Andrea Hughes Medical Herbalist- Functional Medicine

10/09/2025

More on the theme that seems to be gaining momentum...
Landed in inbox today ..this will be useful for clinic I'm sure..

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the prevailing infection. With the growing resistance of vaginal infections to routinely prescribed antibiotics, herbal medicine can be helpful. Researchers have conducted to compare the efficacy of curcumin and metronidazole in the treatment of BV as natural product. Thi...

04/09/2025

then this arrives in my inbox today from one of the respected labs I work with.... synchronicity..?? hmmmm think I'd better sign up...

03/09/2025

This is actually really exciting and important in terms of progress.
Landed in my inbox this morning

I have been testing the vaginal microbiomes of women for about 6 years and recently a brand new updated test was released.

“In the future, we hope the MHRA can help vaginal microbiota diagnostics be safely used, so that GPs can use and interpret the results in the context of the woman’s situation,” Goodfellow said. She foresees vaginal microbiota testing helping to identify pathology and guide treatment entering routine clinical practice within the next 5-10 years.

Once overlooked, the vaginal microbiome is now under scrutiny for its role in fertility, infection, and long-term health outcomes.

29/08/2025

I learnt something today! Loving this as dill is a staple in our house through the summer months.. must be that Greek side of our minds...
To do list...make capsules or tincture for the dispensary.

Thyroid nodules are common and affect half of the general population by the age of 60 years. The causes are believed to be due to hypothyroidism, mutational changes or autoimmunity. They can be associated with over- or underactivity of the gland and may sometimes be malignant.

Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) has been used in Turkey to self-treat thyroid dysfunction such as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Now a controlled clinical study has evaluated the impact of dill on patients with thyroiditis and benign thyroid nodules. They were divided into two groups: placebo (n =35) and dill group (n = 33). Dried and ground dill (300 mg) was put into capsules and patients on active treatment were given three capsules per day for 90 days. Various tests were conducted at the beginning and end of the study, including thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO), anti-thyroglobulin (anti-Tg), and C-reactive protein (CRP), and thyroid nodule dimensions were measured by ultrasound.

After 90 days, compared to the control group, the dill group exhibited significantly decreased TSH (by an average of 19% from a mean starting value of 2.69 compared to a 16% increase in the control group, P = 0.009), fT4 (P < 0.001), anti-TPO (P = 0.001), CRP (P < 0.001) and nodule size (by an average of 7.3% compared to a 4.5% increase in the control group, P < 0.001).

The authors concluded that dill suppressed inflammation of the thyroid gland, reduced nodule size, and lowered TSH levels in patients with thyroiditis and nodular goitre. The daily dose used was relatively low and higher doses might deliver a greater magnitude of clinical effects.

For more information see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40329862/

25/08/2025

Insomnia and the gut microbiome...there are other reasons for insomnia of course!

Good quality sleep is a pillar for health and one of the priorities. Even if a person isn't coming to me looking specifically for help with sleeping, it's an area I always look at closely.

This is a great study and gives bacterial species that we can check for in the metaexplore microbiome test that I've been working with for the past 9 months.. more on that soon!

We're learning more and more about how parts of our bodies are linked and working together – and now a new study reveals connections between gut bacteria and the risk of insomnia.

29/05/2025

It's my husband's birthday today, so I am having the day off with him.
I'm waiting for him to finish having his massage which was my gift to him and am enjoying some fresh mint tea!!

29/05/2025

Worried about Cholesterol?
This article explains why things are not always as they seem when it comes to cardiovascular disease and cholesterol..

But science is starting to get closer to the truth. A recent 2018 study published in the journal Nutrients (2) found a significant lack of evidence that cholesterol causes cardiovascular disease. In fact, the study showed us where the confusion between cholesterol and heart disease may have originated. The study revealed that heart disease has more to do with saturated fatty acids and trans-fats that just happen to also be in many foods that contain dietary cholesterol. Basically, we were pointing the finger at the wrong guy!

As for LDL being “bad,” this idea is also oversimplified. There are actually two types of LDL: small dense LDL and large buoyant LDL. Small dense LDL particles are like little darts that tear holes in the lining of blood vessels, but large buoyant LDL particles are like large fluffy balls. They can’t do any damage and may actually prevent the small dense LDL from causing damage. For this reason, a simplistic cholesterol test that does not separate out these two types of LDL cholesterol cannot predict your risk.

So what does predict heart attack and stroke? We know the answer to this question – these are the bio-markers that actually predict heart attack and stroke:

Low HDL “good” cholesterol
High triglycerides, which can reflect a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates.
High levels of small dense LDL

So as you can see, cholesterol is involved – just not at all in the way we thought, and the only way to truly assess risk is to run different, more comprehensive tests.

I frequently run comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment tests which at £150 (for most) are affordable

Dr. Will Cole Heart Disease + Cholesterol: Debunking The Real Cause Behind Heart Problems

24/05/2025

Roses in the garden

19/04/2025

Ground ivy... It's an exceptional year for this beautiful medicinal plant which is currently growing in absolute abundance on our beautiful chalk downland.

Belonging to the mint family (labiatae) she makes a pleasant tea.

It's my go to when I am crafting a herbal prescription for a person who suffers with tinnitus, but her gifts also include an anti inflammatory action which can relieve the bite of nettles.

As well as bitter aromatic constituents to stimulate digestion, relieving gas and bloating ( while we work on the underlying causes, diet, microbiome composition etc)

As a decongestant she can clear congestion in the respiratory system ( sinus, ears, throat and lungs)

She'll yield to a juice too... as part of your spring tonic.

27/03/2025

Quiz time....!

How much do you know about the gut microbiome and its effect on health? Test your knowledge with this quick quiz.

23/03/2025

How much water should you drink daily?

Body weight in pounds ( sorry, American lecture from IFM happening here)
divided by 2 = daily water intake in ounces

let's talk English.. so a 60kg person is 132.277 pounds
ounce to litre.. one litre is 33.814ounces

Maths was never my strong point.. lol.. but I worked it out..

A 60kg kilo person needs 1.8L daily!!!

So calculate your body weight to find your required water intake!!

22/03/2025