Hi, I’m Lauren!
My first career path was in pharmacy, where I was introduced to the study of medicinal plants and learned how many modern pharmaceuticals have their origins in plants. When I imagined myself as a pharmacist, I saw myself supporting my community, taking the time to know my patients and understand how best to support them.
I graduated with a Master’s degree in Pharmacy and began working in a flagship community pharmacy. I found the fast pace and commercial focus of the environment difficult; it felt worlds away from the kind of care I had hoped to offer.
In 2013, I left England and moved to India to get married and begin a new chapter of my life. During the five years I lived there, I was introduced to Ayurveda, medicinal plants and other Vedic traditions. I began to view health, wellbeing and life itself through a much broader lens.
When we returned to England with our son, then 18 months old, I retrained as a secondary school chemistry teacher. However, in the years that followed, I experienced chronic stress, burnout and exhaustion, culminating in a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in 2021. In that moment, it felt as though my future had shattered.
Once I found my feet again, I returned to research. Drawing on my background in pharmacy, pharmacology and healthcare, I began exploring how I could actively support my own health and wellbeing.
It was then that I discovered the beautiful and vibrant tradition of Western herbal medicine. I realised that plant medicine was not only practised in places like India through Ayurveda or in China through Traditional Chinese Medicine; it was also part of my own heritage, woven into the plants growing all around us. I reconnected with those plants and the medicine they hold, and I knew I wanted to become a clinically trained Medical Herbalist.
I went on to complete a four-year Level 6 Diploma in Herbal Medicine, including more than 500 hours of supervised clinical practice alongside in-depth training in clinical skills, pathology, pharmacology and herbal therapeutics.
Today, I am returning to my original goal, but in a way that feels even more aligned with the practitioner I had hoped to become. I can take the time to truly know my patients, understand their stories and support them through bespoke herbal medicine and holistic care. My work is rooted in restoring balance, building resilience and supporting lasting wellbeing.
I was honoured to receive the 2026 Peter Bradley Award from the British Herbal Medicine Association (BHMA), a national award recognising excellence in phytochemistry and phytopharmacology. I was also delighted to receive the Outstanding Student Award in my third year of study, followed by Student of the Year in my final year for achieving the highest grade.
I am a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH) and the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy (CPP). Alongside my clinical practice, I teach phytochemistry at Betonica School of Herbal Medicine and chemistry at my local secondary school. I see patients both online and in person in Wiltshire.
