News
Statutory Regulation Announced
16th February 2011
The Government has announced it has given the green light to the statutory regulation of herbalists and traditional medicine practitioners.
Find out more at http://www.nimh.org.uk/
Further information on Herbal Medicine and Swine Flu from NZAMH
Posted 3rd August 2009
This LINK from the New Zealand Association of Medical Herbalists (NZAMH) talks about the benefits of herbal medicines, and Echinacea in particular, in preventing swine flu.
Can you protect yourself from Swine Flu?
Posted 27th July 2009
I believe most Medical Herbalists won’t be worrying too much about the current swine flu pandemic. Herbalists like myself know that the body has an innate ability to maintain health, and that this can be supported by a good diet and healthy lifestyle. When additional assistance is required, herbs can be used to help support the body’s immunity and healing functions.
Your body is an incredibly resilient and adaptable piece of kit. Did you know your body has an extremely advanced in-built defence system designed to help protect you from all kinds of bacterial, viral and amoebic disease? It’s called your immune system and it also functions as a database of stored immunity, remembering pathogens you have encountered in the past in order to better resist them in the future.
At its optimum it recognises invading pathogens and triggers a complex system of defence that helps kill and remove the invaders, protect vital bodily functions and restore the body to health.
However, the efficacy of your immune system is entirely dependant on your state of health. Physical and emotional stress can takes its toll and weaken your ability to resist infection. Raised stress levels over a prolonged period have been shown to significantly impair the body’s ability to resist disease and repair itself after infection.
The front line of your immune system sits within your digestive system, and so a healthy digestion is essential for proper immune function. A poor diet can lead to deficiencies in vitamins and minerals that are essential for immune function.
Here are some basic guidelines to help improve and support your immune system:
• Aim for 8! Eat a predominantly fruit/ vegetable-based diet, aiming to eat a minimum of 8-a-day (more than the recommended 5).
• Eat a variety of fruit and vegetables – the more colours the better as this represents the best spread of vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy.
• Onions and garlic have natural anti-biotic properties but are best eaten as raw as possible.
• Avoid smoking or smoky environments. Most viral infections are inhaled so you should try to keep your lungs as healthy as possible.
• Avoid fried foods and foods high in refined sugar. These tend to promote the inflammatory process, providing a weakness that infections can exploit.
• Do some regular gentle exercise. As well as making you feel good, exercise stimulates the immune system and helps to reduce stress.
• Drink 2 litres of water per day to ensure your body’s cells are properly hydrated and functioning optimally. Very few of us drink enough water.
There are a number of herbs that can help to build your resistance to infection, as well as help support you through the process of recovering from infection. As with most herbal medicines, they should be taken with professional advice from a medical herbalist. Immune-modulating herbs directly stimulate the immune system, raising the number of circulating immune cells in the blood. Other herbs can be used to support the fever process, soothe sore throats, clear congestion and relive coughs. Many herbs also have anti-infective, anti-viral and antiseptic properties that can be used to weaken the infection. Herbalists can also offer specific dietary advice, tailored to your specific requirements.
It pays to reflect and marvel at our body's remarkable immunity and healing properties in the face on the swine flu pandemic. With some advance attention paid to diet and lifestyle you can support your own ability to deal with a potential infection. Herbal medicine can also assist to increase resistance to infection, to help recovery from infection and to ease flu symptoms. Please feel free to call me for more information on 07963 282529, or look on the NIMH website for a herbalist near you.
Previous Events
Herb Walk, Alva Glen
Sunday, 4th July 2010
Alva Glen Heritage Trust invited me back to host another herb walk in the Glen. It was a wild blustery day with heavy downpours but the weather kindly broke in time for the walk and the Glen provided some shelter from the winds that whistled over-head. The weather didn't dampen people's enthusiasm and almost 20 folk braved the tempestuous conditions.
If you haven't been there, Alva Glen is a very special place with beautiful mature trees and a wealth of sub-canopy flora. We only had time to skirt the lower paths of the Glen but I thoroughly recommend the visit. Photos of the event can be viewed in the gallery on on my Flikr page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/linden_herbs/).
Further events in Alva Glen are planned. Please contact the Alva Glen Heritage Trust for information. www.alvaglen.org.uk
Herb Walk, Balquhidderock Wood, Stirling
Saturday, 19th June 2010
Thanks to everyone who joined me for on this gentle ramble through Balquhidderock (Bluebell) Wood. There we found a myriad of medicinal plants growing wild in the middle of Stirling. It was great to have some children along and I love watching their reactions when they recognise the smell of wild mint, learn that stinging nettles can be eaten or discover that 'sticky willly' is actually used in herbal medicine. Everyone seeed to enjoy themselves, including myself.
The walk was done as part of Western Herbal Medicine week, where herbalists all over the UK hosted similar events to enlighten people to the benefits of herbs and plant remedies.
Herb Walk, Alva Glen
Sunday, 7th July 2009
Fifteen people joined me on this sunny Sunday to explore the glen and the medicinal herbs growing within. The glen has an abundance of medicinal herbs growing wild, along with a few that have been reintroduced by volunteers of the Alva Glen Heritage Trust. We finished the walk with some herb scones and a lovely cup of lime blossom tea.
Glen Elliott, MNIMH
Medical Herbalist
Ph. 07963 282529