Navigation

Scottish School Of Herbal Medicine

The healing powers of herbs have been understood since Eve took a bite of that apple in the Garden of Eden. From taking peppermint for an upset stomach to using sage because of its antiseptic properties, plants have had an important role to play in both ancient and modern medicine.

Nowadays, few would dispute that herbal medicine is fast becoming a mainstream healthy alternative that can help people cope with the stresses and strains of modern living. The power of these natural products was certainly obvious to Keren Brynes when she switched from an HND in building to focus on what was to become a highly successful career in herbal medicine.

She first became interested in the subject about 10 years ago as a 21-year-old student when, through dabbling with herbs and nutrition for her own health, she decided to seek a job in Napiers Dispensary in Edinburgh.

"I began to develop my skills and knowledge in the field but little did I realise then that I would go on and train professionally to become a herbalist," she says. In 1990, Dee Atkinson took over the running of Napiers and asked Keren to help her develop the company and undertake professional training.

"Initially, I worked as a dispensary assistant on the shop floor," Keren recalls. "As the business grew, I grew with it, working my way up through management in both retail and manufacturing."

Keren's last employed role there was as development officer covering public relations, marketing and training. She also studied with the School of Phytotherapy in Sussex, by correspondence course, gaining a four-year diploma, complemented by mandatory clinical practice through both Napiers and recognised training clinics.

She qualified as a medical herbalist in April 1996 and joined the National Institute of Medical Herbalists. She spent the next year developing a self-employed practice within Napiers, slowly pulling back from her marketing role to eventually set up full-time in Thornton, Fife, before moving to the more central Kirkcaldy.

She continues to practise from Napiers for two days a week and consults in Fife on one other day. She has taken a second herbalist, Justine Greyer, on board to cope with public demand for treatments. Justine has spent the last six months developing a mother-and-baby clinic, which includes reduced-fee treatments for babies and infants and covers, for example, the ever-increasing incidence of problems like childhood eczema.

Keren is also a clinical supervisor with the Scottish herbal- medicine student-training clinic in Edinburgh, established to handle the growing numbers of Scottish students and to avoid them having to travel to London for training.

"As part of the professional training, students have to gain 500 clinical hours with a recognised clinic," she explains. "To be actively involved in training future herbalists feels to me to be so vital and it's highly rewarding to watch students develop in both confidence and their practice in the subject."

From the supervisory area has developed a mentoring role where herbalist postgraduates are increasingly seeking Keren's help during their first two years of practice.

"The mentor scheme is new and has developed through the national institute to ensure newly qualified herbalists have support from more experienced practitioners."

Business planning, patient care and self care are among topics covered, to help in the candidate's professional development.

Keren also runs introductory one-day herbalist workshops for the general public and she is involved with an ecology centre at Craigencalt Farm in Fife, which runs child and adult-education projects.

"We look at herbal medicine-making, remedies from the kitchen cupboard and common plant medicines including dandelions, nettles and cleavers," she explains. The centre is registered as a charity and it plans to obtain some education funding next year to develop and continue to run workshops and related events.

KEREN has recently started to make her own tinctures - alcohol extracts - from specially grown or wild-crafted plants. Medical herbalists are allowed, under licence from the Customs and Excise, to buy alcohol to manufacture tinctures. A first-time harvest from a half an acre of organic land produced several high-quality litres of Saint Johns Wort, Vervain and Ladies Mantle tincture.

Back at the Fife practice, Keren's mother Joy Walker makes up repeat tincture medicines. "What started as a helping hand has become a major part of my life," Joy says. "But Keren is a fair boss."

Joy recalls her own mother speaking of herbs as representing the main form of medicine up until the second world war, because that was all people had before the advent of modern drugs and the National Health Service.

Now a process of re-education is fast underway and Keren views the information role as of vital importance. "As interest in herbal medicine continues to grow, it's essential people have access to professional advice. Herbal medicines are so commonly available now. Most chemists stock them and Boots do an extensive range," she adds. "Then there are the health-food shops full of supplements and involving a minefield of information.

"Often, people are not sure if they can take a herbal product alongside their conventional medicine or even if it's the right thing for them to use. The people with the answers are the qualified medical herbalists and we need to be accessible, outwith practice, to people for advice."

To that end, Keren set up a herbal helpline last year, initially as a phone line for people to order repeat prescriptions. It is now used as an information line for callers to get answers about the safe use of herbal medicines. The number is: 01592-566446. Keren also finds time to act as editor of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists' regular newsletter, Herbal Thymes.

Herbal medicine as a career in Scotland is a truly 1990s phenomenon - from a mere three qualified practitioners in 1990 there are currently 25.

The relatively new Glasgow-based Scottish School of Herbal Medicine runs postgraduates courses.

There is also a College of Phytotherapy at Sussex, affiliated to the University of Wales, plus schools at Preston and Middlesex universities, all running courses by correspondence.

Increasingly, GPs and osteopaths and other medical practitioners are registering for postgraduate courses. When Keren Brynes launched her own career, an individual needed an 'O' grade in biology and chemistry. Now, Highers are required for degree courses available, as standards continue to rise.

Most herbalists are self-employed and it is, therefore, difficult to peg pay rates.

"It really is what you make of it and depends on how hard you work," says Brynes. One can invest in a full-time career or act as a consultant or work within an educational role.

Copyright 1999
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.