My journey to being a herbalist started when I was really young.
Sometimes I read about herbalists who were first taught the ways of herbs as children, while hiking in the wilderness with their grandparents.
Or those who felt a special affinity with plants when they were little, hanging out with their green friends and immersing themselves in nature.
My journey to being a herbalist started when I was really young.
I imagine how glorious a childhood immersed in the world of plants and healing might have been, and how much knowledge I would have amassed by the time I was old enough to open a practice.
When I read those stories, sometimes I wish that could’ve been me.
But the reality is, using plants as medicines wasn’t part of my childhood. I didn’t even like eating plants that much.
Nope, when I was a kid I was more interested in Lego, closely followed by He-Man. And when I became a teenager, my chief interests were listening to music and hanging out with my human, non-green, friends.
The closest I came to a herb was the kind you rolled up and smoked.
And yet the seeds of my future vocation were very much sown when I was a child, but not because I came from a long line of healers.
It was because I was constantly ill.
Mmmm . . . . delicious banana-flavoured liquid antibiotics.
These were a staple throughout my childhood. I was regularly laid low with a heavy cold or flu, had little energy and my digestion was terrible. I was angry too, and had a black-belt in worrying.
In my teens I developed a taste for recreational drugs, and had a couple of bouts of severe, long-term depression. Then at age 21 my health, such as it was, simply fell apart.
First, I contracted glandular fever. This then developed into chronic fatigue and an array of bewildering symptoms – sweats, diarrhoea, food intolerances, headaches, excruciatingly sensitive hearing and vision, random pains and muscle aches, insomnia alternating with uncontrollable sleepiness.
Emotionally I felt deeply angry and overwhelmed by the world, with a deep-seated need to be alone. I needed to minimise stimulation and control my surroundings as best I could, because life felt so painful and oppressive.
Many years passed, during which I had every conventional medical test available. Doctors were mystified. I felt scared and alone, and the future looked bleak.
Eventually I had no choice but to give up on mainstream medicine. I began investigating alternative therapies, and tried acupuncture, osteopathy and fasting. All of these approaches helped in their own way, but none of them led to the sustained, comprehensive improvement I needed.
Finally, after many frustrating years, I found herbal medicine. And I immediately knew that its holistic, whole-person approach was exactly what I’d been searching for all along.
Delicious banana-flavoured liquid antibiotics.
In my teens I developed a taste for recreational drugs, and had a couple of bouts of severe, long-term depression. Then at age 21 my health, such as it was, simply fell apart.
First, I contracted glandular fever. This then developed into chronic fatigue and an array of bewildering symptoms – sweats, diarrhoea, food intolerances, headaches, excruciatingly sensitive hearing and vision, random pains and muscle aches, insomnia alternating with uncontrollable sleepiness.
Emotionally I felt deeply angry and overwhelmed by the world, with a deep-seated need to be alone. I needed to minimise stimulation and control my surroundings as best I could, because life felt so painful and oppressive.
Many years passed, during which I had every conventional medical test available. Doctors were mystified. I felt scared and alone, and the future looked bleak.
Eventually I had no choice but to give up on mainstream medicine. I began investigating alternative therapies, and tried acupuncture, osteopathy and fasting. All of these approaches helped in their own way, but none of them led to the sustained, comprehensive improvement I needed.
Finally, after many frustrating years, I found herbal medicine. And I immediately knew that its holistic, whole-person approach was exactly what I’d been searching for all along.
Herbal medicine changed my life.
For a few months I had treatment from a wonderful herbalist named Luzia, and was so deeply affected by the experience that I decided to dedicate the next few years to becoming a professional herbalist myself.
As a student herbalist I had to pick apart my medical history and apply the principles of herbalism and naturopathy to my own health. Suddenly – as if a veil had lifted – I was able to make sense of the symptoms that had so perplexed me and every doctor I’d ever consulted.
I could see how they were all connected.
As my training progressed I treated every system of my body with herbs, and my health was gradually but profoundly transformed.
Kidney herbs such as nettle and silver birch resolved my joint pain, herbs such as burdock and yellow dock got my liver working properly again, and nervous system herbs such as wood betony and rosemary helped me reach a new level of emotional and physical resilience.
Diet was an important part of my training too, and I made some sweeping changes that led to even more improvements to my health.
My body. My mind. No difference.
While herbs were quietly changing my life, I was also learning about mind/body connections and the person-centred approach to therapy.
I traced the patterns of my emotional and physical health, and observed how each was influencing the other. I saw the futility of treating the body without helping the mind and spirit, and realised how much of this I had known, deep down, all along.
I began meditating, practicing mindfulness, letting my activity levels and diet be guided by the seasons and my intuition. I also discovered that I’m a Highly Sensitive Person and learned how to take care of this aspect of myself, because it influences every part of my experience.
In more recent times I’ve been deepening my awareness of social justice and systems of oppression, how intersections such as gender, sexuality and disability equality have impacted my health, and continue to do so. I’ve also been finding new mind/body tools to help heal trauma symptoms, such as therapeutic journaling and somatic practices.
The result of all my study and self-treatment has been not only a complete reversal of my life of poor health, but a new level of vitality I’d never thought possible. And with this has come an absolute determination and commitment to help other people who are also struggling to find answers and get well.
However, just because I’ve had all of this training and experience doesn’t mean I’ll immediately understand what you are going through. Your experience is your own and therefore unique.
You are the expert of you.
But you can be assured that I’ll empathise with what you’re going through on a deep level, and I’ll see your potential to be well again.
What really made me click with Tim was his honesty in his biography, his personal experience.
I found in Tim someone who’s willing to help and accompany me in my journey of healing, helping through the ups and downs, the failures and the successes, without negativity or judgement. With so much contradictory information outside, Tim helps in sorting out the true from the false.
Tim works in collaboration with you. Based on what you want and your circumstances, he will take that into consideration and suggest various ideas to help your situation. You then decide what you can implement. He will listen to your feedback to move forward. He will explain in details how it all works and make sure you’re happy with his approach.
Tim is an attentive listener. He’s very calm and softly spoken. He is kind-hearted, friendly and patient. He won’t rush you to talk about your history and feelings in difficult times.
Tim is very knowledgeable, but will also be honest when talking about something that’s outside of his area of expertise. He’ll also support you outside of your consultation. If you have any questions, any doubt or uncertainty drop him an email or a text and he will reply to the most of his aptitude.
I definitively recommend Tim. He’ll try to go to the root of your problem, not just help with the symptoms as so many other professionals do.
– Laura, client with digestive symptoms
My credentials
I trained for 6 years with the International Register of Consultant Herbalists, one of the oldest clinical herbalism schools in the UK, where I gained a Diploma in Botanical Therapy.
Since graduating in 2014, I have clocked up 5000+ hours of clinical experience helping people to thrive after serious, complex illness.
I’m also in the process of completing a professional psychotherapy & counselling training with Persona, one of the most respected psychotherapy schools in Scotland. I’ll graduate as a qualified person-centred psychotherapist in 2026.
My practice integrates aspects of trauma theory, person-centred counselling, Internal Family Systems, body psychotherapy, yoga, Buddhism, traditional medicine from cultures across the globe, gut microbiome research, mindfulness, meditation, social justice, and cutting-edge neuroscience.
My practice is never static and fixed. As an important part of my life, it continues to evolve and grow over time, often in new and unexpected ways.
It is a living, breathing thing.
So, what’s next?
Let’s talk!
Simply complete the form below and I’ll be in touch very soon.
I’m excited about accompanying you on your journey towards better health!