Medical Herbalist Demystified!

At Kabuk, we help patients find a variety of specialists from the well-known to the hard-to-find. One of the rarer specialties we support is, without a doubt, medical herbalists. Once we added support for medical herbalists last weekend the questions began to roll in.

What is a medical herbalist? What conditions to they treat? What sort of training do they undergo? How would a typical consultation with a medical herbalist work?

Luckily, we were fortunate enough to have Medical Herbalist Morwenna Given on hand to answer some of your questions. You can find out more about Morwenna here.

AS: So what exactly is a Medical Herbalist?

MG: The origins of Medical Herbalists as a licensed profession date back to 1542 in the UK. Medical herbalists combine the art of holistic treatment and the science of plant healing properties to treat their patients.

AS: Can anyone call themselves a Medical Herbalist? What sort of training did you need to undergo?

MG: Absolutely not! Medical Herbalists undergo rigorous training in herbal medicines and are governed by the National Institute of Medical Herbalists in England. In Europe, if you claimed to be a Medical Herbalist you would have to show the evidence of the professional training required by law – in my case a BSC which took me 6 years and membership within the professional body which is currently European Health Practitioners Association under which NIMH and CPP specifically relate to herbalists.  In North America, unfortunately, the term Medical Herbalist is much more loosely used but it is generally accepted that you must have a BSC or an MSC to professionally call yourself a medical herbalist.

In my case, after completing my undergraduate and Masters degrees at Oxford, I returned to university to begin the rigorous six-year journey towards becoming a Medical Herbalist. Further training in hospitals, clinics and cancer centres internationally have allowed me to work alongside conventional practitioners, bringing patients the best of “both worlds” in their therapies.

AS: What range of conditions do you treat as a Medical Herbalist? What are some of the reasons I would have to search you out?

MG: There are many reasons to seek treatment from a medical herbalist. In my 10 years of experience, I have treated a wide variety of conditions ranging from rare blood disorders and cancers to common skin conditions. While I am trained to address a variety of illnesses from major to minor, my focus has been on MS, cancer, pre-cancerous, prostatic, thyroid and diabetic conditions. Very simply, we can resolve some conditions which conventional medicine cannot. For example there is no drug for bronchiectasis but plants can not only resolve the unpleasant symptoms but also prevent progression.

Some of the other problems my clients come to me for include the treatment/management of: 

Lung diseases such as, bronchiectasis, COPD, and asthma.  Did you know that for viral infections like Mononucleosis, influenza plant medicine is still the most effective therapy available? 

Women’s conditions such as breast cancer, menopause, PCOS, fibrocystic breasts, UTIs, herpes and, more recently, several cases of cervical dysplasia (CIN2).

Skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, melanomas, and warts etc.

Bone disorders (such as arthritis in all forms)

Kidney and liver diseases such as IBS, colitis, liver cirrhosis, gall bladder inflammation, and kidney stones.

Chronic auto immune conditions such as Lyme’s, Multiple Sclerosis and Fibromyalgia 

Please see my website for further information on the conditions I treat.

AS: Tell me a little bit more about the treatment process. Say I came to you to treat my eczema. What would an initial visit look like?

MG: A typical first visit at my clinic lasts approximately two hours. In our initial consultation, we would review a patient’s medical history, current diet, supplements and medications, followed by a blood pressure check, external examination and other tests necessary to address the root of the patient’s complaints. All compounds provided are designed for the individual and their presenting complaints. In the case of eczema I would look at the sites in the body and how it is presenting in that individual; compound a cream and give an internal tincture/compound/prescription as eczema starts internally in the gut so in order to resolve the condition you have to go to the source of the problem.  I would also provide appropriate lifestyle advice.

AS: Thanks so much for joining us here Morwenna! Learn more about Morwenna and her practice by visiting her page on Kabuk here.