Herbcast

Join Herbal Reality’s Simon Mills Embark on a journey through the delicate intricacies of women's health with expert herbalist Ginny Kemp. With a medical science background, Ginny discovered her calling in the world of herbs back in 2007. Since then, she has cultivated a thriving practice with a particular emphasis on women's health. Ginny delves deep into a case study that epitomises the power of...

Welcome to series 3 of Herbcast! In this episode, Sebastian Pole is joined by Marion Mackonochie, a seasoned herbalist, senior advisor at Pukka, and editor of the Journal of Herbal Medicine. In this liver-focused episode of Herbcast, Marion and Sebastian navigate the complexities of hepatics – the category of herbs that support the liver, our body's metabolic maestro. They discuss signs of liver i...

“That coming together, gathering foods and gathering medicines is deeply healing and satisfying and an enjoyable way to experience life. And it’s simple and it’s free.” Robin Harford established his wild food foraging school in 2008, and his foraging courses are listed at the top of BBC Countryfile’s ‘Best foraging courses in the UK’. He is the creator of eatweeds.co.uk. Michelin chef Richard Corr...

“If something is irreparably defective, either because it's adulterated intentionally or accidentally contaminated, then it should be removed from the supply chain. ” With 50 years of diverse experience as an herbal advocate, consultant, educator, researcher, writer, and advisor, Mark Blumenthal has an extensive comprehensive background in herbs and medicinal plants. Mark is the Founder and Execut...

“Suicide is the biggest cause of death in men under 50”   Phil’s route to herbal practice has encompassed work as a doctor in hospitals, primary care and unscheduled care settings. Although he now identifies as a herbalist, his experiences in conventional healthcare have equipped him to reference a number of perspectives when supporting people with their health and wellbeing as a herbal pract...

“Keeping our blood sugar within limits and eating slow-releasing food is absolutely fundamental to inflammatory disease” Alex is a practising medical herbalist and phytotherapist with more than 20 years of experience. She runs the UK's first herbal clinic in hospital dermatology at Whipps Cross University Hospital, where she is tutor-practitioner to BSc herbal students. She also practises at Breas...

Chanchal is a medical herbalist and has been in clinical practice for 35 years  with a specialty in holistic oncology. She is the author of Fibromyalgia: A Journey towards Healing and her latest book Holistic Cancer Care: An Herbal Approach to Preventing Cancer, Helping Patients Thrive during Treatment, and Minimizing the Risk of Recurrence , which launches in April 2023.  She held the f...

Todd Caldecott is a Medical Herbalist and practitioner of Ayurvedic Medicine, who has been in private practice since 1995. He is the Executive Director of the Dogwood School of Botanical Medicine and author/editor of three books including Ayurveda: The Divine Science of Life , Food As Medicine: The Theory and Practice of Food , and Ayurveda In Nepal . Todd is a creator and/or contributor to Tradit...

Since 1979, Josef has worked at all levels within the medicinal plant sector; organic farming and wild collection, production of extracts, manufacturing of finished herbal medicinal products, TCM clinic, standards-setting (quality and sustainability), and consulting governmental- and intergovernmental organizations in sustainable development and biodiversity conservation projects in Africa, Asia,...

Christine Herbert FAMH, DipAET, BA(Hons) qualified as a herbalist in 1997 and has been practising and learning herbal medicine ever since. During the years of her practice, she added many skills, including nutrition, aromatic medicine and flower essence therapy, in order to be best able to help the many people who came to see her. She retired from practice in 2019 so that she could teach and write...

Since his initial training in chemistry and medical pharmacology, Nathaniel Hughes has pursued the question; how much can we learn from plants directly? He has spent over 20 years exploring the spiritual, somatic, relational, trauma-informed and process-oriented aspects of healing. His robust way of working with herbs now has its foundations in the spiritual, where he strives to create bridges bet...

Sebastian and Simon reflect on Season 1 of Herbcast and discuss their enjoyment of speaking to thought leaders across the herbal medicine community. They introduce the solutions-focused Series 2 which aims to focus on some of the most important conditions affecting the modern world today that herbalists are treating in clinic. From digestion and inflammation to sleep, anxiety and trauma the series...

An internationally respected practitioner, author, and educator in the field of Chinese medicine, Charles Buck was amongst the first to practice and teach CHM in Europe. Having been awarded a BSc in medical Physiology from Bristol University Medical School, Charles then took a 3-year degree in acupuncture and began practising CHM in 1984, He was invited to be course leader for the UK's 1st College...

Bevin Clare is a herbalist, nutritionist, mother and Professor and Program Director of the Master’s of Science in Clinical Herbal Medicine at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. She holds a MSc in Infectious Disease from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and has studied herbal medicine around the world to blend her knowledge of traditional uses of plants with modern sci...

Euan MacLennan is a Medical Herbalist who practices in an NHS General Practice in Central London. He teaches pathology, clinical medicine, and differential diagnosis to undergraduates in various medical disciplines and is conducting a clinical doctorate in gastrointestinal medicine at the University of Bath. Euan is also an editor for an Elsevier medical journal, the Journal of Herbal Medicine. &n...

Roy Upton is the founder, president, and editor of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia (AHP). He has been working and practising professionally as a herbalist since 1981, and he trained in Ayurvedic, Traditional Chinese, and Western herbal medicine and has also studied and worked extensively with Native American and Caribbean ethnobotanical traditions. As an integral part of his work as a herbalist,...

Professor Kerry Bone is the co-founder and innovation driver at MediHerb, a herbal supply company, where he serves as Director of Research and Development. In 2016 MediHerb was awarded the American Botanical Council’s (ABC’s) Varro E. Tyler Award for excellence in Phytomedicinal Research. Kerry is Principal of the Australian College of Phytotherapy and also Adjunct Professor at New York Chiropract...

"I see herbs as the bridge between foods and medicine." Joanna Webber is a fully qualified Ayurvedic Practitioner with a BSc in Ayurveda as well as a Hatha Yoga teacher. She loves to weave the two sister sciences together to support a more integrated approach to health. She lives in Somerset and spends all her spare time growing, foraging, and cooking local, sustainable food and herbs. She is the...

Having completed a Permaculture Design course in 1997 and her diploma in 2000, Helen Kearney went on to teach Permaculture courses and helped establish LEEP (Langford Environmental Education Project). She completed her herbal medicine training in 2012 whilst working as a Forest School Practitioner. She lives at Elder Farm, a 5-acre organic off-grid herb farm, and currently helps to run The Betonic...

Andrew Flower has been practicing acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) since 1992. In 2009 Andrew completed his Ph. D. at The University of Southampton exploring the role of CHM in the treatment of endometriosis. He has published a number of peer-reviewed papers relating to Chinese medicine research, including two Cochrane systematic reviews. In 2011 he was awarded a 5-year NIHR post-doct...

"There is this incredible philosophy around healing and wholeness and working with plants yet most people only experience it through products on a shelf." Ann Ambrecht is a writer and anthropologist (PhD, Harvard 1995) whose work explores the relationships between humans and the earth, most recently through her work with plants, herbal medicine, and the botanical industry. She is the director of t...

"Herbs nudge the body to better physiological activity" Simon is the Self Care Lead at the College of Medicine and Herbal Strategist at Pukka Herbs. He has been a herbal practitioner in Exeter for 45 years. He has led the leading professional and trade organisations for herbal medicine in the UK and served on Government and House of Lords Committees. He has authored standard textbooks used by herb...

"I discovered there was another language for describing our health and another way to feel empowered to look after it." Simon Mills (our Herbcast host) interviews Sebastian Pole (our other Herbcast host!) as a welcome and introduction to the inspiration behind Herbal Reality. Sebastian is a registered member of the Ayurvedic Professionals Association, Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine, and a Fel...

"Integrated medicine encourages patient empowerment and responsibility, engendering the motivation and will within patients and the knowledge to help them get better themselves." Dr. Edward Thomson is a General Practitioner with expertise in Integrated Medicine. He believes in approaching all types of medicine, healing, and treatment with compassion and an open mindset, placing the patient and the...

Welcome along to Herbcast! Do you know your Echinacea from your Eleutherococcus? Or your lavender from your lemonbalm? Whether you’re a budding herbalist or a botanical beginner, Herbcast is here to inform and inspire you to explore the integration of herbs in our every day lives. Meet Sebastian, your host and founder of Herbal Reality, for a taste of what to expect from Herbcast; the podcast from...