Herbal Medicine
Natural Healing with Herbal Remedies
Herbal medicines were our first medicines, and have been used throughout the ages across all cultures to support healing. Now with up-to-date scientific research to support their use, we are using traditional herbal medicine in even more diverse ways to support healing and wellness.
Why do so many cultures use herbal medicine?
Plants are generally safer alternatives to synthetic drugs and yet can be extremely powerful healing agents. For almost all health conditions and even the most serious diseases, herbal medicine can provide health-enhancing effective solutions. Many of our medinces today originated from herbal medicines, for example Aspirin is derived from the herb Salix alba (White willow), and Metformin a drug used for diabetes, is derived from the herb Galega officinalis (Goats rue). Modern pharmacological medicines however, often have many side effects, and you may have experienced some. Herbs are not drugs. While the constituents of herbs are important, the whole herb is used for health promotion and healing.
Herbs at Home
Garden herbs and culinary favourites like rosemary, thyme, mint, and basil are wonderful additions to daily life. While they offer gentle support for digestion, mood, and overall wellbeing, they’re much milder than the concentrated herbal tinctures used in clinical naturopathic practice. These everyday herbs are generally very safe and can be enjoyed freely in cooking, teas, or garden remedies—making them a lovely way to connect with plant medicine at home.
How Can Herbal Medicine Help You?
Your health is more than a diagnosis, and we always consider your overall health needs. Herbal medicine can help with all aspects of health to restore and strengthen, help build your resistance and maintain wellness.
A mixture of herbs can be tailored for your individual needs and symptoms specifically. For example, you may come in to the clinic for support with your headaches. When we go through your case we may find that your headaches are related to your hormones, your blood sugar or neck tension. You may also have digestive problems and some skin concerns. We can take all of these things into consideration and put together a herbal medicine combination to address your range of concerns. We would also of course look at your diet and lifestyle, and see where you need other support.
Did you know there are many beautiful herbs that support the nervous system and mental wellbeing? As a naturopath, I love working with plant remedies that calm, strengthen, and restore balance — including during times of stress, anxiety, or low mood. Herbs like Passionflower, Chamomile, Avena (oats), Withania, Holy Basil, and Ginkgo offer gentle support for sleep resilience, cognition, and emotional health. Many herbs cross over into different categories—some relax, some energise, some protect and uplift. The beauty of herbal medicine is that we can tailor a mix to suit your unique needs.
Are Herbs Safe?
Always seek professional advice when using Herbal Medicines. There are many contraindications, especially if you are using other medications, or if you are pregnant, or breast feeding. It’s also essential that you use the correct doses for your age, size, and individual needs. Buying Medicinal Herbs off the shelf where origins are unknown, is not recommended. They can be poor quality, adulterated with other ingredients, and potentially harmful.
All of our herbal medicines are sourced from companies that follow the most rigorous safety guidelines, from how the herbs are grown, to how they are processed. Safety is paramount and herbal preparations go through very stringent testing regimes to guard against substitution, adulteration and poor quality. It’s important that the herbs we use are of the highest quality to meet your health needs.
The herbal medicines I use are tinctures extracted with either alcohol or glycerol. Ethanol is mostly used to extract the full phytochemical profile of the plant to make our herbal extracts. This is how it has been done for hundreds of years. Old herbal texts discuss steeping herbs in wine over long periods of time. The liver is able to metabolise small amounts of ethanol from ripe fruit and naturally fermented food, so herbal extracts in safe doses do not cause any harm. It is also important to consider any possible interactions between herbs and pharmaceutical medications. I will always take this into consideration when preparing your herbal medicine mix.
If you are ready to take control of your own health, call me at Brunswick Naturopathy (0403 755 584) or book an online appointment.