naturopathy, herbal medicine, education, research
Recently I was interviewed for the Common Ground podcast hosted by vital.ly, where I explored the history, therapeutic potential, and application of olive leaf extract. The episode (number 62) is available via the vital.ly website, and also on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast and Spotify.
Enjoy!
Come and join me at SydHerbs next week (Thursday 11 May, 6pm for a 6:30pm start) as I take you on a photographic tour of olive groves and mill during harvest, talk about the health benefits of extra-virgin olive oil, smash some myths, and guide you through a tasting of 3 different ultra-premium, single varietal extra-virgin olive oils. It will be educational and a load of fun!
Continue reading “Olive … A Sensory Tour of the Mediterranean Miracle (SydHerbs)”
The NHAA 2023 Naturopathic Symposium is fast approaching, and I am fortunate to be a facilitator for two workshops, and also a coauthor on two research posters from Torrens Uni students and alumni.
Continue reading “Say Hi at the NHAA Symposium 2023”
Recently I was invited by the Complementary Medicine Association to present on the health benefits of extra-virgin olive oil, and talk about the problems with adulteration of olive oil.
Continue reading “Food Quality, Authenticity & Health … A Case Study of Olive Oil”
Dementia is a chronic disorder, with increasing incidence throughout the world, and can cause significant agitation and distress in both patients and their families and friends. Antipsychotics are commonly prescribed to help manage agitation in the people, however these pharmaceuticals can cause undesired side-effects, which can sometimes be significant. Is there another option?
Continue reading “Are essential oils useful for agitation in patients with dementia?”
Yesterday I was honoured to be the winner of the 2021 Bioceuticals Integrative Medicine Award for Contribution to Research & Education.
Continue reading “Wonderful honour – winner of the 2021 BIMA for Contribution to Research & Education”
In May 2018 we suddenly found out that herbs containing the natural constituent arbutin, including Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry) and Turnera diffusa (Damiana) had been restricted to prescription only Schedule 4 medicines by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). However the reasoning for such restriction was questionable, and so myself and Laura Dwyer – my research student – set out to determine if there was actually evidence that these herbs might be harmful. We just published the results of our review.
Continue reading “Are herbs containing arbutin actually harmful?”
After years of using olive leaf extract (Olea europaea folia) in clinical practice, and getting quite variable results, the reason is clear – most olive leaf extracts used by practitioners have quite low levels of some key active constituents.
Continue reading “Not all olive leaf extracts are created equal”
For many decades now, unsaturated pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been known to be potentially harmful, causing specific types of liver and lung damage, and also being carcinogenic. However the question has long been “do the amounts in key medicinal plants warrant concern?”. Many regulatory authorities around the world think so, with some of these plants being restricted for medicinal usage. This research project set out to determine the level of evidence for harm from some of these plants.
Continue reading “Are comfrey, coltsfoot and borage harmful to humans?”
Last weekend I was in Melbourne at the 11th Herbal & Naturopathic International Conference, hosted by the NHAA, where I was interviewed by Andrew Whitfield-Cook from FX Medicine, about my research on olive leaf extracts.
Continue reading “Andrew Whitfield-Cook & I Discuss Olive Leaf on FX Medicine”