It has been a quick year since our last update, and we continue to run our Herbal Clinic based in the Healthy living Centre in Wester Hailes – this year in September we will be 10 years old! With the continuing support of Vegware, we are able to maintain the running costs of our dispensary. This includes all of the materials we need to make up our medicines for our patients such as bottles, packaging, labels and all administrative materials required in the general upkeep of the dispensary. The essential funding we receive helps us to continue to provide the local community with herbal medicines. We aim to try to grow as many of the herbs we use in the dispensary as we can in the community gardens around Wester Hailes and the surrounding areas. This not only saves us money buying them from external sources, it supplies our patients with herbs grown in their own environment and provides a sustainable supply of many herbs, some that are endangered in the wild from over harvesting.
We continue to support our Herbal Dispenser and Clinic Promoter Jillian with her training to become a medical Herbalist through the Plant Medicine School. Jillian is now in her final year of study and is taking on her own caseload of patients and sitting in on some of our consultations to gain experience and clinical hours. Withing Grass Roots Remedies we have been supporting Jillian with her clinical training by organising study sessions on clinical examination to ensure she gets plenty of practice to get through her exams. As a local resident of Wester Hailes, Jillian has got into Herbal Medicine first through attending the clinic as a patient then taking part in the Wild things course run by Grass Roots Remedies which led her to embark on the training to become a qualified Medical Herbalist. She now works for Grass Roots remedies making and promoting their products as well as providing regular workshops and medicine making. Its been a real privilege and honour to support Jillian to become a herbalist and see how much she has come on over the years. We are keen for Jillian to get qualified soon and join us in the Clinic as a herbalist!
We have been lucky enough to be asked back to do our talk to the Menopause Group run by the Health Agency at the beginning of 2025. We were able to provide the group with information about the herbal approach to the transition of the menopause and provide some samples of various herbal preparations for them to try. This got a positive response and opened up an open dialogue with the attendees about their experiences. Many were unaware that using herbs could be a possibility for them to manage their symptoms. A physiotherapy PHD student was in attendance too who is doing her thesis on osteoporosis prevention in menopause. She was able to share information about pelvic floor health which is very important alongside any herbal or conventional treatment in menopause. This collaborative approach is always very welcome, and we have found in the past that sharing information with other professionals and making them aware of what we do can bring us more patient referrals.
A large part of ongoing activities Is trying to keep our flow of patients to the clinic up and this involves promotional work in one way or another. Jillian is very active in the local community providing workshops on foraging, medicine making and kitchen herbalism. These workshops are well attended and we get many referrals to the clinic from them. Throughout 2024, Jillian did a series of herbal workshops at the Community Wellbeing Collective (CWC) based in the West Side Plaza shopping centre. Here are some photos of the groups.
More recently we have been working collaboratively with the Health Agency’s programme Tasting Change. This programme aims to tackle food insecurity and health inequalities that prevent people from getting access to good quality, affordable, healthy food. It provides groups with knowledge on nutrition, improving cooking skills and promotes positive food opportunities for local families and individuals across Southwest Edinburgh. The programme runs a regular garden kitchen and community meal which Jillian has attended to promote the clinic and gather patients as well as handing out information about home herbalism and some delicious samples. These events are also attended by staff of the Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre, and we have recently made the cost of a consultation at the clinic more affordable to staff to give them the opportunity to access the clinic and give herbal medicine a try.
Out with the Wester Hailes area the clinic is being promoted at the Balerno farmers market with Jillian attending this from time to time to sell products for Grass Roots remedies as well as informing the locals about the clinic.
On behalf of all of us at the Herbal Clinic I just want to express our gratitude for all of the financial support Vegware has given to us over the years – it really does make a huge difference to us and our sustainability. Many thanks!
