Thalia Clay-McSherry
Welcome to The Botanical Practitioner, where the patient is given the space to feel truly seen, heard and supported on their health journey. I believe in treating the patient – not the disease, and I believe that each of us are so unique, not just in our genetic make-up but our belief systems, life experiences and cultural imprinting. I will strive to hear and see you as you are, and treat you as an empowered individual, who is the expert in your own health.
A medical herbalist is like a natural general practitioner. In my work with patients, I seek to restore the body’s natural ability to heal itself – using herbal tinctures (alcohol extracts), teas, syrups, and creams. In doing so can I treat a varying range of conditions, by seeking to find the root cause of the problem, alongside nervous system re-balance and regulation.
Why Herbal Medicine?
Alternative
Herbal medicine is known as ‘alternative’ however, it has been used for centuries and is still the mainstay in certain countries around the world. Phytotherapy combines traditionally recognised qualities and uses of herbs with modern research. The active constituents of plants have a pharmacological effect to mobilise and enhance the natural healing processes of the body to restore balance to areas that have been functioning poorly.
Plant Based
Most pharmaceuticals are isolated constituents that are derived from plants. While pharmaceutical advancements have no doubt been life saving, they have been developed to powerfully target specific conditions and may come with equally powerful side effects. Research into herbal medicine, and isolated herbal constituents, continues to provide us with evidence-based understanding of how they interact with the body, and how they may be used in therapeutic practice. This research continues to validate traditional uses and further authenticates the place of herbal medicine in modern medicinal practice.
Synergy
Herbalists recognise the complexities and subtleties of using the whole plant. Synergy – meaning that the combination of two (or more) things may produce outcomes greater than the sum of its individual parts. Unlike standard medical practices, plant synergists act to increase the activity of other plants used for healing while affecting the body itself through several other, more supportive actions, and achieve this by a wide range of mechanisms.
Herbal prescriptions are made bespoke to suit the individual patient following a full and in-depth consultation and case history.