Scotland’s first paediatrician-led herbal medicine clinic has opened its doors in Fife.
It’s open to families across Scotland by private appointment to help parents manage their children’s health concerns and existing conditions and navigate the NHS.
The new children’s service is being delivered by Scotland’s first paediatric herbalist, NHS paediatrician Dr Beth Moorhouse.
It is up and running at Health Food and More in Kirkcaldy.
We spoke to Dr Moorhouse about the launch of the clinic, how she aims to support patients and the top herbal treatments for various common ailments and health conditions.
Why did you set up the clinic?
“For a while now in my work as an NHS paediatrician I’ve felt I didn’t have all the answers my patients needed.
“There has been a clinic established at Health Food and More for many years.
“Owner, Keren, has been a practicing herbalist for a long time. We realised that quite often my medical paediatric knowledge came in really useful when we were working with patients.
“There were a lot of things I could answer in terms of how the NHS works, the sorts of questions they should be asking their paediatrician, what tests they need.
“It just offers so much more for parents. It means they can bring a child to see me, knowing I have so much experience of working with children and access to all these other health professionals.
“So, if you have a child who is under a paediatrician or specialist, I can actually communicate with them in ways a general herbalist can’t.”
What are some examples of common herbal treatments?
“There are lots of pharmaceutical medicines out there that originate from plants. Some of them you can find in your kitchen.
“Sage is really good for the menopause and hot flushes. Some people will actually have bought sage extract over the counter. Red clover is also really well known.
“These are things GPs will recommend to people, but not really understand why or how it works.
“Whereas as a herbalist, I’ve had the training as to why that works for these conditions.
“St John’s Wort is also well-known for treating depression or anxiety.”
Which conditions can herbal medicines treat?
“You tend to find herbal medicine is really good at treating chronic conditions, things like chronic fatigue, arthritis, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
“I’m seeing a lot of people with anxiety, stress and depression. These conditions have always been an issue but especially over the last two years with Covid.
“It has come to the forefront for a lot of people and they’re looking for answers. That’s probably the biggest field at the moment – people who are just struggling with life.”
Which common kids’ conditions can you help with?
“In children the really common things I’m seeing include eczema, food allergies, colicky babies.
“Come and talk to us and find out what herbal medicine is all about. Let us know what you or your child is struggling with and we’ll always see what we can do to help.”