07 09 2011

September Herb Group Meeting

Andrea Hughes Herbal Medicine

Amazing how dark it was this evening, gone are our light evenings of weeding our garden but we are now enjoying the fruits of our labour at last!

The atmosphere was great in the potting shed, Martin had the woodburner going which made us all feel really snug and we were all really very productive in pressing out our tinctures.

We had made Calendula and German Chamomile which turned out to be really lovely vital medicines, it was also interesting to see the difference between the fresh and the dried tinctured Calendula.
I will dispense the Chamomile into smaller bottles next time so we can all take some home.
We sampled the wonderful elderberry and rosehip syrup and quaffed some elderberry decoction too.

All in all a really pleasant herbal evening, thank you all for coming!

We have set dates for our next meetings as follows:

Saturday 29th October 2pm: digging valerian root, echinacea root and Soapwort root, preparing it for drying and making some fresh tincture.

November 26th 2pm: pressing fresh tinctures.

January 2012. TBA!

Testimonials

Hashimoto's
I want to shout from the roof tops – I am SO MUCH BETTER I have worked with Andrea for a few years on fibroids, adrenal weakness and for the past 3 years on an autoimmune thyroid condition, from which point I embarked on both a huge change to my diet as well as taking herbs and supplements. I was VERY debilitated, unable to work at all, pacing myself through the day with a lot of rest alongside feeling utterly dreadful for days on end.
I have made slow progress and improvements as well as s… Read more

Hashimoto's

Splitting skin on my fingers
Location: West Sussex. I suffered eighteen agonising months of the skin on my fingers splitting for no apparent reason….. suddenly a stinging pain and I could watch my skin split open and bleed..not only on my finger tips but anywhere on my fingers. I made several visits to my GP who prescribed a variety of ointments and creams, I changed shampoo, soap, washing machine powder/liquid all to no avail. I had an appointment with a Dermatologist who arranged allergy tests and that also was a waste of… Read more

David KWest Sussex

Sjögren’s Syndrome
I’ve lost count of the different specialists who have tried to help me alleviate the varied symptoms of Sjögren’s Syndrome – and the accompanying pain and discomfort. Relief from it all came only if one accepted unwelcome side effects from prescription pain killers, whose effectiveness diminished over time. Seeing Andrea has enabled me to change all that. Her methodical approach, drawing on a mix of hard science and ancient lore, has been holistic in the sense that she treated me, not my illn… Read more

Sjögren’s Syndrome

Recovery from low immunity
After I retired I was exhausted and after pneumonia and another chest infection I had shingles. I had got over the worst of the virus but the symptoms never seemed to leave me completely and after the fourth recurrence I was desperate for some relief and a return of at least some of my lost energy. I had never experienced Medical Herbalism before but I immediately found Andrea to be understanding and knowledgeable. After several months taking the herbal medicines I am relieved to have at last sh… Read more

Gillian La HayeChichester

Perimenopause
When the first signs of perimenopause arrived I knew that I should do something to help myself. My Mum had a really rough time with her transition to menopause and ended up taking HRT which has never been on my list of acceptable treatments for many reasons. My first port of call was always going to be Andrea, who is the gentlest, kindest and most generous of medical practitioners that I have ever come across. Within two weeks of starting to take my herbal medicine my symptoms were r… Read more

HelenGuernsey

Staying off Anti-Depressants
I will always be grateful for having met Andrea. I was introduced to her some years ago for help in coming off antidepressants which I had been taking on and off for years. I had failed a number of times trying to come off them the conventional way and was ready to try a different approach. I am so glad that I did! With Andrea’s lovely herbs, teas and recommendations I have been anti-depressant free for over five years and feel more confident and happy.

BarbyWest Sussex

Sleeping after 4 very long years!
My daughter ( now nearly 5 ) has suffered with very disturbed sleep, ( waking 8-10 times a night, for 4 years ) bumpy skin , tummy aches , highly strung and generally not a happy child since the day she was born – have tried numerous trips to doctors and other health practitioner’s (spending lots of money and getting nowhere) and finally came across Andrea who to us is a heaven sent angel as she diagnosed Millie with intolerances to dairy, soya , egg and goats milk – 6 weeks on with an eliminati… Read more

Sleeping after 4 very long years!Goring

PMDD and Periods
Andrea was recommended to me as I have been struggling with PMDD since I was a teenager. I have been to my GP about my periods since I was 15, even speaking to a Gynecologist. There was absolutely no help and I felt so hopeless that I would experience PMDD forever. Andra recommended doing a DNA test for neurotransmitter pathways, as well as vitamin tests and from the results, we could see what I needed and why I was experiencing the symptoms that were happening around my period. After a … Read more

MaisieWest Sussex

Chronic illness a year on..
You have been so extraordinarily good with me, giving me absolutely top-notch, end-to-end, science-based advice. You have also been gently supportive and encouraging in the most warmly humanistic way imaginable. I just can’t thank you enough. The comparison with where I am today and where I was just a year ago is truly breath-taking. Thank you! Although I shall be in touch with occasional emails, I don’t plan on making a further appointment for the foreseeable future, but it is enormously rea… Read more

Chronic illness a year on..