Gem Davies

Overview

If you are a human being, you stand on the shoulders of ancestors who used medicinal plants to heal.

Herbal medicine has been used since the dawn of human time, not only to treat illnesses and ailments, but to build strength and resilience. It is not an abstract, woo-woo concept to 'believe' in or not. It's a firmament of human health on planet earth; a subject of powerful chemistry, sophisticated mechanisms of action and deep nutritional complexity. Our disconnection from using plants as medicine is a very recent phenomenon; a blip in the history of humanity. I've now been a herbalist for almost a quarter of a century, and I believe that a repair, and return to, this connection represents a vital missing link in the modern health crisis. Herbal medicine serves as both an alternative and a complement to orthodox modern medicine, for a host of conditions from acute to chronic, from straightforward to complex and multifaceted. The evidence-base for medicinal herbs grows ever more robust, and the world needs this modality more than ever before.

My portfolio career in the vast field of herbal medicine and naturopathy has spanned almost 25 years, in many iterations; from clinical settings to walk-in apothecaries, from high level technical practitioner support to academic curriculum writing. For the last 13 years I have worked exclusively as a senior specialist writer and researcher, working with Australia's leading brands, organisations and practitioner cohorts in the herbal medicine space. During this time, I have been deeply immersed in the studies and literature, connecting the dots between tradition and science, theory and practice, while witnessing the ongoing power of plant medicine in my life and in the lives of those I love and care for.

Herbal medicine is for everyone, all the time. In my observation, it works perhaps most powerfully for those who are standing at thresholds, paused at crossroads or moving through the transitions and changes of life. The medicines are there to soothe the brand-newness of the infant and wrangled nerves of the overwhelmed parent; the nervous, teary child; the confused, angry adolescent; the crisis of midlife and the frailty of age, the vulnerability of ill health and the hopefulness of recovery. Within the herbal apothecary sit companions and remedies for every stage of life, and assistants for every human experience. It's my job to do the matchmaking.

My return to private practice answers a powerful call to bridge clinical research with traditional lore, translating scientific findings and ancient wisdom into the soul work of practical herbalism. Attending to patients again is a homecoming, and I look forward to introducing you to the plants.