Laura Stannard Herbalist

28/06/2024

A major anniversary almost slipped by unnoticed!

Have you ever noticed how some things can slip by when your attention is elsewhere?
My attention is usually on the patients I’m helping, so it was only this afternoon when talking to a patient who wanted to know how I came to be a herbalist that I realised that this week is quite a big deal for me.

Why? Well, it’s because 30 years ago this very week, I passed my final clinical exam and qualified as a herbalist. 30 years ago. That feels like a long time. Ask any herbalist and they are very likely to tell you that the FCE is the most daunting experience they have ever had. I am no exception. It was a gruelling experience; years of study and training, all coming to this one point where you have to demonstrate you are fully competent and can be called a herbalist.

And to think I almost let the occasion pass by unnoticed.

30 years ago. I feel blessed to have had all those years in practice and to have been able to help so many people. I’m wondering now if I’ll still be working in another 30 years’ time. I certainly hope so.

I think I might have to celebrate!

06/11/2023

I'm sharing this post from one of my colleagues who comments on a study linking PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors) and the development on dementia. Our digestive systems are crucial to our health and wellbeing, so helping improve digestion and reduce inflammation and pain in the gut without impacting on other areas of health is more important than we realise sometimes. If you, or someone you know has digestive problems, why not encourgae them to consult a professional herbalist and get help.
You can find a herbalist at
https://nimh.org.uk/find-a-herbalist/

Welcome to the official Professor Kerry Bone page, your trusted authority for herbal wisdom and scientific understanding. On this page Kerry distils and explains the latest science relating to herbs and phytotherapy.

21/10/2023

What an amazing day! Thank you to my professional association, the National Institute of Medial Herbalists for organising such a great line up of inspirational speakers.

What an incredible day!! 😀

Our Menopause has been a great success and it has been fantastic to see everyone coming together - amazing speakers, fascinating topics and engaging attendees - almost 500 of you!!

A HUGE thank you to...

🌿 Professor Joyce Harper - ‘Why Menopause is not a ’

🌿 Alexandra Pope of Red School - 'The Liberating Power of Menopause'

🌿 Karen Newby (Karen Newby Nutritionist) - ‘Mastering the Menopause through Food and ’

🌿 Hananja Bryce-Ytsma FNIMH (Medical Herbalist Hananja Brice-Ytsma) - ‘ for Menopause: Debunking the Myths’

🌿 Dr Shashi Prasad (Dr Shashi Prasad) - 'Menopause and '

🌿 Chanchal Cabrera FNIMH (.cabrera) - ' , Herbal Medicine and Menopause'

🌿 Anita Ralph FNIMH and Consultant Gynaecologist Anne Henderson (The Amara Clinic) - ‘ Across The Divide’

And of course, our Vice President Melinda McDougall Medical Herbalist for all of her hard work and many hours spent in helping to make this event possible!

It has been wonderful to see so many aspects of covered as well as some of the latest research into , particularly during .

This isn't the end of the story as we will be sharing more posts highlighting how you can have a . Keep following us for more content, tips and menopause awareness campaigns...! 🤲

20/10/2023

I'll be attending this CPD event tomorrow and I'm looking forward to hearing all the lectures and finding out some of the latest thoughts and research on this massively important subject. I've been in practice for some 29 years and although I treat all sorts of people, men and women, with all sorts of health problems, I don't think a week has gone by in that time when I haven't been asked to help someone through the perimenopause and menopause. This is such an important topic - it effects every woman because every woman will go through it at some time. Some sail through with no difficulties but others suffer all kinds of symptoms.

🌿 Menopause Summit – TOMORROW!! 🌿

Our first ever starts tomorrow, and we can’t wait! 😊

Institute Fellow, Hananja Brice-Ytsma (-Ytsma) has practiced extensively in the UK since qualifying in 1990. In 1995, she helped pioneer Britain’s first BSc Degree in herbal medicine in partnership with Middlesex University, where she practiced at the University training clinic. She is also co-founder and Clinical Director of the Heartwood () Professional course in herbal medicine.

During her session ‘Herbal Medicine for Menopause: Debunking the Myths’, Hananja will disentangle the misinformation that surrounds herbal medicines that have an influence on the system, specifically looking at those that are used during the menopause transition. Find out the truth about popular such as red clover and black cohosh and how to use them effectively, as well as herbs for . You’ll also learn more about the herbalist's approach to menopause which goes far beyond ‘hormone replacement’ and seeks to establish a new equilibrium.

This amazing event is FREE for Institute Members and students and just £50 for all other health professionals and students. There’s still time to secure your place!! Simply visit our Events page (https://buff.ly/3KlcT4I) 🎫

17/10/2023

What comes to mind when you think of an infusion? You’’d probably think of a tea - herbs infused in water. But did you know you can make an infusion with oil? I filtered this infused oil today, having ‘brewed’ it for hours to extract all the healing goodness from the herbs.

It takes a long time to make an infused oil. The way it’s done depends on what herbs are used in the infusion. In one method, herbs are steeped in oil for hours on a very low heat. Then the oil is filtered. As part of my training as a herbalist, I learnt pharmacy. We herbalists learn to make all the medicines and preparations we use to help people get well. You will often hear us talking about creams and ointments, but we also talk about liniments, embrocations, poultices and lots of other ways of giving herbs as medicines.

I needed to make more of this particular infused oil because I’ve used so much of it in recent weeks. It helps repair injured bones and muscles. One of the people I gave it to recently had a nasty fall from a step ladder and hurt his back. Nothing was broken fortunately but he had lots of bruising, was very sore and stiff. The oil helped the bruising and relaxed the muscles. Two weeks later he was right as rain. You might not think of herbal medicine if you’re injured but this is just another of the many ways herbs can help with health problems. Obviously it’s important to check out any possible fractures with a visit to A&E, but even with fractures a herbalist can help with the recovery and repair. This is another aspect of my work that I really enjoy - you can almost see healing happening and it’s so nice to see someone moving around freely again after a bad tumble.

05/10/2023

New business cards have arrived just in time for in Whitchurch, Shropshire on Saturday 7th October.

I haven’t been to a fair like this for a while so I’m really looking forward to it. Thanks to fellow herbalist for arranging a Herbal Medicine Awareness stand manned by a small gang of herbalist colleagues from around the area - including me.

Come along and say hello. You can pick up some recipe cards from our professional association , find out about the work of the charity or maybe try some herbal tea or chat about herbal medicine.

Even better - we’ve been promised some warm sunshine. Promises to be a great day.

22/09/2023

Would Picasso be proud of me? Undoubtedly not!

I often find myself explaining to patients the physiology and anatomy behind their health problems. I used to reach for my old anatomy colouring book* from the shelves in my consulting room but it has been used so often, it stopped finding its way back to the shelf several years ago and instead sits on the floor under my desk. The cover is loose now, from years of use. I use it to show them what’s going on in their body because I find it helps them understand their current health problem, and importantly what we’re going to do about it. Some patients are also treated to one of my priceless drawings - these works of art could be worth a fortune one day if only they didn’t find their way into the recycling bin. Drawing has never been one of my strong points, but a simple diagram can explain what’s happening inside them.

This week I explained, with drawings, what a hiatus hernia is and the relationship between a hiatus hernia and acid reflux - no mean feat this time, because it was done by holding the drawing up to the tiny screen of my mobile phone.

Whether Picasso or any great artist would be proud of me or not, is irrelevant. What’s important is that my patients can see and understand what their problem is. From there we can work out what we’re going to do to help them.

*I used the anatomy colouring book as part of my revision for exams when I was training. I never realised it would have another life in my clinic.

24/06/2023

Valentina was left with severe pain, or post-herpetic neuralgia, after having shingles. She had suffered from this for two and a half years before she came to see me, and had seen all sorts of people before me. Nothing had helped. The pain covered more than half her back, much more than the area originally affected by shingles - it reached from the bottom of her neck to the base of her spine, stretching right across the spine to her side. It was so painful she could hardly bear to wear clothes - the slightest touch was agony and she often broke down and cried from the pain.

I gave her a mixture of herbs to take, and something to apply externally. Her husband had accompanied her to the appointment. I told him to apply the oil as gently as he possibly could, and asked her to persevere even if it hurt.

When Valentina returned 2 weeks later, she looked very different. The pain was almost completely gone. Just one bit, about the size of a 50p piece, still hurt although not as much. 6 weeks later I discharged her, pain free.

So what was in this wonderful mixture? One of the key herbs in both the medicine she took and the medicine her husband applied for her was St John’s Wort, Hypericum perforatum, pictured above. You may have come across St John's Wort to help relieve depression and anxiety, but we herbalists use it for many other problems. St John's Wort is an anti-viral and anti-inflammatory medicine. It’s also a nerve tonic, and it can help to repair damaged nerves. Valentina had it as one of the tinctures in her medicine, along with some other herbs. The external application was St John’s Wort infused oil with some essential oils added.

I make St John’s Wort infused oil at this time every year. It flowers at this time, around the feast of John the Baptist which is 24th June. It has a red pigment which turns the oil red. I always give it to someone who has shingles or post-herpetic neuralgia but I also use it as a base for liniments for joint problems such as arthritis. Don’t confuse it with garden varieties of Hypericum - this has a small flower, and the leaves look like they have holes in them.

If you know someone like Valentina, send them to a herbalist. We can usually help.
Please get in touch if you would like to know more about a herbal medicine consultation with me.

Find a herbalist near you at https://nimh.org.uk/find-a-herbalist/

19/06/2023

If you were to visit my garden at the moment you would be forgiven for thinking that 🌹are my favourite flower. You’d probably be right, although I think flowers are like children - you can’t have favourites. A friend recently asked me how many different roses I have - I’ve never counted them. I just know it takes a while to prune all of them. I probably spend more time looking after my roses than any other plants in my garden.

The results of that care make all the time and effort worthwhile. From late May until the end of September there are roses blooming in my garden, and the smell is amazing.

At the moment this is the view from my kitchen sink. This is the Alchymist rose and it smells every bit as wonderful as it looks. The view through my kitchen window has a wonderful effect. Seeing this first thing in the morning, sets me up for a good day.

Did you know that just looking at images of nature, even if you are not outside can:

🌹Lower your stress levels
🌹Improve your mood
🌹Reduce depression
🌹Boost your immune system

So in answer to my friend’s question, how many different roses do I have? I had to go and count them. I was stunned to discover I have 22 different roses! Maybe they are my favourite flower. What do you think?

22/03/2023

Dandelion - the bane of gardeners but important medicine on the shelves of the dispensary.

About a month ago I took a photo of a tenacious little dandelion that was flowering despite cold weather. A month later and the dandelions are coming out in force everywhere. You are likely to find dandelion or Taraxacum officinalis (its botanical name) in the dispensary of every herbalist. The name, Taraxacum is derived from the Greek ‘taraxos’ meaning ‘disorder’ and ‘akos’ meaning ‘remedy’ while ‘officinalis’ refers to its value as a recognised medicinal herb (more on officinalis and officina). The common name dandelion is derived from the French dent de lion (lion’s teeth) - the jagged leaves look like lion’s teeth. Another common name is piss-a-bed (pisenlit in France) which hints at one of the uses of dandelion, namely as a diuretic. One of the things I heard as a child was - don’t pick dandelions because they make you wet the bed! Well that never happened to me but it no doubt relates to its diuretic action.

All parts of the dandelion can be used as medicines but the leaves and roots are used most frequently.

The leaves of dandelion are a diuretic which means they increase the clearing of urine from the body. This makes it very effective at removing bodily waste via the kidneys, reducing water retention and having a cleansing effect on the body. The leaves are unusual because they contain large amounts of potassium which is often lost when diuretics are given.

Dandelion root is an important herb for supporting healthy liver function and aiding digestion. It increases the secretion of digestive acids, enzymes and bile. It’s one of the herbs I often use in patients who suffer from things such as poor digestion, constipation, skin problems, headaches, tiredness and fatigue, hormonal problems and more.

Dandelion is loaded with nutrients, including vitamins A, B, C, D and E, and minerals such as calcium, iron, manganese and potassium. It probably happens less often nowadays but it used to be quite common for people to eat the leaves in the spring as part of a general tonic. You can add young leaves to salads in early spring, but they become increasingly bitter later in the year.

Did you know, Theseus, of Greek mythology, ate dandelions for 30 days to fortify himself to fight the Minotaur, a half man-half bull that ate the young adults of Athens? You’re probably not going to face any minotaurs in the near future but it’s worth knowing what to do in case you do.

What stories have you heard about dandelions? Let me know in the comments below.