Qualified Medical Herbalist
“Herbal medicine has so much to offer women in managing their health, and is particularly good at helping with functional conditions such as menopause and perimenopause.”
Anita harnesses the powerful medicine of plants and foods to provide a natural alternative – or complement – to pharmaceutical medicines. She works alongside our lead gynecologist to offer a holistic approach to women’s healthcare through the Gynae Expert practice, runs her own busy herbal consultancy, and inspires the next generation as a teacher of herbal medicine.
A practicing medical herbalist since 1990, Anita is a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists and the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy and has a masters degree in herbal medicine.
Anita Ralph's Articles
Anita has helped us create two expert menopause guides to help you understand the benefits of herbal remedies and treatments.
Hot flushes - a herbal perspective offers insights into which herbal treatments can help you deal effectively with the issue of hot flushes.
Herbal Remedies for Night sweats could help you get a better night of sleep with tips and advice to relieve you of night sweats.
Anita runs a busy, full-time practice and Herbal Dispensary – Medicine Tree – in West Malling in Kent. Anita is also currently lead tutor on the Foundation Course in herbal medicine for Heartwood. She has worked our consultant gynaecologist Anne Henderson since 2006 as part of the multidisciplinary team, and feels that herbal medicine has much to offer women as they approach and move through menopause.
Herbal medical treatment is a person-centred rather than disease centred approach, but as people, we cannot help but start with our symptoms. The menopause symptom areas most responsive from a herbal perspective are hot flushes, night sweats, sleep problems, low energy, mood changes and cognitive wellbeing, and change to menstrual regularity and flow. Other symptoms may respond well to herbal therapy, but are slightly more complex in their origin, so may require a much more practitioner-led approach.
Three things Anita wants you to know as you approach menopause:
- Menopause is a process of adaptation, we help ourselves adapt and be ready to lessen the symptoms and impact. Medicinal plants contain an array of beneficial compounds that can assist the process of adaption.
- Menopause may be the first time you have stopped to consider your whole health and wellbeing. This is an opportunity to become very well and connected to your body.
- Medical Herbalists are the experts in plants as medicine and medicinal foods. They are trained in medicinal and plant sciences and can act as your health guide.
Publications, qualifications and awards
- Member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (www.nimh.org.uk)
- Member of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy (www.thecpp.org)
- Masters degree in herbal medicine.