Health and healing have always been important to me. I started out studying pharmacology and physiology at UCL and worked in publishing on drug discovery journals. But I gradually felt disillusioned with conventional medicine and its limitations. A few positive experiences with herbal medicine led to me studying herbal medicine at Middlesex University and launching my career as a herbalist more than 10 years ago.
Plants intrigue me. Despite looking, living and growing in very different ways to people, their biology has a lot in common with us. Our lives and culture are bound to them. I think that a lot of the problems with modern life stem from growing distance between humans and plants – whether in our diet or environment. Exploring this relationship led me to studying a Masters degree in medicinal natural products and plant chemistry at UCL, and inspires me to continue learning.
When I’m not doing herbal consultations or learning more about plants, I am herbal science manager at Pukka Herbs. It’s a great role where I get to make sure we know how our herbal creations benefit health and plan research projects looking at the health benefits of herbs. To satisfy my passion for research in herbalism, I am an associate editor for the Journal of Herbal Medicine.