Herbal Medicine & Naturopathy
Ed Berger is a Herbalist and Naturopath, specialises in Ayurvedic medicine. Ed is trained in Naturopathy, Iridology, and has a BSc in Western Herbal Medicine. His approach combines a thorough grounding in orthodox medical diagnosis and modern Western herbal medicine, with traditional Ayurveda and Naturopathy, a philosophy of healing that seeks to encourage the bodies own ‘self-healing’ powers.
Ed taught for 20 years at the College of Naturopathic Medicine in London during which time he held posts of Herbal Medicine and Naturopathy Course Director.
What is Herbal Medicine?
Most of the world’s population still rely on herbal medicine for their primary healthcare, and whilst we may have forgotten much of our traditional wisdom in the developed world, until 100 years ago doctors regularly prescribed herbal medicines and every person could identify and use plant remedies for simple ailments. Healing plants are all around you every time you go for a walk in nature, and most gardens ‘weeds’ have medicinal properties. The plant world provides us with the oxygen we breath the foods we eat, and all the medicines we need.
Medicinal plants contain active phytochemicals (plant chemicals), hundreds in every plant, giving them broad and complex powers to fight disease and promote better health. Many of these chemicals have been well researched and used to develop pharmaceuticals, but nothing beats the complex natural chemistry of whole plants to support the body holistically.
What is Naturopathy?
Naturopathy or ‘Nature cure’ is a philosophy of healing that developed in Europe and America over the last two centuries. Naturopathic treatments are individualised to the patient, they focus on the root causes of disease not the symptoms, they encourage the bodies self-healing powers, and they empower patients by teaching them why disease has occurred and how to live in ways that make disease almost an impossibility (if they work hard enough at it!). Ultimately patients have to take responsibility for their health, their diet, their mental wellbeing in order to achieve optimum vitality, the solutions can be very simple, but patients often need a guiding hand to begin this journey.