I’m a member of the Unified Register of Herbal Practitioners and I am fully licensed and insured to practice.
A full breakdown of the stringent training required to become a member of the Unified Register of Herbal Practitioners can be found by following the link below:

URHP Standards of Entry

Anyone can benefit from visiting an herbalist. As no two individuals are the same, I always create a totally bespoke herbal formula tailored around the unique needs of each person who works with me. I love to engage with people who take an active interest in their health and want to learn more about how herbs and nutrition can improve their well-being. This is because my job is to encourage you to become empowered to understand the key factors which led to your health issues developing in the first place. You can read more about the benefits of seeing an herbalist for your health complaint here:

Read more about what to expect at your initial herbal consultation here.

Herbal Medicine:

As a herbalist, I treat the whole person using a range of carefully selected botanical medicines. Each individual prescription is blended to take into consideration the physical, mental and emotional health of each client. You can find out more about herbal medicine and how it works by clicking on the links below:

What is herbal medicine?

Iridology:

Iridology is the scientific study of the coloured portion of the eye that surrounds the pupil; the iris. When looked at in detail, the iris can provide insights into your inherited health and genetic makeup. An Iridology session offers valuable information about a person’s hereditary strengths and weaknesses. This knowledge empowers you to adjust your lifestyle in a way that can help prevent diseases from happening in the first place.

You can read more about Iridology here:

Holistic Nutrition:

Although herbs are powerful medicines in their own right, the food that you eat also has a huge impact on your health and wellbeing. Taking herbs without changing your diet is a little like a full bathtub with the taps running. The emergency situation won’t be resolved just by turning off the taps, you must also pull out the plug. Herbal medicine can work wonders but if you continue to eat a poor diet, then you’re only ever going to achieve limited results.

Diet plans are as varied and unique as the individual themselves. This is why it can seem so confusing when trying to work out which foods are right for you. My training as a naturopath means that I’ll work with you to create a holistic eating plan based around your constitutional type and personal wellness needs without you having to spend a ton of time and money trying to figure this out for yourself. All clients who work with me on a long-term health plan will be provided with a holistic nutritional eating plan to support their health goals.

Herbal Medicine:

Your initial herbal consultation will last approximately 90 minutes. During this time, I’ll take a detailed medical and holistic case history in which you’ll be asked a variety of questions about your lifestyle and current state of emotional and physical well-being. This helps me to build up a clear picture of your unique constitution. I may also take a look at your iris and tongue to better understand what factors might have led to your current health situation. Based on our discussions, you’ll then be prescribed your own customised herbal medicine. This will take the form of a tincture, tea, powder or capsules. You will, of course, be provided with information about how to take your medicine. I may also ask you to complete a food / sleep / mood diary or a symptom tracker which will help us to monitor your progress during any follow up sessions.

Read more about herbal consultations here.

An herbal consultation is an investment in your health. Appointments are conducted in person or via Zoom.

An initial herbal consultation costs £65. Any subsequent follow up appointments are charged at £30. Short “over the counter” telephone calls for emergencies or acute situations are charged at £20. The cost of your appointment does not include your customized herbal prescription which will vary depending on the nature of your condition and the level of support required. The prices below are a general reflection of what to expect for one month’s supply of medicine.

Tinctures £12 per 100 ml – Most people are prescribed a 300 ml bottle on their first visit.

Capsules £10 – £15 for 60

Prescription teas blends (per bag) – £12

Iridology sessions are priced at £65. The cost includes digital photographs of your iris. Herbs for your individual constitution can also be prescribed at the costs listed above.

All prices will be made clear during your appointment and before dispensing. Herbs can also be sent out via post, or local people (Newquay and surrounding areas) can opt to use the pick up service. Prices stated above do not include postage, packing or delivery.

As the price of herbs is dependant on a number of unpredictable factors such as harvest and availability. You will be advised about any additional charges (should there be any,) at the time of your appointment, and offered an alternative if preferred.

Most people generally find they require two to three follow up sessions which usually last around one hour. These sessions are essential in that they enable us to make changes and adapt your dosage or mix as your symptom picture changes. It is also an opportunity to discuss any changes to your diet and lifestyle that are supporting your herbal prescription. This is one of the huge advantages of herbal medicine. You will never receive a static prescription, but will always be given medicines that change to reflect your current situation.

During your follow up consultation, we’ll review any symptoms, and talk in more detail about any new changes in your circumstances. Follow up appointments are usually held at monthly intervals, with maintenance appointments scheduled for 3-6 month intervals thereafter. As every case is different, timescales for follow up appointments will inevitably vary.

Face to face appointments are available at Sage in Mawgan Porth. The clinic is situated on the mini golf course behind the art shed. Please send an email if you are not familiar with the area and need directions. Virtual tele-health appointments are also available via Zoom to people who live outside the area or are unable to attend in person. To enquire about booking a consultation, please send an email to sarah@alchemilla.co with a brief outline of your primary health complaint.

Medicines are usually reviewed each evening and dispensed the next day. Prescriptions can be sent out via Royal Mail or local people can collect.  All delivery charges will be made clear during your appointment.

An Iridology session lasts approximately one hour. Herbs are not generally prescribed (although there is an option to do so at an additional cost should you wish.) During your appointment, I’ll photograph your iris and explain the visible iris signs which are an indication of your inherited strengths and weaknesses. This is a very simple procedure and is non-invasive. After the session I’ll send you the digital photographs of your iris. 

Read more about Iridology here:

All herbal medicines in the dispensary are suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Should supplements be required as part of your support plan, you will always be provided with a full list of ingredients so you can be certain the medicines you are prescribed fit with your ethics.

Herbal pills are encapsulated in vegan-friendly capsules. The tinctures stocked in the dispensary are made with alcohol. This is because alcohol is an excellent medium for the extraction of the medicinal qualities of the plants. It also ensures a speedy delivery into the system, bypassing the digestive system and entering quickly into the bloodstream. If you’re avoiding alcohol for any reason please mention this at the time of your appointment. In these cases, you’ll be offered a choice of teas, powders or glycerites (herbal medicines made with vegetable glycerine) in place of a tincture prescription.

All children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult at the time of their appointment. As some of the medicines prescribed contain alcohol, you must give your parental permission for your child to take these preparations. Tinctures contain only a small amount of alcohol in relation to the amount of herb in each preparation. Doses are small, and the alcohol can be “burned off” by adding the tincture to warm water and leaving it to stand for a few minutes before taking. Tinctures are far easier for children to take as they often dislike the taste of teas and powders. As larger amounts are required to achieve the desired effect, this can affect compliance. Your child’s medicine will be discussed in detail during the appointment so that a suitable prescription can be made up.

This really is a difficult question to answer as it depends both upon your condition, how long you’ve had it, and how willing you are to make any necessary lifestyle or dietary changes to achieve the best results possible. Although I can’t guarantee it, most people will begin to see positive changes within a couple of weeks of taking their medicines. Of course, if you’ve had a condition for a very long time, it isn’t going to vanish overnight. But if you’re determined to take your health into your own hands, follow advice and make the necessary changes to heal, then you should expect to feel increased energy, have better sleep and notice an improvement of your symptoms in a reasonably short space of time.

The future of herbal medicine depends on the wellbeing of our planet. As a herbalist, I take the issue of the environment very seriously indeed.

To avoid the unnecessary use of plastic, tinctures are dispensed in recyclable glass bottles. These can be brought back to the clinic where they are sterilised and re-used.

In addition, all my tea blends are packaged in 100% biodegradable pouches made from kraft paper, cellulose and starch film which are tested and certified as fully compostable. The packaging completely decomposes in ten weeks, and can be composted at home or deposited in ‘’compostable food waste’’ refuse containers. Tea blends also come with handy “fill your own” plastic free, zero to landfill, fully compostable tea bags, which are fun to use as well as being earth friendly.

Products that are not vulnerable to breakage such as dried herbs and literature are dispatched in eco-friendly, biodegradable and fully compostable envelopes known as ” Greenvelopes.” These environmentally-safe Greenvelopes are an alternative to classic pouches lined with a bubble wrap on the inside. Their construction contains a special filling that helps to withstand external damage, while still being completely biodegradable. In addition the manufacture of Greenvelopes does not involve chloride, and 100% of the paper used in their production comes from recycling.

All bubble wrap that comes into the apothecary from goods delivered (or donated by local businesses) is re-used as customer packaging. Any cardboard is composted or recycled. Although not perfect, I remain committed to researching better alternatives and will continue to re-evaluate my environmental footprint as better packaging becomes available.

In addition to the above, I encourage local clients to use the Pedalpak bicycle delivery service which is available to all customers in the Newquay area. This wonderful local business aims to cut down on traffic by hand delivering herbal prescriptions which are collected from the dispensary and delivered to your door by bike! The service can also be used to return empty medicine bottles back to the dispensary for re-use. There is currently a small charge for this service.

It’s important for me to have happy, healthy and satisfied customers! Please do spend some time reading around the website and blog, and if you’re still not sure, sign up for my newsletter to learn more about herbs and how they can benefit you. I only ever send emails that contain information that’s enjoyable to read and useful to share. This includes recipes, herbal news and information about practical resources. Alternatively, if you feel you’d like to arrange a no obligation 10-minute chat about your health concerns, please get in touch and we can make that happen.

If you have a question about any of my products or services, please feel free to send an email enquiry to sarah@alchemilla.co and I’ll do my best to help.
I want you to be 100% satisfied that you’re choosing the service which is going to be the most beneficial for you so please don’t hesitate to drop me a line.