Across the UK there are an array of herbal community initiatives supporting education and research, nurturing herbal gardens, and offering accessible herbal medicines and care.
With a dedication to people and plants, it is no surprise that so many herbalists have set up community projects around the country to care for people and the Earth. Herbal medicines (and herbalists!) are diverse and can support health and wellbeing in many different ways, and the range of projects shared in this article reflects this. This is part two following on from another article — Community herbalism projects: A roundup — that we published sharing yet more herbal projects across the UK. Listed below are places that offer low cost or free treatment, so do explore the herbal offerings shared by these projects if you feel you would benefit from the care of a herbalist.
Education and research
The Herbal Medicine Trust
The Herbal Medicine Trust is a charity that was founded to support herbal education across the UK, as well as to fund grassroots projects that positively impact local communities. They support an array of projects including support for refugees, the Junior Herbalist Club (to educate children on all things herbal medicine) and festival first aid. They also help newly qualified medical herbalists to establish vibrant and successful businesses.
Research Council for Complementary Medicine
The Research Council for Complementary Medicine (RCCM) is a charity founded in 1983 to support research in traditional, complementary and integrative medicine. This is unique and especially valuable as ‘alternative’ medicine research projects are not as well-resourced as pharmaceuticals, and data attained through scientific studies develops evidence on the safety and efficacy of herbal medicines, facilitating trust and recognition in the practice as a healing modality.
The Herb Society
The Herb Society is a fellow herbal education charity to help democratise herbal knowledge. They aim to increase the understanding and use of herbs for health and well-being, bring those with a herbal interest together and to promote the great work of herbalists across the UK and beyond.
The Herbal Alliance
The Herbal Alliance was founded to bring together various herbal organisations and herbalists across the UK and Ireland, with a shared aim of promoting and supporting herbal medicine and herbalists and sharing knowledge about critical issues, such as the sustainable sourcing of medicines. This is important because for hundreds of years herbalists have not had a unified voice, oftentimes with individuals and communities working in silos. Bringing people together to connect and share knowledge is vital, as many times in history herbal medicine has been met with opposition- but as the old saying goes, together we are stronger.
Hackney Herbal
Hackney Herbal is a social enterprise promoting wellbeing through herbs, based in East London. They do creative workshops and events to share knowledge with the community about herbal medicines and the natural world. Profits are reinvested into free nature-based community activities to help people’s mental health in the Hackney area.
Helping Herbs
This remarkable project, Helping Hands, teaches women in refugee camps how to make herbal products for their wellbeing, and so they can support themselves and earn an income. They also teach women refugee leaders to teach workshops in their own community. They have worked in refugee camps across Uganda and Kurdistan, and the project was founded by Icelandic herbalist Anna Rósa.
Gardens
Community Apothecary
Community Apothecary are based in Waltham Forest in East London, and are a community herbalism project that work on gardens, sharing knowledge and sharing medicines. They grow and make medicines with and for the community in Waltham Forest and often host workshops. Read our article written by Rasheeqa Ahmad, a core member of the Community Apothecary team — Community herbalism: Connecting plants and people
Physic Garden Project
Physic Garden Project is an organic medicine garden based in the heart of Sussex, which provides a wonderful environment to learn about plant medicines. They offer workshops on a diverse array of topics from foraging to making medicines and naturopathy. They aim to create an organic seed bank from the herbs grown in the garden, and they safeguard precious habitats for the wildlife community. Volunteers are most welcome!
Accessible medicines
The Global Natural Healthcare Trust Charity UK
The Global Natural Healthcare Trust Charity UK is a unique project that began in 2001 to help people affected by HIV/AIDS in the UK. In 2003 the charity was invited to South Africa to offer their support to thousands more people there. Their work in South Africa continued until 2019, alongside which they also began to give specialised care to people with Lyme disease. Lyme disease is oftentimes misdiagnosed and misunderstood, and the team at GNHTC UK are striving to address this. They offer free treatment for those suffering with Lyme disease, charging prescriptions at cost price to encourage the use herbal medicines. Having created extensive medicinal herb gardens and a herbal clinic, GNHTC have fostered a sanctuary for people with an array of ailments and struggles.
Herbalista
Based in Ireland, Herbalista has been providing free community herbal care and education since 2013 using innovative mobile clinics. With dynamic projects such as the Solidarity Medicine Making Workshops, the Grow a Row Project, this initiative has helped thousands of people across Ireland and Atlanta, Georgia in the USA. Check out their website for free classes on herbal medicines, and to get inspired by their community movement.
Low-cost herbal treatment
Oftentimes herbal schools will offer a student clinic for the public. This is a way for people to receive low cost or free herbal treatment, whilst clinical herbalists in training gain invaluable experience treating people. The consultations are monitored by fully qualified and experienced clinical herbalists, so the treatment is always safe and valuable. Some places offer consultations online, and some places have in-person appointments.
Places that offer these services include:
- The School of Herbal Medicine in Somerset
- Betonica in Devon
- College of Naturopathic Medicine in London and Manchester (they also offer nutrition consultations across the UK)
- Grass Roots Remedies in Edinburgh
Explore ‘Community herbal clinics’ to discover other initiatives across the UK.
Final thoughts
These herbal community initiatives illustrate just some of the myriad ways that herbalism and herbalists can benefit our communities. If you feel inspired, get in touch with the projects to explore volunteer opportunities, or reach out for guidance, to set up your own initiatives! If you do, please share them with us for us to promote. We love to hear about all of the herbal happenings around us.
