Bespoke Botanicals

Bespoke Botanicals Bespoke Botanicals is a Herbal Medicine Practice and Dispensary founded by Medical Herbalist Michaela

Bespoke Botanicals is herbal medicine tailor made for your individual needs by a qualified Medical Herbalist trained in general medical sciences as well as plant medicine. Herbalist Michaela Scott has been practicing for 7 years since graduating with a BSc honours degree in Phytotherapy(Herbal Medicine) from the respected College of Phytotherapy/ University of Wales. As well as consultations she offers seminars and workshops.

04/01/2026

Wood Betony (Stachys officinalis) is a slightly sedative nervine tonic with an affinity to the stomach and solar plexus. It helps people feel more grounded and connected to the world around them. It also works well for folks who are stressed about food.

If stress and overwhelm makes you spacey and forgetful (and it’s not from sleep debt), or you become so untethered it affects your sense of self, Wood Betony will pull you back to Earth, and remind you gently where you came from and who you are.

It’s specific for people who spend too much time in their head (often leading to tension headaches).

Aerial parts, Standard infusion 4-8oz, or 1-3ml Fluid Extract, TID.

04/01/2026

Another of our favorite nervine tonics is Tulsi/Holy Basil. This herb is an aromatic, uplifting, heart-opening nervine tonic and carminative. It works well for folks who have a difficult time feeling joy and/or laughing when they find things funny. It is probably the most “peppy" of the nervine tonics.

Some people taking Tulsi feel a little stimulated and focused, but relaxed; a small minority of people feel fairly sedated.

Note: The aromatic compounds can relax the lower esophageal sphincter, worsening reflux.

Aerial parts, standard infusion, 4-8oz TID.

03/01/2026

Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) is another of our favorite nervine tonics. Scullcap helps to calm brain function and is helpful for insomnia and chronic stress.

We think of skullcap for:

* People experiencing sensory hypersensitivity (meaning lights, noises, smells are overwhelming)
* People who are at the “end of their rope”
* Those who are emotionally labile and reactive
* Individuals recovering from a mental breakdown or stimulant overuse
* Those with an inability to pay attention or a dull headache in the front or base of the skull

Skullcap is an excellent base for formulas supporting recovery from all types of addiction.

Fresh tincture, Aerial parts. 1-3ml is tonifying, 2-5ml is sedating. Note: it must be tinctured fresh to work as a nervine tonic (dried scullcap has a more sedative action).

Keeping it real This is not me, it’s an AI generated image based on a picture of me. Why am I sharing it? Well partly fo...
24/12/2025

Keeping it real

This is not me, it’s an AI generated image based on a picture of me. Why am I sharing it? Well partly for fun, but mainly to get your attention.

This year a study by the AI-detection firm Originality.ai found that 82% of herbal medicine books published on Amazon in 2025 were likely written at least partially by AI. The study raised significant concerns about health and safety due to the unverified and potentially dangerous advice contained in these books.
Some books misidentified poisonous plants as being safe to forage and eat or make medicine from. Others oversimplified or ignored major contraindications.

It’s really important to make sure the source of your information is reputable.

My herbal medicine degree was 5 years long. I trained in all the general medical sciences as well as how to identify plants and how their individual components act within the body, as well as how they may interact with medication. I’ve then spent another 18 years in practice, continually learning more about the art and science of herbal medicine. I’ve also started to share my knowledge with students of herbal medicine.

I’m now looking forward to 2026 when I will be sharing a series of herbal medicine workshops for any budding home-herbalist. If you are interested in learning how to make herbal remedies to improve you or your family’s health and wellbeing please get in touch to be added to my mailing list. More info to be revealed in January!

Fascinating fact of the day. Could you imagine that a hormone, invisible and intangible, can imprint itself as a visible...
23/12/2025

Fascinating fact of the day.

Could you imagine that a hormone, invisible and intangible, can imprint itself as a visible geometric pattern in a bodily secretion — turning endocrine signalling into crystallised biology?

🌟 Oestrogen induces ferning patterns in vaginal (and cervical) secretions because it profoundly alters the biochemical composition and physical chemistry of the mucus, driving it towards a highly ordered crystallisation state upon drying.

▶️ Under high oestrogen levels — classically around the peri-ovulatory phase — vaginal and cervical secretions become rich in electrolytes, particularly sodium chloride, and relatively poor in proteins and mucins.

▶️ Oestrogen upregulates ion transporters and aquaporins in the epithelial cells, increasing water content and ionic strength while simultaneously reducing viscosity. The result is a fluid secretion optimised for s***m survival and transport.

▶️ When such a secretion is spread thinly on a glass slide and allowed to dry, salt crystallisation dominates.
Sodium and chloride ions self-organise as water evaporates, forming arborescent, fractal-like structures that resemble fern leaves.
This is not a biological structure per se, but a physicochemical phenomenon driven by ionic concentration, surface tension, and evaporation dynamics. The low concentration of macromolecules allows ions to crystallise freely, producing the characteristic dendritic pattern.

▶️ In contrast, during progesterone dominance (luteal phase, pregnancy), secretions are thicker, protein-rich, and mucinous.
Proteins disrupt crystal lattice formation, water content is reduced, and ion mobility is constrained. As a result, ferning disappears and the dried secretion appears amorphous or granular.

▶️ The ferning phenomenon is therefore a readout of oestrogenic action at the epithelial level, integrating hormonal signalling, ion transport, and fluid biophysics.
Its reproducibility made it a useful clinical tool long before molecular endocrinology existed, not only in gynaecology but also in obstetrics (e.g. detection of amniotic fluid leakage).

19/12/2025

Burnout, stress & the pillars of health 🌿
After sharing about burnout, many of you resonated deeply — which tells me how common chronic stress has become. So I want to take this a step further and talk about the foundations that support resilience and recovery: the pillars of health.
No herb, supplement, or protocol can replace these. They are the ground everything else stands on.
✨ Sleep & Rest
Quality sleep is non-negotiable. It’s when the nervous system resets, hormones rebalance, tissues repair, and emotional resilience is restored. Poor sleep alone can mimic anxiety, low mood, pain, and exhaustion.
✨ Social Connection & Joy
Humans are wired for connection. Laughter, fun, meaningful conversation, and feeling seen are powerful regulators of stress hormones. Isolation quietly fuels burnout.
✨ Diet & Nourishment
Regular, nourishing meals support blood sugar, adrenal health, and mood. Chronic stress increases nutrient demand — but under-eating or rushing meals only adds to the load.
✨ Movement & Exercise
Gentle to moderate movement supports circulation, mood, sleep, and stress regulation. This doesn’t have to mean intense workouts — walking, stretching, strength, and time outdoors all count.
Alongside these foundations, herbal medicine can be supportive, particularly during periods of prolonged stress.
🌱 Adaptogenic herbs may help the body adapt to stress more effectively, including:
• Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha)
• Eleutherococcus senticosus
• Schisandra chinensis
These herbs don’t remove stress — they help improve resilience and recovery when the foundations are in place.
🧂 Supplement support
Magnesium is a key nutrient often depleted during stress and plays a role in muscle relaxation, sleep quality, and nervous system balance. It can be a valuable part of a wider support plan.
But — and this is important — all the supplements in the world will not compensate for unbalanced foundations.
Herbs and supplements are not a magic cure. They work best when paired with practical tools:
🌿 Adequate rest
🌿 Good sleep hygiene
🌿 Regular movement
🌿 Time in nature
🌿 Meaningful connection with loved ones
Stress management is not about doing more — it’s about restoring balance.
Your body is not failing you; it’s asking for support.
If this resonates, take it gently. Small changes, consistently applied, are powerful.

06/12/2025

Metabolic health: where lifestyle (root-cause) interventions shine
Many chronic, non-communicable conditions (type 2 diabetes, most hypertension, much dyslipidaemia, obesity, many cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) are driven in large part by lifestyle and social determinants: diet quality, physical activity, sleep, stress, socioeconomic context and social connection.
Evidence highlights the potency of lifestyle interventions:
The Diabetes Prevention Program (large RCT) found that an intensive lifestyle intervention reduced progression from impaired glucose tolerance to type 2 diabetes by ~58%, compared with 31% reduction with metformin. Lifestyle change (weight loss, increased activity) therefore produced substantially greater prevention than a common drug intervention. The preventive effect persisted in long-term follow-up.
PubMed
+1
Systematic reviews and guidelines show that dietary patterns (Mediterranean/DASH), regular physical activity, smoking cessation and weight loss meaningfully reduce cardiovascular risk, improve glycaemic control and lower overall morbidity.
AHA Journals
+1
Social connection and community are measurable determinants of health: meta-analytic evidence shows strong social ties reduce mortality risk substantially, and loneliness/social isolation increase risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, cognitive decline and depression. Public-health agencies now recognise social connection as a key target for population health.
PMC
+1
Taken together, these data support the idea that for many chronic metabolic and lifestyle-driven illnesses, root-cause interventions (diet, exercise, sleep, stress reduction, social support) often produce larger, more durable benefits than symptom-suppressing drugs alone.

Address

The Lodge, 21 Front Street, Acomb, York YO24 3BW
York
YO243BR

Telephone

+447801071641

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Bespoke Botanicals is herbal medicine tailor made for your individual needs by a qualified Medical Herbalist trained in general medical sciences as well as plant medicine. Herbalist Michaela Scott has been practicing for 10 years since graduating with a BSc honours degree in Phytotherapy(Herbal Medicine) from the respected College of Phytotherapy/ University of Wales. As well as consultations she offers seminars and workshops.