I belong to the generation that stubbornly wandered the woods far and wide, forming and feeding their curiosity about the world around them.
Since then I have always been interested in plants. Not only as a natural remedy. Later I expanded my knowledge in the field with encyclopedias, books and lately with the Internet.
Surprised by the existence of Herbal Medicine degree at the University of Westminster in London, which trains qualified specialists in this field. Great luck for Paula… I was always aware that to make the most of the properties to your advantage, avoiding serious trouble,
it is recommended to turn to specialists.
P.S. 1. From personal experience I have learned that some plants are not mixed with others, so as not to compromise their compatibility.
2. And that herbal treatments are not compatible with traditional medicine. The use of drugs and plants at the same time can create more trouble than benefits.
It would be very interesting to hear the opinion of a specialist. So sorry…..I would gladly ask Paula.
Hi, you’re so right that some herbs can be incompatible with prescription drugs. The most well known is St John’s wort, which speeds up the time it takes your liver to process drugs. That is an issue when you’re taking something like oral contraception or antidepressants which have a half life which means that when taken regularly they are constantly active in the body. A very important part of an herbalist’s training is being able to assess the safety and compatibility of herbal medicines with any prescribed medication. That said, there are many plants which can be safely taken and it veers into food. For example, turmeric and garlic both have blood thinning qualities which means it’s often recommended that they are avoided by people taking heparin or warfarin. My approach on that would be to have people eat a diet rich in both (they both have many other benefits) and be regularly assessed by their primary care practitioner. If additional blood thinning is required then take the drug, but perhaps start with a dietary approach? A lot of herbs kind of sit between the food and drug designation, something acknowledged by the FDA in how they classify them. For example chamomile for sleep, nettle for allergies and its iron content and many more. It’s not just potential drug interactions, it’s also being aware of what the herbs do in the body. For example, I use a combination of herbs for an overactive thyroid, so would be very cautious about using any of those for someone with a hypothyroid condition. Likewise licorice has the potential to increase high blood pressure, so I would never give it to someone who had that condition. There’s so much more I could say, but bottom line, I guess this why it’s important to consult with someone who has appropriate training if you’re considering using herbs for your health. There’s so much misinformation out there and I worry about people using herbs which are not appropriate and possibly even unsafe for their unique circumstance.
Thank you Paula for this detailed, comprehensive answer.
I know St. John’s Wort well - it is a plant with very powerful properties. And now I learned from your post, that it has very short time of action.
Having always had very low blood pressure, I know very well the ability of licorice to increase blood pressure. It is one of the very few remedies that exist in nature.
Like many families, in my house we also drink a lot of chamomile. My husband takes it every morning (excellent calming and also digestive).
Also , I imagine, that many side dishes, which are normally used in the kitchen (spinach, turnip tops, parsley, rosmarino) have excellent therapeutic qualities.
And a speech, that of herbs, that fascinates me a lot. I spent a pleasant afternoon, thinking long and hard about your letter!!! I would really like to become a little more expert in this field. Happy for you, that you did this university training.
P.S. Maybe I’m asking a bit too much… I wanted to ask if you use this knowledge in your practice as a doctor-herbalist а Santa-Cruz? Do you have a medical practice? So Sorry. Very pleased to meet you.
I'm pleased to meet you too! It sounds like you're using lots of herbs in your and your family's life. I'm very much not a doctor, but as a herbalist, I do work with lots of people in my practice online and in-person to help support their wellness. If you would like to learn more about hers, do take a look at my website or follow my new Substack, I'm going to be sharing lots about herbs. Warmest wishes, Paula
So great to read! And I'm glad that Paula has something new out. I bought "Infuse" based on you mentioning it in a post years ago. And I am happy I did! I will definitely check out Nature's Apothecary! And I'm so glad that both of you are still fighting the good fight!
I loved this! I was wondering if Paula ever travels overseas to research different types of plants & herbs you wouldn’t normally see? I’m asking because we are traveling around Vietnam atm and have come across huge markets with weird and wonderful plants sold only for medicinal purposes. I’ll send a photo via Bluesky.
Hi, I don’t travel overseas specifically to research herbs as such, but wherever I am I’m always looking for local plants and fascinated by how they’re used by the local people. I’ve heard wonderful things about the herbs on sale in Vietnamese markets and would love to visit that country one day. I did grow ‘Vietnamese coriander’ for the first time this year and am experimenting with drying some of that and learning more about how it’s used in Vietnam and other Asian countries.
I hope you get to Vietnam at some point. Seeing the variety of medicinal plants and herbs was amazing. Have sent some photos to your hubby’s twitter account. The language barrier was frustrating, even with a google language app, but I was left with no doubt that all on sale were purely for medicinal purposes only! I’d love to know if you recognise any of the array of plants they had.
Woah, they’re amazing. I’m super fascinated to see what they are. I reverse google imaged the red fungi and it seems to be dragon mushroom, which I haven’t come across before. In the other pic, I feel like I can ID turmeric and possibly ginger. There’s such a whole wide world of plants out there and it’s one of the reasons conservation is so important as these plants need to survive to be researched. I so much hope to make it to Vietnam one of these days. Have a great time there!
The Your Garden Apothecary class was great--although my actual gardening needs remedial work (I even killed mint!) I learned a lot and have started using a wider variety of herbal teas beyond chamomile.
The "tin of beans in the cupboard" made me laugh out loud. It's a running joke in our house that if whatever my partner is looking for in the fridge doesn't leap into his hand he won't find it, but he can call me and I'll be able to tell him "second shelf, left side, behind the yogurt."
It makes me so happy to ready this, Darcy - tho not for your poor mint, be assured though, I’ve had mint die if it’s too dry, you may find it pops back up again after some rain, it’s a tough little herb. Any it funny about the bean tins and the fridge? I find it fascinating as it seems very widespread.
Hi, Michael!
I belong to the generation that stubbornly wandered the woods far and wide, forming and feeding their curiosity about the world around them.
Since then I have always been interested in plants. Not only as a natural remedy. Later I expanded my knowledge in the field with encyclopedias, books and lately with the Internet.
Surprised by the existence of Herbal Medicine degree at the University of Westminster in London, which trains qualified specialists in this field. Great luck for Paula… I was always aware that to make the most of the properties to your advantage, avoiding serious trouble,
it is recommended to turn to specialists.
P.S. 1. From personal experience I have learned that some plants are not mixed with others, so as not to compromise their compatibility.
2. And that herbal treatments are not compatible with traditional medicine. The use of drugs and plants at the same time can create more trouble than benefits.
It would be very interesting to hear the opinion of a specialist. So sorry…..I would gladly ask Paula.
Thanks in advance…
Interesting questions - I shall ask Paula!
Hi, you’re so right that some herbs can be incompatible with prescription drugs. The most well known is St John’s wort, which speeds up the time it takes your liver to process drugs. That is an issue when you’re taking something like oral contraception or antidepressants which have a half life which means that when taken regularly they are constantly active in the body. A very important part of an herbalist’s training is being able to assess the safety and compatibility of herbal medicines with any prescribed medication. That said, there are many plants which can be safely taken and it veers into food. For example, turmeric and garlic both have blood thinning qualities which means it’s often recommended that they are avoided by people taking heparin or warfarin. My approach on that would be to have people eat a diet rich in both (they both have many other benefits) and be regularly assessed by their primary care practitioner. If additional blood thinning is required then take the drug, but perhaps start with a dietary approach? A lot of herbs kind of sit between the food and drug designation, something acknowledged by the FDA in how they classify them. For example chamomile for sleep, nettle for allergies and its iron content and many more. It’s not just potential drug interactions, it’s also being aware of what the herbs do in the body. For example, I use a combination of herbs for an overactive thyroid, so would be very cautious about using any of those for someone with a hypothyroid condition. Likewise licorice has the potential to increase high blood pressure, so I would never give it to someone who had that condition. There’s so much more I could say, but bottom line, I guess this why it’s important to consult with someone who has appropriate training if you’re considering using herbs for your health. There’s so much misinformation out there and I worry about people using herbs which are not appropriate and possibly even unsafe for their unique circumstance.
Thank you Paula for this detailed, comprehensive answer.
I know St. John’s Wort well - it is a plant with very powerful properties. And now I learned from your post, that it has very short time of action.
Having always had very low blood pressure, I know very well the ability of licorice to increase blood pressure. It is one of the very few remedies that exist in nature.
Like many families, in my house we also drink a lot of chamomile. My husband takes it every morning (excellent calming and also digestive).
Also , I imagine, that many side dishes, which are normally used in the kitchen (spinach, turnip tops, parsley, rosmarino) have excellent therapeutic qualities.
And a speech, that of herbs, that fascinates me a lot. I spent a pleasant afternoon, thinking long and hard about your letter!!! I would really like to become a little more expert in this field. Happy for you, that you did this university training.
P.S. Maybe I’m asking a bit too much… I wanted to ask if you use this knowledge in your practice as a doctor-herbalist а Santa-Cruz? Do you have a medical practice? So Sorry. Very pleased to meet you.
I'm pleased to meet you too! It sounds like you're using lots of herbs in your and your family's life. I'm very much not a doctor, but as a herbalist, I do work with lots of people in my practice online and in-person to help support their wellness. If you would like to learn more about hers, do take a look at my website or follow my new Substack, I'm going to be sharing lots about herbs. Warmest wishes, Paula
So great to read! And I'm glad that Paula has something new out. I bought "Infuse" based on you mentioning it in a post years ago. And I am happy I did! I will definitely check out Nature's Apothecary! And I'm so glad that both of you are still fighting the good fight!
We are, and thank you for both reading here and supporting her work!
Thank you so much! I hope you’ll love the book!
I loved this! I was wondering if Paula ever travels overseas to research different types of plants & herbs you wouldn’t normally see? I’m asking because we are traveling around Vietnam atm and have come across huge markets with weird and wonderful plants sold only for medicinal purposes. I’ll send a photo via Bluesky.
Hi, I don’t travel overseas specifically to research herbs as such, but wherever I am I’m always looking for local plants and fascinated by how they’re used by the local people. I’ve heard wonderful things about the herbs on sale in Vietnamese markets and would love to visit that country one day. I did grow ‘Vietnamese coriander’ for the first time this year and am experimenting with drying some of that and learning more about how it’s used in Vietnam and other Asian countries.
I hope you get to Vietnam at some point. Seeing the variety of medicinal plants and herbs was amazing. Have sent some photos to your hubby’s twitter account. The language barrier was frustrating, even with a google language app, but I was left with no doubt that all on sale were purely for medicinal purposes only! I’d love to know if you recognise any of the array of plants they had.
Found them and passed them on!
Cheers Michael. Sorry for the confusion, I didn’t realise we weren’t able to dm photos on Bluesky as yet.
Woah, they’re amazing. I’m super fascinated to see what they are. I reverse google imaged the red fungi and it seems to be dragon mushroom, which I haven’t come across before. In the other pic, I feel like I can ID turmeric and possibly ginger. There’s such a whole wide world of plants out there and it’s one of the reasons conservation is so important as these plants need to survive to be researched. I so much hope to make it to Vietnam one of these days. Have a great time there!
Our copy of Nature’s Apothecary arrived today!
Excellent! :-)
Yaaay! Hope you like it! Xx
The Your Garden Apothecary class was great--although my actual gardening needs remedial work (I even killed mint!) I learned a lot and have started using a wider variety of herbal teas beyond chamomile.
The "tin of beans in the cupboard" made me laugh out loud. It's a running joke in our house that if whatever my partner is looking for in the fridge doesn't leap into his hand he won't find it, but he can call me and I'll be able to tell him "second shelf, left side, behind the yogurt."
It makes me so happy to ready this, Darcy - tho not for your poor mint, be assured though, I’ve had mint die if it’s too dry, you may find it pops back up again after some rain, it’s a tough little herb. Any it funny about the bean tins and the fridge? I find it fascinating as it seems very widespread.
What a great conversation - I love this! xx
Thank you :-)
Brilliant :) I love these curveball interviews and that’s a great one… I even learned something!