About Magpie Herbs

David comes from a family of botanists and horticulturalists. His great mother was a herbalist in both Wales and the South West of England.

David has long had an interest in medicinal plants, and has been growing and working with such plants for over 30 years.

In addition to herbal medicine, David has studied education and teaching, massage and psychotherapy and counselling methods.

After discovering The International Register of Consultant Herbalists (established in 1960), David studied 9 years to achieve their degree level diploma in Western herbal medicine.  

The course consisted of anatomy and physiology, pathology, naturopathy, materia-medica and herbal medicine (including clinical training and managing cases).  

He has an interest in comparative narratives within herbal medicine, comparing the modern pathological understanding of disease with other modes of thought, like medical astrology, humoral theory and traditional diagnostic techniques. A change of perspective can sometimes offer a solution.  These methods are often used alongside conventional blood tests from the patients’ doctor. 

He has a particular interest in community herbalism and is passionate about making herbal medicine accessible to all.  

He is actively involved in the care of and access to, a local community garden, and sees gardening as the backbone to good health (the provision of organic food, community and sharing and as a mode of therapy).  

His herbal medicine dissertation was titled: "Health Inequalities, Inflammation and the Role of Community Herbalism" 

David adheres to the codes and practices of the IRCH (The International Register of Consultant Herbalists).  

Traditional herbal medicine sits on the foundation of good nutrition and lifestyle management. This enables the herbs to work more effectively.  

One piece of information I need from my patients is a food diary covering two weeks to be completed ideally prior to the first consultation. You can undertake this in numerous ways, including sending me an e-mail.  

During this food diary, I want you to eat normally and enjoy the foods you like. The food diary is not about a puritanical approach to diets but to see if elements of your food consumption need to be changed to facilitate deeper healing.  

Often, foods need to be added rather than taken away.  

I will also look at your general lifestyle. 

Another piece of information I need before I see a patient is a record of any medication, supplementation or herbs that the patient may be taking already.  

Ideally, if the patient is happy to do so, photographs of these medications and preparations can be sent to me as an attachment in an e-mail. 

Currently, I can see patients in a room that I will hire either in Street or Glastonbury, (£6 for the hour), or I can travel to the patient’s home and do a consultation there.  

I am happy to come to a home where other people are as long as the consultation is undertaken in a private space between myself and the patient.  

There is a very rare need to do any physical examination within traditional herbal medicine.  

The consultation will be a conversation between the herbalist and the patient. 

In the case of hiring a room, there will be an additional cost.  

If you choose for me to visit you for a consultation, the consultation will occur in the evening or on a Saturday morning. The first consultation will last between 1 and a half and 2 hours. 

During this consultation we have a chance to explore your current and past health. Health is not just the physical thing, we will also look into your emotional and spiritual balance (whatever that means for you).  

During the consultation I will take your blood pressure and examine your tongue, nails and face. 

This consultation differs from seeing a doctor in one important way, that the herbalist and the patient are equals and colleagues in the endeavor of healing.  

After this consultation I will dispense two weeks’ worth of herbs, then we will have a half hour consultation two weeks later, after which I will dispense a further two weeks’ worth of medicine.  

At some point the space between appointments will lengthen to four weeks. At this point I will dispense four weeks’ worth of medicine.  

Some of these appointments may be done remotely via Zoom. This keeps down the overheads and costs and makes the treatment more accessible. 

Every six weeks I suggest that the patient ceases to take any internal medication prescribed by me for a week. This allows the body to catch up with itself and handle its own business. This is to prepare the body, mind and spirit to eventually stop taking herbal medicine. 

The dispensing of the herbs takes place at my home, which means I can deliver the herbs to your home later that day, arrange to meet you somewhere, or post them. I like to have time to think about the herbs we are going to be working with, and to dedicate some time to creating a personally tailored medicine for the patient.  

Costs 

The initial consultation fee is £30. The medicines cost £10 with a further £5 for any creams prescribed.  

If you are struggling to meet this cost, we can discuss the best way forward. 

 I have kept the cost low so that it is not a barrier to healing.  

Bear in mind that for every year the patient has been in imbalance, on average two months of herbal treatment are required. 

Follow-up consultations are £15 for half an hour, and the same costs for the medicines (£10 for tinctures and £5 for creams). 

I work mainly with herbs that have been extracted in alcohol as a solvent (tinctures), but will when appropriate prescribed teas and creams.  

If alcohol-based tinctures are a concern, there are other methods of dispensing that we can explore.  

To take the medicine, 5 ml (about 0.17 oz) of tincture is placed into a glass or cup and a little water is added before consumption.