I don’t know…yet!

Do you panic or relax when you hear those words spoken with authority?

For those who have studied a great deal, there can be a huge relief in finding a teacher who will admit that they haven’t considered an aspect of their subject, but who seeks to find out more, who honours their not-knowing.

Personally, I’m a little wary of those who have utter certainty in their knowing. They can exist in a world of certainty that sits uncomfortable sometimes with curiosity.

The nature of a herbalism practice is that there can never be a moment of completing knowing. If one person committed their entire life to the learning of one herb, it is unlikely that they would ever fully grasp all of the known studies of it, the traditional applications, the variety of ways in which different cultures apply its properties, or the full nature of its history and cultivation (please reference the tangled botanical research rabbit-hole its easy to stumble into regarding the evolution of the lime fruit if you seek a tangible example, or several hours of geeking out on plants!)

Accordingly, despite my professionally well recognised qualification in Western Medical Herbalism / Phytotherapy, I'm comfortable with telling a client when I don’t know, but, I will apply my training and skills to find out. I have studied hundreds of herbs in great depth, obtained over 540 clinical hours of experience in their application and studied medical conditions in depth. But I won’t promise you that I know more than you, or that I have an in-depth knowledge of every possible diagnostic test that you may have undergone. That arrogance would be damaging to your ability to trust our work, and wouldn’t reflect my ability to stay up-to-date on the diverse, rapidly developing field of specialist medicine since I completed my training. I am a general Herbal Medicine practioner, with certain specialist interests, with professional skills in applying herbal medicine to your personal context, in collaboration with your other specialists.

So, what I will promise you, my client, is that where I dont know, I will find out. I will research & consider, apply my learning, and find you appropriate tools to support your journey, including signposting you to other practioners or services where these might support you best. And, perhaps most importantly, I will support you in directing your attention back towards your own wisdom, and honour your own awareness, give weight to your self- observations and support you in finding out more.

Because with Hireth Medicine, we acknowledge the known and the unknown. I may know some things, but the journey to learn more, and to maintain my Continuous Professional Development won’t stop anytime soon.

I may know, I may not know, but I certainly will commit to finding out.

If you have a complex medical condition or you have questions about how I practice, why not book in for ‘A Quick Cuppa’ to find out how we might work best together?