Medical herbalists are health care professionals that are trained in Western orthodox medical diagnosis but use solely plant based medicines to treat their patients. Examples of medicines prescribed by a Medical Herbalist include; tinctures, teas, capsules, tablets and creams.
Medical Herbalists qualifications
Fully qualified Medical Herbalists are university trained to rigorously high standards and are required to have studied a BSc (hons) degree in Medical Herbal Medicine. The degree course incorporates a large number of the modules which comprise a conventional medical degree, including anatomy, physiology, embryology, biochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacy, nutrition, pathology, differential diagnosis, together with extensive training in physical and clinical examination. During the degree over five hundred hours of supervised clinical experience observing and treating patients must also be completed.
How do Medical Herbalists and GPs differ?
A Medical Herbalist differs from a conventional GP in a number of ways. In particular, a Medical Herbalist has the liberty of being able to spend more time with their patients, allowing the practitioner to gain a full and detailed understanding of their patient. This means not just looking at the patient’s presenting symptoms but also considering the full matrix of other possible contributing and causative factors. This enables the practitioner to treat the person as a ‘whole’ and to provide a long-term solution to patients’ health problems.
Medical consultation
On making an appointment with a Medical Herbalist, a consultation will be arranged where a full medical history will be taken and if appropriate a clinical examination will be carried out. Advice on lifestyle and nutrition may be given, then a herbal medicine will be formulated specifically for the individual patient.