These pages contain original and curated resources pertaining to herbal medicine and specific health conditions.
We try to keep them fresh, relevent and up to date . 
The aim of these resources is to share information, signpost research , support self care and generally inform,  stimulate and empower.
They are not a substitute for medical advice and diagnosis.

According to the Director of the WHO we may be heading to a ‘post antibiotic era’. This looming catastrophe can surely only be brought nearer by the other challenges facing our generation – climate change, vast movements of vulnerable people, international conflict, economic meltdown, austerity etc.

The crisis of anti-microbial resistance was high on the agenda 2013 G8 summit. Press releas...

Our digestion - the mechanism by which we absorb nutrients and eliminate waste products, is fundamental to our health. The role of the digestive system is central in most traditional medicine systems, and science is increasingly confirming its role in seemingly unrelated diseases.

We are becoming increasingly aware that not all people have the capacity to digest all foods - there is more fo...

All other things being equal , or in satisfactory balance ( which of course they never are), physiologically, optimum fertility for a woman will be connected to the rhythm and hormonal balance of her cycle; the ease of passage of the ripe eggs along the fallopian tubes to the location of conception, the uterus; and the capacity of the uterus to nourish and sustain the embryo(s). ...

All very well for Hippocrates, you may say. He lived in Ancient Greece and didn’t have to contend with an abundance of cheap and available processed food; a sophisticated food industry with vested interest, power and plenty of money to distort the science; and an baffling array of experts all taking conflicting and contradictory positions as to which food is even healthy.

This is true, but the...

The word ‘holistic’ has become overused, but the concept is particularly important in relation to herbal medicine and mental health or more accurately herbal medicine and pschyo -emotional health.

A holistic model acknowledges a tapestry of threads that contribute to our health and disease, and our ability to deal with pain and distress. These factors include our biochemistry; our experie...

Many folk pop into the Herbal Barge Apothecary and ask about herbs for sleep. We sell a sleep herbal tea mix containing Californian poppy, linden blossom, chamomile lavender, mint and rose, that has been dramatically effective for some; and a tincture mix containing valerian and hops that has worked for others - but I always find this a difficult area to address quickly ‘over the counter’ be...