Herbal Exchanges: In Celebration of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists – Paperback

The National Institute of Medical Herbalists celebrated its 150 year anniversary in 2014. We marked this major milestone in the history of the Institute, and of herbal medicine, with a variety of events including a commemorative book featuring herbalists from many different disciplines each sharing their knowledge of Western herbal medicine.

Entitled Herbal Exchanges the work is edited by Hananja Brice-Ytsma and Frances Watkins and is an eclectic mix of articles commissioned to celebrate this special occasion. Herbal heritage includes a synopsis of the history of the Institute and a detailed account of practicing herbal medicine during the First World War in the East End of London. The section on herbal research explores the outlook for herbal medicine, the role of herbalists and the learning we have obtained from plants. Practitioner reflections of herbal medicine and encounters of herbal medicine as a patient give intriguing insights to the rich diversity of herbalists. Herbal therapeutics is a far reaching chapter that looks at managing the menace of antimicrobial resistance to premature ovarian failure and infertility. Contributors include Jan de Vries, Barbara Griggs, Alison Denham, Julian Barker, Michael McIntyre, Kerry Bone and many more. The final section of the book focuses on herbal philosophy.

‘Every single member of the Institute, whether their name is recognised or not is a hero of herbal medicine. Quietly going about the business of caring for patients, our members have embodied herbal medicine for 150 years’ 

Laura Stannard, President, National Institute of Medical Herbalists, 2014