Herbalist Tammi O'Flynn writes about Herbal Medicine and its benefits in keeping healthy

Do you want a natural alternative to conventional medicine that really works?

Do you long for a real solution to your health problem instead of simply suppressing or controlling the symptoms by pill-popping?

Do you wish someone could give you an objective overview into your overall health and how to improve this, instead of just addressing one symptom at a time?

Herbal medicine, or Phytotherapy as it is also known, is a synergistic approach to health-care, combining the best of science, medicine and nature into a personalised, holistic natural medicine solution for you and your family.

Western herbal medicine has a history of over 5000 years of use and efficacy. Modern herbal medicine combines this long history of using plants to heal, together with comprehensive scientific research into the plants so as to understand how and why they work; and a thorough medical training.

The Benefits of herbal medicine:

• Herbal medicine is a synergistic approach to health-care, combining the best of science, medicine and nature into a personalised, holistic natural medicine solution for you and your family.
• Medical herbalists strive to understand what has caused the disease in the body in the first place and address this underlying cause as well as the symptoms created.
• We believe that there is a perfect balance found naturally in whole parts of plants which ensures absorption and utilisation of the necessary constituents into the body.
• New scientific research into medicinal plants and how their constituents work in the body is enhancing our understanding of and corroborating centuries of effective use.
• The phyto-chemicals in plants have a direct and quantifiable effect within the body.
• Herbalists are trained to be aware of possible herb-drug interactions and can therefore work in conjunction with conventional medicine where necessary.
• An individual prescription is specially blended for each patient.
• Nutrition and lifestyle advice form part of the consultation and therapy.
• The herbs used are organically grown and ethically harvested.
• Side-effects are extremely rare.
• Education forms part of the consultation process, so that you are encouraged to become more aware of your health and your body's functioning, thus empowering you to take responsibility for your own well-being.

What is herbal medicine?

Western herbal medicine has a history of over 5000years of use and efficacy. Essentially European in origin, some Eastern, American and African plants are also now included. Modern herbal medicine- or Phytotherapy as it is also known- combines this long history of using plants to heal, together with comprehensive scientific research into the plants so as to understand how and why they work; and a thorough medical training.
Due to the complex constituents contained within each individual plant part, many different actions or effects are possible. This makes medicinal plants unique because they not only simply stimulate or suppress functions, but they are also able to: be nutritive; restorative; tonifying; soothing; balancing and healing. We believe that there is a perfect balance of constituents found naturally in healing plants to ensure absorption and utilisation within the body.

Herbalists use whole parts of plants in tea or tincture form and a unique combination of herbs is combined into an individual prescription to address the needs of the patient holistically at the time.

The 1st consultation with a medical herbalist usually takes 1.5hrs. This is to allow enough time to take a complete medical history, perform any physical examinations necessary or discuss any laboratory tests that may be required. Once a diagnosis has been reached, a treatment plan will be discussed and agreed upon and a personalised prescription formulated.

A follow-up consultation will usually take place in 3-4 weeks time. These usually take 45mins-1hr.  At this time progress can be assessed and, if  necessary, adjustments made to the prescription.

In what form do I take the herbal medicine?

A herbal prescription may include any of the following:

• A tincture: this is an alcohol extract of the herbs. Alcohol is needed to extract certain chemical constituents from the herbs as not all constituents are water soluble. A tincture would usually be blended individually for you to contain between 4-6 different herbs.
• Tea: If the constituents required are water soluble, then a tea can be given. This is usually pleasant to drink and may contain around 4-5 different herbs blended into a mix just for you.
• Tablets: For ease of use and convenience, or to supplement treatment already being given (e.g: a tincture), herbal tablets may be given. These are pre- blended so there is less flexibility in what can be prescribed. However they are useful additions to some treatments.
• Creams/lotions: may be given for topical use for some conditions.

It must be noted that many of the herbal tablets, tinctures, teas available commercially in health shops and pharmacies are often of inferior quality and/or preparation. In addition to this is the fact that these products are really using herbs symptomatically, in general mixes usually not even formulated by a medical herbalist. For this reason, many people think that herbal medicine "doesn't work", or they have only had only limited success using herbs symptomatically.

For herbal medicine to be really effective it is best to see a medical herbalist who is an expert in both herbs and medicine and can treat you as the complex individual that you are by blending a personalised prescription for you. We are also trained in possible herb/ drug interactions so if you are on prescription medicine we can advise you about which herbs are safe to take concurrently with these and which to avoid. Added to this is the fact that we have access to the very best quality herbal tinctures, tablets and teas which are available to practitioners only.

What makes a consultation and treatment from a medical herbalist different is the unique combination of a thorough, scientific, medical training, together with a holistic, personalised and natural approach. Because no two people are the same, no two herbal prescriptions will be the same. For instance: if 2 patients come to me for headaches: One might have headaches due to stress and anxiety; while the other may have headaches due to digestive disturbance or hormonal imbalance. The different needs of these patients will be reflected in the very different prescriptions they will each receive.

By comparison, in conventional medicine, once any "dangerous pathology" has been excluded, both of these patients would be sent away with a prescription for painkillers. This would not get to the route of the problem and so theses patients would remain reliant on painkillers to "manage" their headaches, but would not resolve them.

In herbal medicine on the other hand, they would each be given a personalised prescription that would help to relieve the pain symptomatically, but would also address the underlying cause of the headaches (stress; digestion; hormones,etc). Usually in 1-3 months the patient will be well and not need to continue with medication, or in some cases only need a small  amount of "maintenance" to keep them well.

This restoration of the body's health and well-being is the fundamental goal of herbal medicine. The wonder and beauty of plant medicine is the fact that due to the complex chemical make-up of plants, they are able to act in complex ways to directly affect the functioning of the body's systems, organs and tissues. Herbs are able to restore optimum functioning to the body and thereby restore true health and well-being.

What conditions do medical herbalists treat?

Most conditions respond well to herbal medicine.

Herbalists treat a broad range of ailments. Generally any condition that you would go to your GP for, a medical herbalist will treat. In addition we are also trained in some specialities.

Minor infections, decreased immunity, flu, complex lifestyle related conditions, hormonal and fertility problems, skin conditions, conditions with a familial tendency, diseases associated with ageing and complex chronic conditions such as auto-immune disease all respond well to herbal medicine.

For a more detailed list of conditions medical herbalists treat, see below:

• Minor infections; decreased immunity,
• Digestive system: weight loss; weight gain; heartburn; indigestion; mouth/stomach/duodenal ulcers; GI.T. infections; nausea; flatulence; halitosis; diarrhoea;
• Constipation; haemorrhoids; travel sickness; Crohn's disease; ulcerative colitis; irritable bowel; diverticulitis; gallbladder disease; jaundice; liver disease
• Nervous system: exhaustion; stress; anxiety; depression; panic attacks; insomnia; shingles; epilepsy; headache; migraine; neuralgia; tinnitus
• Respiratory system: hayfever; sinusitis; rhinitis; tonsillitis; laryngitis; coughs; colds; flu; bronchitis;  asthma; chronic bronchitis
• Cardiovascular system: high blood pressure; angina; arteriosclerosis; chilblains; poor circulation; palpitations; varicose veins; varicose ulcers, anaemia
• Muskuloskeletal system: muscle sprains; rheumatoid arthritis; osteoarthritis; fibrositis; sciatica; leg cramps; lumbago; gout
• Skin: acne; eczema; fungal/bacterial/viral infections; psoriasis; rosacea; itching; abscess; boils; burns
• Endocrine system: menstrual problems; infertility; pregnancy; endometriosis; menopausal complaints; hormonal imbalance; impotence; diabetes
• Urinary system: cystitis; urinary/kidney infections; incontinence; kidney stones; water retention; prostate problems;

NOTE: While these and many more conditions may be treated using herbal medicine, it must be noted that herbal medicine may also be used to improve the functioning of the non-diseased body: improving health and vitality; stamina; immunity; physical and mental performance; coping with stress, etc.

Are you aware of the environment and want to minimise environmental pollution by minimising the amount of conventional drugs manufactured and consumed thereby adding to the stress on the earth? Have you ever considered how much pollution is formed in the manufacture of conventional medications? Added to this is the pollution of water supplies,etc after these drugs are consumed and then excreted by humans.

Herbal medicine on the other hand is beneficial to the environmental situation as the herbs used by medical herbalists are either organically grown or wild-crafted and are ethically harvested. In addition, they do not place an added burden on the planet after being excreted as they are natural and biodegradable. This is an additional benefit and reason to switch to herbal medicine.

Is herbal medicine suitable for children?

Yes, herbal medicine under the care of a trained practitioner is very effective and appropriate for babies and children as it is a natural, gentle and effective form of medicine that supports their developing body systems.

Tammi O'Flynn graduated from the College of Phytotherapy (U.K) in 2002 and has been a practicing medical herbalist in South Africa and Ireland since then.

For more information please go to: www.tammioflynn.com

If you would like to make an appointment, please contact me at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or ph: + 353 (0)85 119 3770