What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 5pm Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm

Billericay Herbal Medicine

Home
United Kingdom
Billericay
Billericay Herbal Medicine

Western Herbal Medicine in Billericay, Chelmsford and online from Heidi Nisbett BSc, MNIMH. Specialises in emotional health.

Herbal Medicine in Billericay, Chelmsford, and online (UK only) with Heidi Nisbett, BSc (Hons), MNIMH.

27/11/2025

Another plant where we harvest the roots in autumn to make medicine is valerian (Valeriana officinalis) which you may have heard of or even seen in health food shops for insomnia and anxiety. It's always good to see the "gold standard" of research carried out upon herbs, and a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial (which is how they research orthodox medicines) was recently carried out on valerian. Participants were given EEGs after taking it and it was found that there were brain connectivity changes relating to anxiety relief. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ptr.6286)

I use valerian quite a lot. Not only for insomnia and anxiety, but, because its relaxing effect extends to the muscles themselves, I tend to use it in mixes where the patient is experiencing muscle tension. It can really help in tension headaches or injuries where the muscles have gone into spasm. A good parallel in conventional medicine is va**um or diazepam - which people automatically think is prescribed for panic attacks or severe anxiety - but is actually often given for people who have "put their back out" etc.

Many people have already tried valerian in over the counter supplements but found that it hasn't really helped. This can be for two reasons. First, unfortunately all supplements are not created equal. When you buy paracetamol, you know that whatever brand (or non-brand) you buy, it is paracetamol of the same strength and quality. The same can't be said for over the counter herbal supplements. If you visit a medical herbalist, you can be assured that the valerian you are prescribed comes from a reputable supplier and is of a strength and quality which will have an effect. The second reason is that a tiny proportion of people have completely the opposite reaction to valerian - it makes them hyper! Everyone reacts differently to herbs so it's difficult to predict who it will affect in this way but if you've ever had an over the counter herbal sleep remedy causing you to climb the walls, this could be the reason!

And finally, my favourite property of valerian is the effect it has on my cats when I take it. They are partial to a bit of catnip, but when I take valerian tincture Sabrina will actually try and stick her head in my mouth. Very entertaining!

23/11/2025

Not the prettiest of photos, but this is another herb where we use the leaves and roots for different purposes - stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). Like dandelion leaf the leaf of stinging nettle is diuretic but we also use it in herbal medicine as an anti-rheumatic and in allergies.

The root has different active constituents and so has different properties - the major one is that it acts against benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH - a common, benign condition where the prostate enlarges with age). Nettle root increases the activity of something called s*x hormone binding globulin which binds to free, circulating testosterone in the body. It's thought that this might be how it helps reduce BPH.

Below is a freshly harvested stinging nettle root - you can see how the root system is more fibrous than the taproot of the dandelion. Again, a nightmare to w**d out of your garden as the roots spread so far, next time you try, remember how useful the plant is before you stick it in your compost bin 🙂

20/11/2025

Yesterday was World COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) day. You may have seen my posts about asthma, hayfever and viral conditions and how herbal medicine can help; but there is also a place for herbs in chronic conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis (including IPF), bronchiectasis and COPD (including chronic bronchitis).

As you’ll know if you’re a long term follower, or one of my patients, my approach to any condition is multi-pronged. So with long term lung conditions, after a consultation to take an in-depth medical history, I prescribe a mixture of herbs according to the patient in front of me – everyone is different. In conditions where there is fibrosis, I use herbs to slow this process down. Where there is catarrh sitting on the chest, I use expectorant and antibacterial herbs to get that catarrh out to lessen the chances of chest infections. There is also immune system support to go alongside this. Where the chest is tight and the patient struggles to take deep breaths, I use herbs that work as bronchodilators – to open up the tubes in the chest and make breathing easier. At the same time I give herbs for cardiovascular support. I also prescribe general supportive herbs to help the body when it’s under strain from long term disease; where appropriate, appetite stimulants; and help with anxiety and mood. Herbal prescriptions evolve as the pattern of a condition changes – a patient will almost certainly have changes in their herbs as time goes on.

The majority of my patients with chronic lung conditions will also be under a hospital consultant for their condition and will almost certainly be taking a number of prescription drugs. My herbal medicine degree included training in orthodox drugs and part of my post-consultation routine is to check all medication against the herbs I will be prescribing to ensure there are no interactions. I am also more than happy to liaise with your doctor.

If you are interested in how herbal medicine might help you breathe a little easier, please get in touch!

19/11/2025

As you may know, today is International Men’s Day so I wanted to post something about men’s health and herbal medicine. A large proportion of my patients are male, from toddlers up to octogenarians!

What sort of conditions do I see in men…well of course the sorts of conditions that are not gender-specific, like digestive issues, anxiety and depression, joint and skin issues and so on. I seem to see more men seeking herbal help for conditions like high blood pressure, piles, low energy levels or recovery from training or sports injuries.
Specific to men: prostate issues and er****on difficulties. I’ve heard it all before and you can speak to me in confidence. Same goes for depression and anxiety – I can help support you through whatever you’re going through. I’m frequently told “I’ve never told anyone this before”.

Men can be notoriously bad at seeking help (I know not all of you!), so if you’re reading this with your partner, son, dad, brother or friend in mind, why not get in touch to see how I can help? Zoom appointments are available as well as face to face.

17/11/2025

This week is self-care week. We all know *why* we should look after ourselves, otherwise how can we enjoy life to the full and look after those who depend upon us? And we all know what we *should* be doing: a combination of eating healthily, taking “me time”, massages, exercise, walks in nature, getting our nails done…everyone has their own routine – or not as the case may be! But have you thought about seeing a medical herbalist as part of your self-care routine?

Think about it: an hour for your first appointment and it’s all about YOU. You can talk at length about what’s bothering you, and you will be listened to, without judgement. You will be prescribed a bespoke mix of herbs, for you and nobody else, that has been carefully considered to help you with whatever is going on in your life at the moment. That mixture can then be tweaked at subsequent appointments to reflect what’s important to you at that time, whether physical or emotional. And don’t forget the power of getting things off your chest! I’m used to hearing the latest about people’s bosses, mothers-in-law, or what happened at the vets this week.

Surely seeing a medical herbalist should be part of everyone’s self-care routine?😉

15/11/2025

🏄🏻‍♀️On our way back now from a great week in Cornwall, our favourite place to be every November. Surfing, bodyboarding, bouldering, walking and eating 🥰
🧺I’ll be back to work on Monday (piles of washing will be hidden by my Zoom background…)

14/11/2025

November 14th is so I thought I'd post about how herbal medicine can help with the various possible complications of diabetes. These can include retinopathy (leading to sight problems, blindness), nephropathy (kidney failure), neuropathy (nervous system damage which can eventually lead to amputations eg of the toes), and general cardiovascular and circulation problems.

How do these complications happen? It’s basically as a result of hyperglycaemia (raised blood sugar levels) over a long period of time. This damages blood vessels and nerves and affects bloodflow throughout the body, also causing high blood pressure which can affect the health of the kidneys (nephropathy).

-In the eyes, the blood vessels swell and leak fluid into the back of the eye, which starves the retina of oxygen, causing extra blood vessels to grow.
- In the kidneys, there is a deterioration of the tiny blood vessels called capillaries that filter waste, stopping the kidneys doing their job properly and causing UTIs.
- In the nervous system, nerve damage (by starvation of oxygen and nutrients from weakened capillaries) stops nerves from sending and receiving signals properly, so there are problems with loss of sensation, ulceration, tingling, er****on difficulties and bladder problems amongst others.
- Infections – these are fed by the excess sugars in the bloodstream, and made worse as poor blood vessel quality means healing is more difficult. If neuropathy (nerve damage) is present then diabetics can be unaware of an infection on, say, the sole of their foot.

In terms of herbs, our main aims as medical herbalists are to support the function of the pancreas (which produces insulin) and liver; support the cardiovascular system to help prevent furring of the arteries, blood vessel damage and retinal changes; modulate blood sugar levels and avoid insulin resistance; support the kidneys and protect the nerves. One of the herbs we use is cinnamon as this has been found to improve fasting blood sugar levels in diabetics. We are trained to work alongside conventional medication and check for any interactions. We can also help in "pre-diabetes".

If you'd like to discuss this further, please get in touch

11/11/2025

This is one of the herbs I mentioned last week where the roots and the leaves have different active constituents and so are used for different conditions - the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).

Amongst other things, in herbal medicine we use dandelion leaf as a diuretic so it is good in some case of high blood pressure and other conditions where there is fluid retention. The root (harvested in autumn) is known for its effect on the liver, gallbladder and digestion. Its bitter taste stimulates digestive secretions and helps with constipation, gallstones, dyspepsia (discomfort in the upper digestive tract) and lack of appetite. As it also stimulates the liver to help remove waste products from the body, it is very helpful in skin disorders such as acne and eczema - I use it a lot for these.

Below is a photo of a freshly harvested dandelion root or rhizome. You can see it is a taproot, almost like a carrot. Anyone who has tried to w**d out dandelions will know that the root is almost impossible to remove as a whole, and if you don't manage it, it will just grow back! Once harvested, the roots are washed and cut into pieces and then dried to be made into tincture or left to be drunk as a tea. You may have tried roasted dandelion coffee. A common w**d for most people but a major part of my medicine chest!

09/11/2025

It's been a good few weeks for fungi!

07/11/2025

Sometimes different parts of a herb are used for different conditions, as the phytochemicals or active "ingredients" in, say, the leaf, are different to those in the root. This time of year we harvest the roots of the plant. This is because during the growing season (spring/summer) the energy of the plant goes into growing the leaves, flowers and sometimes berries. In the autumn, once the plant has stopped growing, more energy and active constituents are concentrated in the root, so it's time to harvest. Some herbs are left until the second spring before the sap rises, or the second autumn to harvest the roots. In herbal medicine, we use the roots from plants such as dandelion, nettle, echinacea, marshmallow and valerian, and I'll be talking about a couple of these in the few weeks or so.

05/11/2025

It's the end of International Stress Awareness Week and this is something that needs to be known. Yes, this research is over 20 years old (and this photo probably 10 😂) but I don't care as I feel it is my public duty to pass it on: CAKE HELPS WITH STRESS! 🥳
This study found that carbohydrate-rich, protein-poor foods helped with mood and performance when people were under stress. Thus supporting two of my "broken record" catchphrases: 1) a little of what you fancy does you good and 2) be kind to yourself!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9716435

04/11/2025

This week as you know, I’ve been talking about stress as part of International Stress Awareness Week. Today I’m going to talk about how herbal medicine comes into all this - as a medical herbalist I specialise in stress, anxiety, insomnia and emotional disorders.

I see so many people suffering from stress, and it's been worse over the last few years. Even if that’s not why they come to see me in the first place, it often underlies the symptoms they describe, or makes them worse. Prolonged periods of stress can have a negative effect on your physical and mental health, causing problems with your digestive system, hormones, cardiovascular system (possibly even leading to high blood pressure, angina, heart attacks) and perhaps contributing to inflammation in the body. Many people with long term conditions such as psoriasis, arthritis, eczema or depression feel that stress makes their symptoms worse.

In order to understand how herbal medicine works on stress, we need to understand what happens during the stress response. Well, it’s an evolutionary reaction, coming from when we used to literally have to run for our lives from Colin the T-Rex here.

It’s called the “fight or flight” (sympathetic nervous system) response – either stay and fight the predator or run. So when faced by the dinosaur, our bodies immediately release chemicals such as adrenaline, which triggers our hearts to beat faster, pumping the blood round our bodies to reach the muscles so we can react faster. This also shuts down our “rest and digest” (parasympathetic nervous system) response – blood is diverted away from our digestive organs (ever had that knot or butterflies in the stomach?) and skin as they are not essential at that moment.

These days, we are lucky enough to live in the UK where we don’t have that daily threat of real danger. So our “fight or flight” systems are triggered by a full inbox or a traffic jam or queuing outside the exam room. If this stress is ongoing, then we don’t “use up” the chemicals that are constantly being produced by actually running from the dinosaur as we would’ve done in our caveman days. This means the body stays in a “switched on” state almost constantly, and you start to experience the symptoms I’ve been mentioning this week. (NB: this is exactly where exercising to beat stress comes in!).

In herbal medicine we have a number of herbs that can help you “rest and digest” by relaxing the heart rate, opening up the tubes in the chest, and slowing adrenalin production. We also use herbs that bind to the same receptors as orthodox drugs like benzodiazepines do, but without the same side effects – the right combination will relax you and help you sleep without giving you that hungover feeling the next day. Hawthorn is one I often use as it helps the heart pump more efficiently and is also calming, so is particularly good for those experiencing palpitations or that tight feeling in the chest that comes with panic (please visit your GP before self medicating if you are experiencing chest pain). And if you’re getting tense muscles in the neck and shoulders, leading to headaches, or stomach cramps, there are anti-spasmodic herbs that will relax the muscles so you don’t have to resort to painkillers. This is just the tip of the iceberg where herbs and stress are concerned!

I sometimes prescribe a daytime and a night time mixture where stress or anxiety is an issue; the daytime mix is calming and the night time mix is a little more sedating to help you get off to sleep, and stay that way. Get in contact for a no-obligation chat!

Address

Nature's Table, 8 The Walk
Billericay
CM129YB

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+447596842642

Website

http://www.billericayherbal.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Billericay Herbal Medicine posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.