Tim Robinson Herbalist

16/11/2025

https://greens.scot/redsquirrels

Save Scotland’s red squirrels -

20/10/2025

This is interesting! https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/oct/08/scientists-say-they-have-first-blood-test-to-diagnose-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-me

Given the complexity of causes and of effective treatment for CFS/ME, I'm sceptical as to how a blood test might provide real-world benefits for people living with this condition.

As someone whose job involves helping people to recover from chronic fatigue and associated conditions, I struggle to think of any individuals I've worked with for whom a blood test would've made the slightest difference to their recovery.

Abnormalities in blood tests will generally only tell us that something is wrong, and won't tell us why. (For people with CFS, the 'why' - or root cause - is often trauma, long-term stress, and chronic nervous system activation. A blood test won't help with understanding this.)

However, I'm intrigued by this potential development, and grateful that the scientific community is giving chronic fatigue some well-needed attention!

What do you folks think?

Research could offer hope for ME patients – but some experts urge caution and say more studies needed

21/07/2025

Hi everyone!

I'm excited to share a new initiative for my practice with you: a refer a friend or family member scheme!

I'm sure you're all familiar with this kind of deal.

Lots of companies and businesses offer discounts for people who come via word of mouth.

However, I want to make sure that the person doing the referring - i.e. you - also gets a reward for your efforts. That's why in this referral scheme, you both get a £20 discount from an appointment with me. That only seems fair!

If you're thinking about recommending me to someone - and thanks so much if you do - here's a wee a reminder of my areas of specialism and expertise:

- psychoemotional/mental health symptoms - e.g. anxiety, depression, stress, trauma
- chronic fatigue symptoms - e.g. CFS/ME, long Covid, burnout, fibromyalgia
- digestive symptoms - e.g. IBS, food intolerances, inflammatory bowel disease

Those are my main areas of focus, and if your friend or family member is struggling with those symptoms then it's highly likely I can help them. I can help with many other issues too, though, so just get in touch - or encourage your friend or family member to do so - if you're not sure if it's something I can help with.

I'm happy to offer online consultations, so if your friend or family member doesn't live near Edinburgh where my practice is based, we can still work together.

There's no limit on the amount of referral rewards you can receive. So for example, if you refer 10 people you can get £200 worth of rewards, or more!

If we're not having sessions together currently, the free 20-minute check-in might be a good option for you. Perhaps you've been sitting with some symptoms or questions about your health for a while and you're wondering what to do about them. You'd like to talk to a professional, but don't feel ready to commit to working with someone - the free check-in might be just what you need.

Or maybe you're pondering some things about diet or lifestyle practices and feeling unsure about which direction to take - a check-in could be a great opportunity for you to pick my brain on any topic you like, for free!

I also want to stress that there's no time limit on using your £20 reward or free check-in. If you refer someone you can bank your reward until you're ready to use it - there's no expiry.

Zero pressure.

If we haven't worked together for quite a while, I recommend having a look at my website. It gives a really thorough overview of what my practice is about right now, and might help you to get a clearer sense of someone in your life who could really benefit from working with me. Check it out - https://timrobinsonherbalist.co.uk/

Okay that's all for now. But do get in touch if you have any questions about the referral scheme, or anything else!

Take care of yourselves,

Tim :-)

19/06/2025

Oh for a politician in the UK who speaks as eloquently, lucidly and compassionately as Democratic congresswoman Sarah McBride in Delaware, USA.

I urge you to listen to this podcast -

Representative Sarah McBride reckons with the trans rights movement’s shortcomings, and how to win hearts and minds through a politics of grace.

24/04/2025

Sending solidarity to everyone negatively impacted by the recent transphobic Supreme Court ruling about the legal definition of a woman.

A couple of pieces written in response to the ruling, that I found comfort in:

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/supreme-court-trans-ruling-analysis-uk/

https://www.patreon.com/posts/molar-and-gender-127351062?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Sending love!

Tim xoxoxoxoxo 💙🤍🩷

Get more from Culture S*x Relationships on Patreon

21/03/2024

This is such a familiar story, both personally and for many of the people with chronic fatigue who come to me for help - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/12/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-me-treatments-social-services

My hope is that one of the silver linings of public awareness of long COVID as a condition typified by chronic fatigue will be a vastly increased acceptance of chronic fatigue as a condition in general.

One of the reasons I decided to specialise in helping people with chronic fatigue was because of the culture of poor treatment of people with the condition by the NHS. I was determined to be a place of safety and understanding for people living with chronic fatigue, as well as a genuine specialist in helping people to recover.

It's incredibly satisfying and rewarding work.

The notion that this illness is psychosomatic is having devastating effects, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

30/08/2022

I highly recommend listening to this -

Rupa Marya and Raj Patel take Eleanor Penny on a global tour of inflammation and healing.

15/11/2021

A fairly well-balanced article about high sensitivity in the Guardian today.

Despite the absurd question in the title, it's worth a read . . . .

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/nov/15/visionaries-overemotional-people-happiness-sensitivity-smells-sounds

Most of the people I work with identify as highly sensitive (as do I). Western culture seems to be increasingly geared towards lower sensitivity folks - I hope that can change!

What are your thoughts?

Tim :-)

One in five of us struggle to cope with everyday smells, sounds and images. Rather than a weakness, this extreme sensitivity could be a strength in everything from the pandemic to the climate crisis

06/02/2021

Are you interested in learning more about herbs, for yourself and your community?

My friends at the Edinburgh-based Grass Roots Remedies Co-op have started an exciting new Apprenticeship in Community Herbalism!

Click the link to find out more -

  The Plant Medicine School Scotland Apprenticeship in Community Herbalism   Study with The Plant Medicine School in Scotland in collaboration with Grass Roots Remedies Co-operative. We are currently offering year 1 of the Herbal Apprenticeship. The Scottish stream has primarily been set up to be...

18/06/2020

Some Resources - Part 2

This post includes resources around structural and institutional racism and support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement specifically, and for People of Colour (POC) in general.

If like me you're keen to drastically improve your awareness of these issues and explore ways to help dismantle structural racism and support the BLM movement, as well as promoting equality for all POC in the UK and beyond, I hope you'll find something useful here.

As a white male of significant societal privilege who has hitherto spent far less time studying these issues than he should, I'm most grateful to my friends in the activist community for compiling and sharing these resources with me.

I'm in the earliest stages of my journey, and I've got a long, long way to go.

If you have resources of your own that you would like to share, please feel free to do so in the comments below.

First up, a PDF of resources to help you support the BLM movement in the UK - https://docs.google.com/document/d/10iIz_pFB8DzPkwddc8dcmJdJ0ZMITfTs7lvs4uyusZk/edit?usp=sharing

A takedown of looting critique - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb9_qGOa9Go&fbclid=IwAR2FkcN9vos3zPdh7NmaW_5BgnQIq6wfntprT5_ofFuNvKjP8Rt-kAx-EEQ

Resources on anti-racism - https://www.rootedandembodied.com/anti-racism-resources?fbclid=IwAR3kpHqg9VBqP6u3uX3XMNhIxIdmIjn7g_hhwzE6N48K4uj36NRkQJ-BYYk

Imagining alternatives to violence and policing - https://www.facebook.com/cattis.laska/posts/3151187198295844

Resources on being a white ally or accomplice - https://www.whiteaccomplices.org/?fbclid=IwAR2XRdrJkgD_lFzE97T0AqaZiDZ-U-46wPSVG6YUMrBF8GtNXFA01mO730I

How to donate funds to support black trans people - https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/n7wnbb/tony-mcdade-nina-pop-how-to-help?fbclid=IwAR31K4fHh6bsoBGXJMcdtzB-INpDXhern2ESOD7FCKiieJkTR7vIEbH80yo

Anti-racist resources at Radical Herbal England - http://www.radicalherbalism.org.uk/anti-racism/

Videos on prison abolition - http://criticalresistance.org/videoproject/

10 documentaries to watch if you're white and wanting to educate yourself - https://www.docplay.com/articles/10-documentaries-to-watch-about-race-instead-of-asking-a-person-of-colour-to-explain-things-for-you/

That's all for now. I hope you find them as useful and informative as I have and am.

Sending love to all of you,

Tim xx

18/06/2020

Some Resources - Part 1

How are you all doing out there? Okay I hope, all things considered.

I wanted to offer you all some free resources and support that I've been using and have found beneficial. I hope some of you will find them useful too, even if only in a small way.

First up, sadness and anger.

Yep.

There are so many reasons to feel sad and/or angry right now. For me, I'm particularly feeling sadness and anger around the English Government's handling of the Covid-19 outbreak and the glaring and seemingly perpetual institutionalised racism in the UK and US.

And climate catastrophe, of course.

In this first post, I'm sharing some resources that deal specifically with feelings of sadness and anger - how to sit with those difficult feelings and potentially make use of them too.

On sadness, here's a podcast and accompanying blog from the always and excellent and enlightening Meg-John Barker & Justin Hancock:

https://megjohnandjustin.com/you/sadness/

And the same again for anger:

https://megjohnandjustin.com/you/anger/

I hope they land well with you.

Part 2 coming up!

08/04/2020

Are you looking for an affordable online herbal medicine course?

My friends at Grass Roots Remedies Co-op are taking their brilliant Wild Things course online this year, and have extended the deadline for enrolments until 14th May.
They also offer a sliding scale of payments, so it's accessible to most budgets.

I highly recommend it!

To find out more, take a wee look at the course details -

The Wild Things Course is an eight month exploration of British wild food and medicine plants growing in a variety of habitats through the seasons.