their journey into the wonderful world of herbs and healing!

Feeling stressed, stretched or just running on empty?Join me at Artemis House on 14th May for Herbs for Mental & Emotion...
07/05/2026

Feeling stressed, stretched or just running on empty?

Join me at Artemis House on 14th May for Herbs for Mental & Emotional Resilience - a deep dive into natural ways to support your mind, mood and nervous system. We’ll explore calming herbs and spices like rose, cinnamon, California poppy, vervain and gotu kola, alongside simple self-care practices and dietary tips to help you build mental and emotional resilience in everyday life.

💚 While stress may be part of being human, how we support ourselves through it can make all the difference 💚

Link in bio to book!

How do you deal with stress in your life? Do you have habits and strategies that encourage your emotional and mental res...
01/05/2026

How do you deal with stress in your life? Do you have habits and strategies that encourage your emotional and mental resilience?

This is the topic of my next course ‘Herbs for Mental and Emotional Resilience’. Taking place here at Artemis House on 14th May we will be looking at a range of tools to help you manage stress, from self care practices to dietary changes, as well as taking a look at herbs and spices from both Eastern and Western healing systems, including rose, cinnamon, California poppy, vervain and gotu kola.

Life can be full of potential upsets, and you probably hear the word ‘stress’ very frequently. Many of us have frenetic lifestyles, taxing work schedules, challenges of raising children, changing relationships and even health problems. Whether or not we find these life occurrences stressful varies from one person to another - after all one person’s stress is another’s exciting challenge!

But what is stress? According to the World Health Organisation, ‘stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation…stress is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives’. So one way of looking at stress is that it is a sign that we need to make changes in how we are living from day to day.

If you are interested in finding out more about how you can create the resilience to deal with the stresses in your life, come and join us on the 14th May! Find out more via link in bio.

A throwback to some photos taken last month when we had the first of three workshops for The Practical Home Herbalist co...
12/04/2026

A throwback to some photos taken last month when we had the first of three workshops for The Practical Home Herbalist course.

We took full advantage of the herbs available in March by making a delicious green smoothie (recipe in this month’s newsletter) as well as a salad of seasonal herbs and edible flowers. So pretty! We also had leek and nettle soup and a wild pesto of sorrel, wild garlic, chickweed and cleavers.

Did you know that, as well as the popular Ayurvedic Apprenticeship and Home Herbalist courses, we also have day courses ...
02/04/2026

Did you know that, as well as the popular Ayurvedic Apprenticeship and Home Herbalist courses, we also have day courses that we run from the garden at Artemis House.

Take a look at these three - there’s something for everyone!

🪴 Herbs for Mental and Emotional Resilience
🗓 14th May 2026 | 📍 Artemis House | ⏰ 10am – 4pm
Drawing from both Western herbal medicine and Ayurvedic wisdom, this course will explore the deep interconnection between mind, body and spirit, offering you practical tools and natural remedies to build resilience and restore balance.

🌸 Potions & Petals
🗓 9th July 2025 | ⏰ 10am – 4pm | 📍 Artemis House
Come and join Anne to uncover the untapped healing potential of your own garden. You don’t need to start a medicinal garden from scratch – your garden is already filled with plants and flowers that can be used to support your health.

❄️ Sage & Snow
🗓 5th November 2026 | 📍 Artemis House | ⏰ 10am – 4pm
As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, winter invites us to slow down, rest and turn inward. Sage and Snow is a seasonal herbal medicine course designed to help you meet these colder months with resilience, warmth and vitality.

Space are limited to only 15 people.

Book now via the link in bio.

Have a feeling it won’t stop raining for a while - but at least these will cheer us all up! A little beauty in the gloom...
03/02/2026

Have a feeling it won’t stop raining for a while - but at least these will cheer us all up! A little beauty in the gloom.

The garden at Artemis House is enormously important to my clinic, patients and students – and to me! It is laid out in a...
22/01/2026

The garden at Artemis House is enormously important to my clinic, patients and students – and to me! It is laid out in a spiral, representing a journey through a woman’s life, starting at birth with a beautiful rose arch and ending in paradise by the tranquil pond. There is a narrow gravel path to follow as you slowly walk around the garden and as the path unfolds the planting reflects the herbs that are most helpful for that time in a woman’s life.

We aim to grow as much as possible in the garden to produce home grown and home processed herbs for the dispensary. To maintain this garden requires an enormous amount of work, knowledge and passion and each winter I review planting schemes, deciding which which herbs we need more of for the practice, which beds and borders need attention, and looking at new garden projects – all of which requires considerable amounts of labour to carry out!

To help us keep the garden looking its best, this spring and summer we are looking for volunteers to come and work alongside our regular gardeners. A passion for herbs and plants is essential, but no previous gardening experience is necessary as a herb garden does not always follow the same rules as an ornamental garden (our definition of a ‘weed’ is slightly different for starters!).

We will be gardening on Mondays, but the number of days volunteered and the work to be done will be arranged in advance with us, you can give as much, or as little, time as you are able. Please note we are not on a public transport route so you will need to be able to drive yourself to and from the garden.

If you would like more info please get in touch!

🌿How to Be a Home Herbalist ✨SOLD OUT✨
🗓 Feb-Sept 2026 | 📍 Artemis House | 💻 Online + In-PersonHow to be a Home Herbalis...
19/01/2026

🌿How to Be a Home Herbalist ✨SOLD OUT✨
🗓 Feb-Sept 2026 | 📍 Artemis House | 💻 Online + In-Person

How to be a Home Herbalist is a comprehensive and inspiring introduction to herbal medicine, carefully designed to guide you on a transformative journey with plants. This blended course brings together decades of herbal wisdom, combining self-paced online reading with in-person practical workshops at the Artemis House clinic and herb garden in the Cotswolds.

Whether you are brand new to herbs or ready to take further what you already know, you’ll gain the confidence, skills and understanding to work with plants safely, intuitively and effectively.

🌿The Practicing Home Herbalist 
🗓 Starts March 2026 | 📍 Artemis House

New for 2026 The Practicing Home Herbalist is a hands-on series of workshops looking at the wonderful and fascinating world of herbal medicine. We’ll be diving into each system of the body, exploring how to support and treat these systems using herbs, diet, lifestyle changes and using real-life case studies to bring the learning to life.

Together, we’ll look at both preventative strategies and natural treatments for common ailments – combining practical herbal knowledge with holistic approaches to health and healing. We will spend lots of time in the garden, picking herbs and making them into a variety of different preparations – and we’ll have lots of fun along the way!

🌿Day Courses
🗓 May / June / November 2026 | 📍 Artemis House

Come to Artemis House for the day to find out more about how you can use herbs to support your health. Drawing from both Western herbal medicine and Ayurvedic wisdom, these course will explore the use of herbs, offering you practical tools and natural remedies to build resilience and restore balance. Take the opportunity to walk around the spiral herb garden, visit the dispensary and enjoy a delicious plant based lunch.

More information on the website, or via link in bio

Over the last couple of posts I have talked about rtucharya, the adaptations we make to keep ourselves in balance throug...
19/01/2026

Over the last couple of posts I have talked about rtucharya, the adaptations we make to keep ourselves in balance through the changing seasons. I now want to share some useful ideas on how we can adapt our lifestyle to the winter climate while kapha is dominant.

Eat a light diet with hot foods and regular meals and try to avoid heavy, oily foods and red meats. Avoid overeating, especially at night, don’t eat when you’re not hungry and try not to snack between meals. It’s best to avoid cold foods and drinks

Increase pungent, bitter and astringent foods in your diet and reduce sweet, sour and salty foods such as cakes, potato crisps, vinegar, chips, yeast, cheese, yoghurt, chocolate, and refined sugars and flours. Add warming spices to your cooking such as cinnamon, pepper, long pepper, cardamom and chilli.

Drink plenty of warming teas especially freshly grated ginger root and lime juice, celery seed, cinnamon, cardamom, chai, peppermint and thyme. Sweeten with honey if you wish as it is used as a vehicle for herbs to reduce kapha. Expectorant herbs with honey as their vehicle are ideal for clearing excess kapha from the system. My favourite Western herbs are elecampane and thyme, there are two really useful Ayurvedic formulae that can be mixed with honey, sitopoladi and trikatu.

You can also do inhalations of stimulating and decongesting essential oils such as peppermint, cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus and lemon grass or do nasya – nasal administration of oils including eucalyptus and vacha oil.

Yesterday I talked about rtucharya, the Ayurvedic word that means living in rhythm with the changing seasons. It’s about...
16/01/2026

Yesterday I talked about rtucharya, the Ayurvedic word that means living in rhythm with the changing seasons. It’s about adapting our lifestyle to the climate, our environment, our time of life and the demands of our daily routine. It is when we don’t adjust our diet, habits and pace of life to reflect these seasonal shifts, that maintaining balance and health can become more challenging. Over time, being out of sync with our environment may lower our resilience and make us more susceptible to imbalances or health problems.

Like everything else in the universe, the seasons have unique energetic qualities, including hot/cold, wet/dry, heavy/light. As we go through the year, we may notice the different qualities or attributes each season has and how they profoundly affect us.

The qualities of the seasons interact with the qualities of the doshas (vata, pitta and kapha) and so different seasons may present challenges for some and benefits for others. This is why some of us dislike the chill and feel like hibernating dormice, while others love the cold and crisp of the winter and feel energised.

Kapha accumulates when qualities similar to it (heavy, wet and slow) are prevalent in cold, damp, winter weather, these qualities help us to be quiet and still. Kapha rules the respiratory tract and an excess of similar qualities can increase kapha tendencies to be heavy, inactive and congested. We are all aware of how the cold and damp of winter can make us more prone to catarrh, coughs and colds!

If you are out of balance and want to reduce kapha, make sure to take plenty of exercise - specifically vigorous activity which will reduce heaviness. Be open minded and try new things as kapha is resistant to change. If your sleep is excessive and you are always tired, try to set a schedule to get up well before 8am, 6am is preferable, and don’t sleep in the day time!

A few simple changes in our diet and lifestyle can have a huge impact on the way we feel, helping to prevent and reverse a whole range of health problems. This is the incredible body of wisdom that is Ayurveda, helping us to stay in balance so that we feel well in mind and body.

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