Herbal Medicine - Godalming Holistic Centre, Guildford, Surrey

Case History: Elliot, Liver/Rib pain

Elliot came to me initially for a lower back problem which I helped him with however, when that was gone he asked me to help him with a problem around the base of his ribs on the right hand side. It had been there for about 7 months and had initially started after a heavy weekend which included a fair amount of alcohol. I realised that the pain in his ribs was actually coming from his liver so I made him up a herbal tincture to take which had specific herbs to assist liver function. I also gave him some dietary advice including having a complete break from all alcohol for one month. When I saw him two weeks later he reported that the relief had been almost instantaneous with taking the first dose of tincture. He was almost symptom free. For good measure he had two more bottles of the tincture.

Elliot's Comments:

I have always been interested in alternative, holistic therapies but I have never pursued them before. This was an opportunity for me to really try and see if it worked. I had been to the doctors and hospital, had ultrasounds, x-rays, blood and urine tests, but the conclusion was that my pain was muscular. Not satisfied, I approached Clare. As is mentioned, the effects of taking the medicine was instantaneous. I have also taught myself how to look after my liver by eating the right foods and abstaining from alcohol for a period of time!

Herbal medicines can be used to treat a wide variety of common ailments, and are an extremely useful adjunct to many treatment programs. I mainly use herbs in tincture form, these are made by taking the fresh plant material and allowing it to infuse in alcohol for a number of weeks. Then the plant material is strained to produce the resulting tincture. This contains many naturally occurring plant chemicals which give the tincture its properties. Some pharmaceutical companies isolate what they believe to be the ‘active’ chemicals in the herb so that they can reproduce them in the laboratory. There are many examples of this being done to produce drugs such as aspirin (‘active’ chemical salicylic acid form willow or poplar bark), or digoxin (‘active’ chemical cardiac glycosides from the foxglove), or vallium (isovaleric acid in valeriana root).

Herbalists maintain that whilst these ‘active’ principles undoubtedly have a pronounced effect that the other constituents present in the plant, but not in the synthesised drug, are of equal importance. The function of these other ingredients appears to be to enhance, modify and/or quench some of the effects of the ‘active’ principles, making herbs generally much safer and likely to produce less side-effects.

Herbs are ever more popular, most people having used them at some point. People will purchase Echinacea, St. Johns Wort or Ginseng from the health food store for a limited period of time for a specific problem. When people consult a herbalist they do so for more complex conditions or for ones they are not able to resolve themselves.

To counter the effects of stress and to aid mental and physical relaxation
To assist with sleep
To help correct hormonal and period issues in women
To help with bacterial and viral complaints, coughs, colds, infections
To assist with immune problems and long-term health issues
Digestive problems in adults and babies such as colic, IBS, constipation

Of course there are many other uses for herbs, especially to assist with long-term health in cardiovascular conditions

Rosemary
Acne; Dermatitis; Eczema; Lice; Scabies; Hair; Scalp; Arteriosclerosis; Fluid Retention; Gout; Muscular Pain; Neuralgia; Palpitations; Poor Circulation; Varicose Veins; Rheumatism; Asthma; Bronchitis; Whooping Cough; Colitis; Dyspepsia; Flatulence; Hepatic Disorders; Jaundice; Dysmenorrhea; Leukorrhea; Colds; Flu; Infections; Headaches; Hypotension; Nervous Exhaustion; Stress Related Conditions. Key Qualities: Stimulant (nervous and mental); Analgesic; Tonic; Strengthening; Restorative; Purifying; Protective; Reviving; Refreshing.