The Complete Herbal Tutor. Anne Mcintyre

in the West as homoeostasis. When our life-force is disturbed on any level, the health of the whole person is affected, and illness results. Body, emotion, mind and spirit form one inter-related system, and an imbalance in one creates disharmony in another. Symptoms of ill-health in the body represent the attempt by our whole being to correct the imbalance and heal itself. If these symptoms are suppressed, as they are by modern drugs, the energy of the vital force is depleted, our healing ability dwindles and finally chronic illness results.

      The body needs to be permitted to express its symptoms as far as possible, and any treatment should be aimed at augmenting the efforts of the vital force, to enhance its healing energy and not work against it. The task of the herbalist is to analyse a patient's presenting symptoms in this respect and support their homoeostatic mechanisms through counselling, the use of herbs and foods and lifestyle guidance. A maxim of natural therapy is that medicine cannot change the workings of the body, it can only help them. One of the oldest medical teachings says: “Medicus curat, natura sanat” (“the doctor treats, but nature heals”).

       Using Herbs as Medicines

      Herbalists use the leaves, flowers, stems, berries, roots or seeds of medicinal plants as their therapeutic tools. By definition a herb is any plant that has a medicinal action in the body, and this includes most fruits and vegetables. In fact herbs act very much like foods, and many common foods are used for their medicinal actions: carrots are good for skin and urinary problems; oats are a great tonic to the nervous system, garlic fights infection, regulates blood pressure and prevents cholesterol and blueberries combat free radicals, strengthen blood vessels and help prevent urinary tract infections.

      Plants absorb, process and store vital nutrients from the soil, providing raw materials (close in chemical composition to those that make up the human body) for the growth and repair of all bodily tissues that are easily digested and assimilated. Their vitamins, minerals, and trace elements are vital for health and recovery, while other medicinal substances such as tannins, volatile oils, phenols and saponins have affinities for particular tissues and systems and act more specifically to promote homeostasis and healing.

      Clearly, then, herbs operate at the level of biochemical reactions in the body, but they are capable of much more. They certainly provide us with a wealth of wonderful chemicals but their healing power goes far beyond the physical to the realms of the vital force. When herbs work in the body they enhance the healing action of this force and as they do this they may also heal our hearts and minds, for they help to restore harmony to an integrated whole.

      Qi, or life force, flows along energy channels, or meridians. This manuscript depicts the Conception Vessel meridian.

      The First Visit

      It is worth recommending to patients that they prepare for a first visit to a herbalist by compiling lists of present symptoms, past medical and drug history, illnesses and operations as far back as infancy. Their immediate family may provide extra information that has been forgotten about, for example breast feeding and illness, as well as temperament in early childhood.

      Medical reports from other consultants, as well as blood profiles, urine analyses, allergy tests, x-ray or scan reports, can provide important information. A diary of food eaten over the previous weeks will also be helpful to the practitioner when analysing the diet. A herbalist will always enquire into mento-emotional realms, and some patients may find it helpful to prepare for this since they may find it hard to talk about painful experiences, or may not be accustomed to talking about themselves.

       Individual Evaluation

      The consultation begins the minute patient meets practitioner. Consciously or unconsciously, the practitioner will be assessing the patient. The build of the body, the hue and tone of the skin, the brightness of the eyes and hair, the colour of the lips, the expression on the face, the tone of voice, general appearance and dress sense all begin to tell the story. Then there is body language; the expression in the face, the level of tension in the muscles, gait and posture all convey important messages.

      During the consultation the patient is given time and opportunity to describe their concerns in detail. Each person is evaluated as an individual by the herbalist, who records and analyses current presenting symptoms in relation to the complete medical history in order to understand the underlying causes and contributing factors that have made the patient seek help.

      A case history includes:

      • main presenting symptoms

      • other symptoms that occur from time to time

      • detailed past medical history

      • lifestyle including daily habits, diet, sleep, exercise and relaxation

      • temperament, stress levels and mento-emotional concerns

      • bodily systems review

      • appetite, digestion and elimination

      • thirst and sweat

      • body temperature, intolerance of heat or cold

      • sleep

      • energy

      • other medicines being taken

      • cautions, for example pregnancy, lactation

      Through questioning, the practitioner will systematically go through the bodily systems and the status of their functions will all contribute to their analysis of the total health picture of the patient. This will be followed by necessary and relevant physical examinations, which may include tongue, urine and pulse diagnosis, taking the blood pressure, listening to the heart or chest, palpating the abdomen, examining the nails, and so on.

      The consultation begins the minute patient meets practitioner.

      CASE HISTORY

      I remember thinking to myself when the herbalist asked me why I had come to see her, where would I start, what would I say?…“My heart is broken, some days I barely have enough energy to pick up a glass of water and if I manage to drink it, it seems to come out of my eyes…my diet is extremely healthy but completely erratic, I seem to punish myself with gruelling exercise regimes and work like it is going out of fashion and I don't sleep enough. HELP!” How on earth could this poor herbalist possibly know how or with what to treat me?

      I consulted a herbalist who combined Western herbal medicine with Ayurvedic techniques. From the minute we met, I could see her watching and listening, not in an intrusive way, just to get the whole picture from where I was in the present to where I had come from. I was made to feel extremely at ease as my story and tears flowed and looking back on it, the way I was gently encouraged to talk and unravel my muddles was quite impressive, as not once did I feel I was being interrogated.

      I remember being asked about a number of things; my sleeping pattern, diet, menstrual cycle and childhood illnesses, which to me may have seemed of little importance but as the herbalist explained several possible links to my conditions, things started to make sense. The herbalist wanted to check my tongue and I was intrigued to know that tooth marks around the edge may be due to “over-doing and exhaustion causing poor absorption of nutrients,” while a thin coating may be linked to poor digestion. She asked “did I feel the need to push myself to perfection, have any history of tonsillitis, bronchitis or cystitis, ever suffer with hypoglycaemia, insomnia or over competitiveness?” It was at this stage that I thought my boyfriend had pre-warned her about me as I quietly nodded my head, answering her questions. I learnt about the three primary forces or humours derived from the five elements known as doshas, in Ayurveda. They are responsible for all functions in the body, physical and psychological. My predominant dosha is pitta. Some aspects of pitta aggravation described me in a nutshell: I am a perfectionist, I miss meals, suppress my emotions, look after everybody first and put myself last, work far too much, and am hopeless in inflammatory situations