Traditional medicine for modern times

Alchemilla is a modern herbal wellness clinic located on the beautiful Cornish coast. I offer high-quality products and services which celebrate plants and herbal traditions from around the world and across the ages. One of the main aims of the apothecary is to revive the role of the traditional herbalist, skilled in the preparation and dispensing of tried and trusted remedies. Just as we expect our food to be grown with love and care, so should we expect the same from our medicines and those who create them.

“Where do your medicines come from?”

I stock a range herbal tinctures, syrups and teas, all have been handpicked for their high-quality ingredients and environmentally friendly ethos. Products manufactured here in the apothecary carry the HerbMark logo which shows they have been created by a practitioner trained in the manufacture of herbal medicines.

You can read more about HerbMark and what it means here, and visit the herb shop here.

Alchemilla was created with the aim of protecting and sharing herbal knowledge so that it can be passed onto future generations. I’m a writer at heart, and thoroughly enjoy curating content to help encourage more people to rediscover the joy of herbs. I write widely about home medicine making skills in my newsletter, and have also written a number of articles which have been published in a variety of journals and magazines.

I also offer online and in person herbal consultations. Click here to read more about my services or feel fee to send an email to sarah@alchemilla.co to book a “hello” call.

What qualifies me to help you?

I spent five years studying herbal medicine and naturopathic practice at the College of Naturopathic Medicine at Regent’s College London. During this time I researched and wrote about a wide range of topics which prepared me well for my service as an herbalist. This included:

• Phytochemistry (the chemical structure of plants and what effects these substances have on the human body)
• Ethnobotany – the scientific study of the traditional knowledge and customs of a people concerning plants and their medical, religious, and other uses
• Wild-crafting and gardening, growing plants from seed and learning to identify plants in the wild
• Formulation and preparation of botanical medicines. The intricate art of prescribing and preparing herbal medicines for use
• Iridology, Chinese tongue diagnosis, naturopathic cleansing, and holistic nutrition

In addition to my studies, I also completed 500+ hours of clinical practice working in a variety of diverse herbal clinics and dispensaries across the UK.

Every year, as part of my practice and commitment to my profession, I undergo additional professional training to ensure I’m always up to speed with any new developments in the herbal world. 

You can learn more about the standards of proficiency required to become a registered practitioner on the EHPTA (European Herbal & Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association) website.

Find out more about the training required to become a practising herbalist here.

“Alchemy – The act of changing a substance of little value into gold, or the elixir of life”

As a child, I loved to help my mother in the garden planting flowers and digging up weeds. However, I think I was always destined to be an herbalist and not an horticulturalist as I was more interested in making perfume from the petals than creating beautiful displays. At age 7, I encouraged my best friend to go into business making itching powder from rosehip seeds. We sold our “magic powder” to the other children in the street who wanted to put it down the T-shirts of their annoying brothers and sisters. During our childhood holidays to Wales, my grandfather would take my brother and I on long walks through the fields pointing out plants and making up stories about the spirits that lived in them. I would go home and write little books and draw pictures of the treasures I’d discovered. As a teenager suffering from horrible acne, I once more sought the wisdom of nature. I began experimenting with essential oils and foraged plants, creating amateur (but effective) homemade products in the kitchen. Plants have always been my thing.

Alchemilla apothecary is the culmination of my obsession with medicinal plants and nature. I’ve always enjoyed writing, and so on my blog, you’ll find information about herbal medicine, seasonal recipes, alchemy, holistic nutrition, medicine making, tea, and gardening. My herb shop is where I share the products I create.

I’m proud to be an ambassador for The Herb Society, a charity that was founded in 1927 to help promote the use of herbs for health and well-being, and support the practice of herbal medicine in Britain.