Many people don’t understand herbal medicine: What it is, the philosophies behind treatment and the benefits it can offer both medicinally and to maintain health and vitality. Often confused with other natural, esoteric therapies, herbal medicine is a healing modality in it’s own right. Now day’s registration regulations are stricter than ever before and the old stories of quacks and shysters are rarely heard.

Many people are under the misconception that herbal medicine covers a wide range of therapies: Chinese medicine, naturopathy, homeopathy, flower essences, reiki and nutrition are often confused with western herbalism. While Chinese medicine is probably the closest to herbal medicine, the names, key actions and preparations for the herbs are different. Chinese medicine also derives medicines from minerals and animals, not just plants. Flower essences relate to dew being collected from flowers via a ritualistic process, and homeopathics are weak solutions of plant, mineral or animal preparations. The principles behind homeopathic treatments are very complex and completely different to herbal medicine, and nutrition deals with obtaining nourishment through everyday food. A naturopath is someone who has a broad understanding of all these modalities and can therefore determine the best treatment for your particular problem.

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