Richard Whelan ~ Medical Herbalist ~ About Herbal Medicine

At the heart of the practice of herbal medicine is the understanding that our bodies and our minds have an incredible, almost miraculous ability to heal themselves from injury and illness.

Herbal medicine is not simply treating symptoms, which is largely the role of allopathic drugs often better taken for short periods of acute need.

The health problems that herbalists see are typically long-standing. They often involve a weakness of imbalance of one or more of the body's core systems.

Taking herbal medicines slowly but surely builds a tonic, healing response from within. The right herbs, used in the right dosage, can have a phenomenal effect on a person's health.

Herbs were our very first medicines. Leaves, flowers, berries, roots and barks have been the subjects of an on-going clnical trial for at least 40,000 years! Humans have tried and discarded countless thousands of remedies from nature. The generations have preserved the knowledge of the herbs that have reliably eased our suffering and returned us to health.

Today the World Health Organisation recognises that herbs are by far the most widespread form of medicine used on our planet. The great test of time has proven which herbal medicines work. Now the tests of science are helping us to understand how they work, in the process new possibilities are constantly coming to light.

Herbs do not suppress the symptoms of illness, but rather help the body to heal itself. They are therefore often slower than drugs to affect major changes. The effects of taking herbs are usually gradual and accumulative: the longer you take them the better they work.

The importance of giving a sufficient physical dosage to achieve real success cannot be overstated. Concentrated herbal extracts or herbs prepared as teas or decoctions are stronger and therefore more effective than most herbal medicines or supplements in the pill form.

The herbs used in modern herbal medicine are the most tried, tested and safe in the world. Adverse reactions to medicinal herbs are extremely rare. However, they are still powerful medicines. In treatment programs with a strong cleansing element, people can go through a brief period of feeling worse before they start to feel better.

Obviously you should find someone who has trained and qualified in herbal medicine.
Not so obviously this might actually matter less than you would think or hope, the level of qualification they have achieved may not reflect how able they are as a practitioner.

I have met plenty of herbalists who had a relatively non-academic upbringing who are fantastic clinicians, equally I have met other herbalists who have done very high level studies but are palpably out of touch with what people actually need and want from their herbal helpers.

~ Membership

Membership matters. A registered member of a professional association has several things going for them:

They are bound by a code of ethics. If they do something wrong then they are answerable to a higher authority, people tend to behave better when they know that.
They have to continue to educate themselves. In order to maintain their memership they have to prove that they are keeping up with developments. This prevents the curse of any professional in any field;‘stuckinthemuditis’.
They are in contact with their peers. It was written in ancient times that a doctor who shuns his peers does so at the expense of his own patient’s wellbeing.

Location is a crucial consideration. Before you make a booking, think about how hard it would be go to back for a follow-up visit within a month, or even just one or two weeks later. Many complex health problems can be helped by a good herbalist, but it often takes both time and personal care. Technology can help, but it will never replace seeing someone in person.

Most practitioners you look at in your area will be part of an association; nearly all of them will be qualified. So how do you choose someone if you have more than one choice?

You have to make a phone call or an email and, along with whatever else you might want to know, ask them these two simple questions.

1) Have you had positive experience working with _______ (this health problem)
2) Do you make individual herbal formulas for people or do you work with ready-made products?

The first question tells you exactly what you need to know before you entrust your health problem into another person’s care. As in many areas of life, experience counts the most.

The second question will tell you a great deal about what kind of herbalist they are. Do they rely on pre-packaged products? These can be extremely expensive and are often not strong enough to make a real difference. Or do they practice ‘old school’ herbal medicine, by combining individual herbs in a unique and potent formula for each patient?

I wish you every success in finding a good herbalist to help you in your health. It will definitely be worth it.