“What herbs are good for anxiety?”

I was asked this question by someone a few weeks ago. I gave an honest answer.

“It depends on the diagnosis.”

“Right sure, but what herbs?”

I wasn’t being evasive; one of the tenets of Chinese medicine is “Same illness, different treatments / different illnesses, same treatment.” When working with a condition we take into account the entirety of the patient’s presentation. Because of this, for certain patients in certain circumstances almost any herb can be utilised as at least part of the overall treatment. Our herbal formulas can include Yin Nourishing or Damp Draining herbs, Yang Tonifying or Heat Clearing. Our treatment approaches can involve calming, or moving, or nourishing, or clearing.

So the question becomes: given this level of complexity and personalisation, how can you prescribe effectively? This is where our training in the diagnostic and prescriptive protocols of Chinese medicine comes into play, but rather than explaining those topics in depth I looked for an analogy in the landscape around me, and I think I found one. Anyone that’s worked on or been around farmland will know what it’s like to transform a field from something wild into something that can be utilised; for crops or grazing or building on. Inspired by the sustainable farming methods so common in this part of Clare I saw some parallels in how I work as well. I hope you find it interesting.