What is a Herbalist?

It is a form of alternative medicine. It is a practitioner who uses plants to help the body heal its self. We do not treat the disease but we instead assess each individual as a whole and recommend herbal teas, tinctures, supplements, dietary changes, and naturopathic advice. This enables the individual to heal one’s self.

Hippocrates was the first recorded herbal practitioner from 400 BCE who said “Health is the expression of a harmonious balance between various components of man’s nature, the environment and ways of life… nature is the physician of disease” He used herbs, food, water treatments, rest, sunshine and fasting to treat his patients. The Hippocratic Oath as we know it today is said to have been written by either Hippocrates or one of his students.

In other words, the body has the ability to heal itself given the right conditions, another one of his great phrases is ” Food is thy Medicine”. Unfortunately in this day and age we Herbalists are no longer considered medical practitioners. However, in some countries Herbalists are classed as Health Care Workers, but not in Ireland. This blog would be very long if I got into that topic!!

So when you attend a Herbalist a consultation takes about an hour. We ask you questions about your diet and make recommended changes to your diet, your lifestyle, how much sleep you get, stress levels and so much more. We include some Chinese aids to help us see you in a bigger picture, we look at your tongue as this can tell a lot about your inner organs and we look at you as a whole from the Ayurvedic point of view.

Its aim is to preserve health and wellness by keeping the body mind and spirit in balance, which is a preventative way of treating a person. We also use the tool of Iridology which is the study of the Iris which can indicate imbalance within the body.

If you are interested in learning more or want to book a herbal consultation, email me at simone.tobeorganic@gmail.com.