B.Sc. B.Sc. M.A. Ph.D.
I am a fully qualified Medical Herbalist and a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (MNIMH). My practice is based on the edge of the Peak District in the market town of Leek on the Staffordshire Moorlands, close to the borders with Derbyshire and Cheshire.
I was exposed to health awareness and health care from a very early age. But whilst I always maintained an interest in health, a close affinity with nature and the environment led me to become a zoologist: a career I pursued for 15 years. During time working in Africa my interest in health further developed as I was shown Traditional African Medicine and the use of forest-based medicinal plants. This ultimately inspired me to train as a Western medical herbalist.
I graduated with a first class honours degree in Herbal Medicine from the University of East London: my training included the medicinal use of plants, clinical medicine, differential diagnosis and physical examination skills and over 500 hours of supervised clinical training at the Stratford Centre for Herbal Medicine and at Whipps Cross Hospital.
Alongside Herbal Medicine, I am also a university researcher in primary health care specifically focused on mental health and musculoskeletal conditions including pain and arthritis.
As a member of the NIMH I abide by a strict code of ethics and practice. I continue my professional development by regularly attending lectures, seminars and workshops, and keeping up-to-date with scientific research.
I have a strong ecological philosophy which I incorporate into my herbal medicine practice whenever possible: using organic and wild-crafted herbs, recycled or sustainable-sourced paper, and recycling bottles and other items.