Have you ever reached for a herbal remedy and it didn’t work? Maybe your friend swore it alleviated whatever symptoms ailed her, so why isn’t it working for you. Because of what is known as constitutional types, meaning same symptoms but underlying tissue state is different.

Let’s simplify this a little.

You have a UTI – you google herbs for UTI’s. Seems simple enough, except you forgot to take into account the constitutional aspect and search herbs with energetics specific to that. Have a look at these examples:

UTI #1: Hot, inflamed and irritable

UTI #2: Damp, mucousy, heavy

UTI #3: Dry and tense tissue, spasms

When we ask what he tissue is doing we are better able to seek out herbs with energetics that counteract or support. If the UTI is hot we want cooling herbs, if it is damp we want drying herbs, if it is dry we want moistening herbs. Of course it is a little more complicated than that when it comes to formulations, but you get the basic idea.

There are so many theories when it comes to Herbalism:

TCM and it’s cold, hot, warm and cool properties along with the five tastes being sweet, sour, salty, bitter and pungent. Combined with Qi and the 9 body types/constitutions (Neutral, Qi-Deficient, Yin – Deficient, Yang Deficient, Blood Stasis, Phlegm – Dampness, Damp – Heat, Qi – Stagnation, Intrinsic Body) .

Ayurveda and the 3 doshas; Vata, Kapha and Pitta.

Galenic and the 4 humors; Phlegmatic, Xholeric, Sanguine aka blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm. An imbalance of humors or eukrasia is what happens when the body is out of balance.

Celtic herbalism is one of my favourites given my lineage. It is the native practice of Ireland and Scotland, drawing heavily on ancient Celtic Lore. The ancient Druids drew upon the study of natural phenomenon and used it in our healing modalities. Later to embrace what is known as Humoral tradition, this was the main energetic system of European medicine until medieval times. Celtic shamanism and the Celtic medicine wheel are a part of my heritage and something I incorporate into daily practice.

Spagyric medicine in herbal alchemy. Every plant has a planet, every person has a planetary alignment… moon cycles, astrological medicine. It’s not just in how the medicine is processed, these are not your typical tincture, there are special processes that allow the minerals to flow rather than excluding them from the tncture.

Many herbalists will pick one theory and master that, personally Spagyric medicine, Celtic herbalism and TCM are my favourites but I still incorporate others into my practice. I haven’t mastered Ayurveda but I do utilize the knowledge when formulating. In truth they all have similarities – some resonate more with others.

If this seems like a lot to take in don’t get discouraged. It’s the reason I offer herbal consultations – this isn’t just about picking an herb for a couch, it’s about healing our life source.

Book here: Herbal Consultation