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Monday 9:15am - 5pm Tuesday 9:15am - 5pm Wednesday 9:15am - 5pm Thursday 9:15am - 5pm Friday 9:15am - 5pm Saturday 9:15am - 1pm

Botanica Health

Welcome to the online community for Botanica Health, an independent health shop, herbalist, and clin

Botanica Health is a boutique health store and clinic specialising in cutting edge supplementation and nutrition.

13/02/2026

A mixture of honey and coffee is a scientifically supported, effective remedy for treating persistent, post-infectious coughs, sometimes outperforming steroids.
The combination works because honey acts as a cough suppressant and anti-inflammatory, while caffeine acts as a bronchodilator, widening air passages to ease breathing.
How to use coffee and honey for a cough
- combine 3/4 cup of honey with 1/2 cup of coffee granules until a thick syrup is formed.
- mix 1 tablespoon of this mixture in to 7-8 ounces of warm water and drink, 3 x a day for one week.
- studies show this combination significantly reduces cough frequency and is more effective than standard treatments for post-infectious coughs.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23966217/

11/02/2026

Why does approval matter more? Does it just boil down to that?
A fascinating study in over 200 women found that those who regularly suppressed emotions had lower gut microbiome diversity, something often linked with poorer overall health.
The mind and body are not separate systems — they constantly communicate.
Study:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36942524/
Dr Gabor Maté often speaks about how many women are socially conditioned to suppress their emotions — especially anger — and how this may impact long-term health.
He explains that many women are taught from a young age to prioritise others’ needs, avoid conflict, and stay “nice,” which can lead to disconnecting from their own emotional needs.
Maté suggests this pattern is commonly seen in women with chronic illnesses, particularly autoimmune conditions and some cancers. He links this to chronic stress created by self-suppression, people-pleasing, and difficulty setting boundaries.
He also talks about “healthy anger” — not rage — but the natural emotion that helps protect personal boundaries. According to Maté, when emotional boundaries aren’t expressed, the body may respond physiologically.
One of his well-known ideas is that illness can sometimes reflect unprocessed stress or emotional patterns, summarised in his phrase that illness can be the body “saying no” when someone feels unable to say no themselves.
❤️

10/02/2026

I swap between Parmesan and Pecorino (sheep’s cheese has a higher level of the odd‑chain fatty acid C15:0) and just slightly lower protein.
Three ways I love using these cheeses -
🧀 On a slightly toasted piece of sourdough bread I spread over a mix of 2 teaspoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of Za’atar. Great over the cheese and grill a little.
🧀 Homemade pesto -
½ clove garlic
1 big bunch fresh basil leaves
1 handful pine nuts (very lightly toasted)
1 good handful freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
A squeeze of lemon juice
Sea salt & black pepper to taste
Crush the garlic, add to a mini chopper with the
basil and nuts, grated cheese and enough olive oil to make a nice consistency. Blitz.
🧀 Grate over fried eggs or omelette.

05/02/2026

Eliza came in to the world on Saturday night just after 11pm. Jess and Sam are over the moon and just adore her, and it’s been so lovely to see our son so in love.
Jess was her usual happy, smiling self at work on Friday, not expecting to go in to labour late that night.
So many of you have been asking about Jess and the baby!
She’s here and we all love her. ❤️

02/02/2026

Raynaud’s and Chilblains - a circulatory condition which can be related to low thyroid.
Hypothyroidism → poor circulation
Low thyroid function directly worsens Raynaud’s:
↓ Basal metabolic rate
↓ Heat production
↓ Peripheral circulation
↑ Vasoconstriction
This makes fingers and toes more reactive to cold, triggering Raynaud’s attacks more easily and more intensely.
Clinically: treating hypothyroidism often improves or resolves Raynaud’s symptoms.
Thyroid dysfunction + Raynaud’s commonly share deficiencies:
Iron (low ferritin worsens cold intolerance)
Selenium (thyroid + vascular health)
Magnesium (vasospasm reduction)
B12 (neurological + vascular support)
And -
Consider - Vitamin C - 500 - 1000mg daily
Vitamin E - 200 - 400mg daily
Add warming anti-inflammatory spices in to the diet - Ginger
Turmeric
Black pepper
Cayenne
Cinnamon
Are you having enough calcium and magnesium?
These deficiencies increase sensitivity to the
cold.
Vitamin B3 stimulates circulation and reduces inflammation.
Gingko is one of the best herbs for Raynaud’s as it thins the blood and opens capillaries to increase blood flow.
Some people find that this produces a significant reduction in their Raynaud’s symptoms.

30/01/2026

Sharing the love. Bonnie really doesn’t like being left out now Theodora is here. Everyone needs to feel that they are the most important being in the room. There is a very funny awkwardness between them.

Making someone feel seen and heard is a core human need that supports emotional health, strengthens bonds, and even enhances physical well-being.

How Love Influences Your Biology

Reduces stress and inflammation (stress suppresses key immune functions).
Lowers stress hormones (cortisol) linked to immune suppression.
Increases positive and bonding hormones (e.g., oxytocin) that calm the nervous system and may support immune readiness.

Share the love ❤️ Both parties benefit.

29/01/2026

Study: Topical Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) vs Imiquimod for BCC
Design:
* Patients with biopsy-confirmed basal cell carcinoma were randomised to receive either: • 30% ascorbic acid (vitamin C) solution in 95% DMSO applied twice daily for 8 weeks, or • 5% imiquimod cream (a standard topical treatment) used 5×/week.
Participants:
* 25 patients with 29 BCC lesions total.
Results at 8 weeks:
* Topical vitamin C group: • 13 out of 15 lesions (86.7%) showed complete resolution on post-treatment biopsy.
* Imiquimod group: • 8 out of 14 lesions (57.1%) showed complete resolution.
* The ascorbic acid treatment was statistically superior at 8 weeks compared to imiquimod.
Follow-up findings:
* At long-term follow-up (~30 months), hypopigmentation (skin lightening) was seen in ~70% of imiquimod-treated patients but 0% of the vitamin C group.
I have actually seen a similar study even without the DMSO which I will share in Stories.

27/01/2026

Believing in yourself matters because your inner story quietly shapes what you’re capable of becoming. As biologist Bruce Lipton famously said, “Your beliefs become your biology.” When you hold hope and trust in yourself, your nervous system relaxes, your mind opens, and your body moves out of survival and into growth. Self-belief isn’t blind optimism—it’s a choice to give your potential room to breathe. Even in uncertain moments, hope acts like a signal to your whole system that change is possible, and that alone can be enough to start shifting your reality.
A single thought can change brain activity within seconds—sometimes milliseconds. When you think a thought, neurons fire, neurotransmitters like dopamine or cortisol are released, and neural networks either strengthen or weaken almost immediately. Brain-imaging studies show that even imagining an experience activates many of the same brain regions as actually living it.
Hope isn’t just emotional; it’s neurological.❤️

26/01/2026

Patient A (chronic HPV-induced cervical dysplasia) - “Six weeks after starting curcumin, at her annual checkup, her cervix appeared to be completely normal, the Aptima test was negative for high-risk HPV, and was read as negative for intraepithelial lesion and malignancy. Owing to the clinical and microscopic improvement and clearing of evidence of high-risk HPV, there was no need for biopsy.”
Patient B (lichen sclerosis post squamous cell carcinoma) - “When she returned 6 weeks later, she no longer itched and was less uncomfortable in the vaginal area. Her vulvar area looked somewhat improved in 3 weeks, according to her gynecologist/oncologist, and 75% improved several weeks later! An intravaginal excision for SCC a month later revealed only SCC in situ. She continued intermittent use of curcumin, berberine, probiotics, some supplements, and two other Narula antiviral herbal preparations over the next 2 years, with intermittent continued improvement.”
It is worth reading the whole report -
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/imr.2022.0055

22/01/2026

Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia, a part of your foot that connects your heel bone to your toes.
The main symptom of plantar fasciitis is severe, stabbing pain in the heel of your foot, especially during your first few steps of the day. Although pain tends to become less intense after those first few steps, it can return upon arising after a long period of sitting.
🦶
Once you’ve moved beyond “tight calves and bad shoes” there are many often ignored, but clinically important causes of plantar fasciitis -

HORMONAL & METABOLIC - perimenopause and hormone imbalance
INSULIN RESISTANCE - even without diabetes
VITAMIN D, COPPER & MAGNESIUM DEFICIENCY -
Magnesium and Vitamin D deficiency compromises the ability of the body to properly utilise serum calcium, resulting in issues such as kidney stones, bursitis, and plantar fasciitis.
MEDICATION RELATED CAUSES -
fluoroquinolone antibiotics (CIPROFLOXACIN)
Often missed because timing is delayed
STATINS
REPEATED CORTICOSTEROID USE
INFLAMMATORY & AUTOIMMUNE CONDITIONS
GUT DYSBIOSIS
NERVOUS SYSTEM & CIRCULATORY ISSUES
💛Healing modalities -
* Some sufferers have great relief from zinc supplementation.
* Soaking the feet in an apple cider vinegar foot bath provides relief.
* Anti-inflammatories like turmeric, horsetail, tart cherry juice and ginger can help.
* Foot stretching provides relief.
* Resolving thyroid and blood sugar issues

Address

26 High Street, Rusthall
Tunbridge Wells
TN48RY

Opening Hours

Monday	9:15am - 5pm
Tuesday	9:15am - 5pm
Wednesday	9:15am - 5pm
Thursday	9:15am - 5pm
Friday	9:15am - 5pm
Saturday	9:15am - 1pm

Website

http://www.botanicahealth.co.uk/

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