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Clinical Western Herbalism
with a shamanic perspective

Healing with herbs is as old as the plants themselves – ancient knowledge which used to be passed down from mother to daughter. Those conscious enough, over the years, to respect and remember these wise practices have carried their teachings forward, and in the modern western world, have also added a flair or two of new knowledge, combining the old ways with fresh perspectives.

When I see you for a herbal consultation, I am looking at you as a whole person – how you live, breathe, think, feel, eat, sleep, and more. Just as people have personalities, people also have “constitutions” which make up their strengths and vices and this is, in part, what helps a herbalist determine the best plant remedies for a client and their symptoms. This is why the first consultation takes 90 minutes – there’s a lot of ground to cover, and a full medical history also needs to be taken.

With herbal medicine, you will be utilising both the chemicals of plants and the energetics of plants in order to strengthen your body and vitality, bring these back into balance, and ultimately, kick-start your body’s own healing process. I sometimes also suggest homoeopathy or flower remedies for you during your consultation - they can work with herbal medicine in beautiful synergy.
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Lemon Balm from my garden.
Generally, you can expect to see a marked difference in your symptoms in anything from one to 3 months (more quickly with acutes and sometimes longer with long-standing conditions). If taking herbs for a cold, I would want to see a difference within a week, unless other factors, like allergies, are contributing to the cold symptoms.

What can herbalism help me with?

Herbs can help support and strengthen your system for pretty much any ailment.

Is herbal medicine safe?

For the most part, yes. But it is important to see a herbalist who is well versed in which herbs you can and cannot take if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or on certain medications. This is because some herbs are emmenagogues (can bring on menstruation), some herbs interfere with the way pharmaceutical drugs are processed in your body, and there are also other reasons. It's equally important to consider dosages based on age, sensitivities, food intolerances, plant allergies, and so on. There are actually many things to consider in terms of your whole personal case which is unique to you (because you are unique).

How many sessions will I need?

It depends what you come to see me for, but I would say at least 3 sessions (one a month) for most conditions.

Are you qualified to be a herbalist?

Yes. And I am fully insured. I'm trained in the phytochemistry of herbs, herbal therapeutics and actions, constitutional and dosage considerations, restricted herb usage, and more. I also have training and experience in many areas of complementary medicine and have been taking client cases since the early 2000s. I'm always studying (I enjoy it!) and undertake regular CPD to maintain my knowledge and skills.

LOW COST CLINIC

If you are financially struggling, I run a low cost herbal clinic at Kia Ora Lounge (Havant) once a month, on a sliding scale with a Pay It Forward scheme. Ask for details.
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The low cost clinic is for in-person clients only and not available online.
SLIDING SCALE
£50
⇩
£20

More questions? Expand the options below
What kind of herbalism do you offer?

Herbalism
​inspired by a love of indigenous and folk herbalism

I'm a clinical herbalist, which means I'm trained in western herbal medicine and during a consultation, I take a full medical history and case study in a professional setting, noting all the safety aspects of herbal prescribing. Sometimes, I use pulse and tongue diagnosis and also listen to your heartbeat. I also have my own herbal dispensary from which I formulate tinctures and teas for you, as well as topical products if needed.

​However, I also work with herbs holistically and intuitively - this is very much the shamanic aspect. I speak to their spirit bodies (their plant consciousness) and work with them on an energetic level as well as physical and chemical, and in practice, I like to work with herbs to complement your heart and soul, not just your body. A greater type of healing then begins to take place.

​My family uses the herbs and flowers in our own garden where we can, drying them and storing them for future use: Lemon Balm, Yarrow, Ribwort Plantain, Borage, and more. I also buy in excellent quality tinctures and herbs, often organic and / or wild-harvested. Those who come to my shamanic circles have sampled the glories of the garden. 
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I work with loose leaves a lot, as the act of brewing and drinking your medicine - with awareness - unlocks healing on a fundamental level. Tinctures are used where needed, though - especially for barks, berries, and roots - and have a wonderful antiquated depth to them that I can't really put into words. Where possible, I always try to work with, or buy in fresh plant tinctures (not dry). Powders can also be used as well as creams and salves for topical treatments.

Finally, and quite different to the norm, I also work with herbs spiritually and magically, creating medicine bags and pouches, ritual incense, potentising them for offerings (I potentise them for your remedy, too) ... this is all about direct communication with the plant spirit and it can add a beautiful dimension to how the herb interacts with you. Herbs also have associations with astrology, mythology, deities, colour rays, and so on. While I do sometimes use medical astrology during consultations, I don't always go into the more "esoteric" area for clients, but if you are interested in it, please ask.
What will happen during a consultation?
I ask about your medical history going back to childhood (often this is relevant), and then I ask you about your personal history: your life, loves, dislikes - emotional stresses play a huge part in illness. I ask about all of your bodily systems to get a sense of how they're functioning. I sometimes ask to see your tongue (tongue diagnosis) or take your pulse (pulse diagnosis), listen to your heartbeat, or scan your energy body just like I might do for a shamanic crystal healing session. This can show me subtleties in your auric field and chakra or meridian imbalances. All of this takes a full 90 minutes during the first session; follow-up sessions are usually 60 mins or less as we only need to talk about the previous four weeks and anything else you might want to mention. I do not diagnose any illness for you.
HOW DID YOU COME TO WORK WITH HERBS?

My Journey with Herbs

I was first drawn to herbs in around 1999 for their spiritual essence and magical properties. I found their connection to deities, the constellations, and the planets fascinating on every level and very naturally incorporated this into my personal healing rituals and "spellworking". On my shamanic training course a couple of years later, we studied trees as well as herbs, and I was very taken one weekend when we foraged for nettle to make the most divine nettle, garlic, and sour cream soup.

​Soon after that (in 2002), I found myself working at Neal's Yard Remedies in Guildford where I worked my way to being an assistant manager and therapy rooms manager. For the three years I was there, I learnt a wealth of knowledge about herbs (and other therapies), read Bartram's Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine cover to cover, used it (and other Materia Medica) daily to help people self-prescribe, and was trained in how to dispense loose herbs and tinctures to our herbalists' prescriptions from the shop's dispensary. During this time, I also completed the first year of a four-year course at the School of Shamanic Homeopathy with Yubraj Sharma. While circumstances meant I couldn't complete all four years, this was invaluable learning in both homoeopathy and homoeopathic prescribing which I went on to employ in various ways in my life. My more recent studies through both Matthew Wood's resources (who is both a herbalist and a homoeopath) and the School of Evolutionary Herbalism, opened new doors for me in how I perceive and use herbs and homoeopathy.

​In 2005, I left Neal's Yard and subsequently worked at Napier's on Fulham Road (London). I was there for two years and learnt different philosophies and different ways to use herbs. Both of these organisations were rich in information, and the face-to-face interaction I had with customers - daily - invaluable to my learning about health. I very much see this "work-era" of my life as a "five-year apprenticeship" (I added it up to be about 10,000 hours with at least half of those spent with customers asking for health advice). Coupled with learnt outdoor skills during my shamanic training - all at a time when I barely used the internet - the value of this phase of my life is akin to gold dust, and it would be safe to say that I learnt the foundation for my customer, clinical, herbal, and dispensing skills then.

My research and use of herbs didn't stop there, though, as I made natural remedies my go-to for any illnesses and ailments. Apart from a blip during my pregnancy, I have not been to the doctor for anything since 2002, and completely stopped taking over-the-counter medicines for small things. I turned fully to natural therapies and herbs and never regretted it once. More recently, after starting to grow vegetables and herbs in my own garden, alongside starting my shamanic healing practice in the south coast of England, I have found myself using and suggesting herbs more and more, whether combined with my other healing modalities, or on their own. So I decided to further study their phytochemical make-up so I could better understand their contraindications and blended reactions through both personal research and online herbal training, methods of learning which suited me well with a daughter to look after and an already busy practice. The training I took was titled 'Master Herbalist' (Dip MH). I chose it because it offered no predesignated route to working with herbs, as I already had my own foundational way of working with them and wanted a course that could help me build on that. It also really helped to structure everything I had learnt over the past 20+ years.

On Imbolc, 2022, I received my herbal certificate and insurance. I am still studying herbs and always will be - it is not a field where you ever stop learning because new discoveries - and even old, rediscovered herbal uses, across cultures - are always brought to the table, as well as new ways of using them. Lastly, I undertake hours of CPD in both herbal medicine and homoeopathy on a monthly basis.

​I am very pleased to be able to bring you herbal healing through the varied experience and knowledge that I have, coupled with the shamanic pathway which I cherish.

My early plant teachers:
​Nettle, Lemon Balm, Rosemary, Lavender, Aloe vera, Yarrow, Marigold, Mahonia, Spider plant, Jade plant, Christmas cactus

My spirit plants:
Osha (Ligusticum porteri), Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), Scottish Thistle (Cirsium vulgare), Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)

I want to come off my medication - can you help me do this?
I can't advise you to come off any medication - you will have to go to your GP to enquire about coming off it. (Likewise, if you have been prescribed homoeopathy or nutritional supplements by another practitioner, you will need to speak to them about changing that prescription.) However, once your GP has agreed to you coming off medication, I'd be happy to help support you with herbs alongside their suggestions and with open communication from all parties. If I feel I cannot effectively use herbal medicine alongside the medication you are on, I will let you know straight away and suggest flower essences or healing instead, or refer you to another practitioner (usually a homoeopath or osteopath).
I'm confused by the different 'types' of herbalists - what do they mean?
It is confusing! Because there is no official regulation for herbalists (and I do not personally think there should be - I'm very opposed to it), it is not a 'protected' term and anyone can use it. Anyone can call themselves a herbalist and partly as a result of this, there are many different 'types' and many different ways that people use herbs. This is wonderful for true holistic healing, but not so great when you want to understand what different herbalists might be good at. In addition, words that herbalists use to describe themselves in other countries are not necessarily the same words we use in Britain. Honestly, the best way to know how a herbalist works is to meet them face-to-face and ask! Seek them out and ask them the questions that matter to you. Here is a guide to help you though (take it only as a guide - terms do differ a bit depending on who you speak to):
  • Clinical Herbalist - a herbalist who practices professionally in a "clinical" setting (which can be a relaxed home clinic), formulates your herbal remedies themselves, usually has their own herbal dispensary, and is often trained in modern western herbalism (as that's where the clinical side of things came from). They'll take a full medical history and case from you before prescribing any herbs.
  • Medical Herbalist - as above, but a Medical Herbalist has usually been trained "like a doctor" in terms of pharmaceuticals, prescribing, and diagnosis, and perhaps in how they chemically view the herbs as working in your body. A small number of them might also have a medical background and be doctors or functional medicine doctors. (This does not apply to everyone who calls themselves a medical herbalist - do ask them directly.)
  • Community Herbalist - they are usually involved in growing herbs as well as seeing clients, and may not choose to see clients in the formal way at all. Often, a group of herbalists will tend a communal land, growing herbs, running educational herbal courses and workshops, and there is a focus on education and healing in the direct community.
  • Folk Herbalist - this is a term more used in the Americas to describe an indigenous herbal practitioner who has been received their plant education through family history/education and inherited knowledge. They will have their own way of working with herbs and seeing any clients/patients that are long tried and tested in their culture. In Britain, the term could be applied to pagan, Celtic, and Druidic ways of working with herbs, and often folk herbalists will also grow their herbs in private or communal gardens.
  • Master Herbalist - I believe this was once a term more used in America to describe a herbalist with a particular philosophy about herbalism, who used herbs in conjunction with naturopathy, food, and other ways of healing. They may also have written theses on herbalism. More recently, it has become a more generic term on both sides of the pond to cover a course in herbalism where the foundational aspects are covered, and often other modalities like flower remedies, aromatherapy and naturopathy are included in the course.
  • Chinese Herbalist - one who is trained in Chinese Herbal Medicine, sometimes also called Eastern Herbalist.
  • Ayurvedic Herbalist - one who is trained in Ayurvedic Herbalism - and ideally Ayurveda as a way of life and entire spiritual system - and this entire philosophy is incorporated into their practice.​
Other terms used like holistic herbalist, shamanic herbalist, etc, have varied meanings and tend be used as adjectives to describe how someone might perceive and work with herbs.

I only offer the above to help you in the trenches of the internet. In the end, I very much dislike putting a label on anything. Labels, like regulation, only lead to boxes that suppress the holisticness of the herbalist and what they can truly offer you.

Book a Consultation

Consultations take place near Havant in Hampshire (UK) at Kia Ora Lounge.
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Times:
Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm
(Saturdays and Sundays, closed.)

In-person herbal consultations

Cost: £75 for each 60 minute consultation, which includes your herbal remedy for one month and the postage to send it to you (if you can collect, I take £5 off the fee).
  • Please note that 90 minutes (at no extra charge) is needed for the first session, and follow-ups are usually once a month.
​It takes time to create a herbal formula and make things like ointments and lotions (if applicable); I also like to study your notes thoroughly after your consultation, so your remedy will be made up for you and sent out in the post - usually 3 to 5 days after your consultation. (Or you can collect it when ready.) Repeat formulations can usually be made faster.

Online herbal consultations

The cost is the same as for in-person consultations. Not everyone is suitable for online sessions - please contact me in the first instance to see if you are.

Follow-ups

In all cases, follow-up consultations are recommended every 4 weeks until the ailment is gone (which can take a minimum of 3 or 4 sessions). In the case of an acute issue (like sudden and severe cold symptoms), I will check in with you after a week, and then again after the second week. Remedies may also have to be changed at the point the symptoms change.

Repeat formulations

If there has been marginally better change, or you have made huge improvements, a quick chat on the phone or by video might be all you need rather than a long follow-up, especially if a repeat formulation is all you want - this is often the case for topical treatments (internal remedies may need a follow-up consultation).
  • ​Repeat formulations cost £10, plus tracked and signed postage if you cannot collect. I can usually send repeats out within 48 hours of your order.
Useful links:
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Yarrow from my garden
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Ribwort Plantain from my garden
Dianna Hardy Dip MH (Dist) MCMA
Clinical Herbalist and Shamanic Healer

​HAVANT, HAMPSHIRE, UK
E: dianna@heartwarriorherbs.co.uk
Mobile: +44(0)7737 148900
​Kia Ora Lounge: +44(0)23 9234 6729
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