Nicholas Edwards
BSc, MSc, PGCE, MNIMH
Background
Nicholas has always had an interest in the natural world. He studied a degree in Herbal Medicine at Lincoln University from 2006-2009. There, he was trained in clinical skills, including physical examinations, differential diagnoses, and professional healthcare communication. This degree course had the highest accreditation possible to ensure fitness to practice as a medical herbalist, covering subjects like phytochemistry, pathophysiology, and herbal theapeutics.
After working in the healthfood and education sectors, he continued to study the natural world by completing a master's degree in Ethnobotany at the University of Kent, graduating with a distinction. This course opened up the amazing world of how plants are used by different peoples all over the world for food, commerce, construction and, most importantly, medicine.
​
Nicholas is currently working towards a PhD at Durham University, looking into Herbal Medicine use and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
​
Nicholas is a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists: click here to see his profile.
Approach
Grounded in a holistic understanding of health and disease, I take care to understand the interplay between my patients' emotional, social, mental, and spiritual lives and how this impacts their physical state; affecting one leads to changes in the other.
​
That said, I prefer to understand the action of herbal medicines in terms of their chemistry and always seek to find modern research that can inform the best of traditional approaches to health problems. I see the goal of herbal medicines as optimizing the body's already amazing capacity to heal itself.
​
My treatment plans will mainly consist of diet and lifestyle changes that are manageable and realistic. I believe it's important to work in collaboration with patients to find consensus on what works best for them. When prescribing herbs to patients, I try to use the simplest formulation. Normally, less is more!
​
My research with herbalists has focused on insomnia, chronic fatigue, and energy levels. People find herbal medicines useful in chronic conditions because of the wide lens of a holistic approach and the gentle, yet multi-sited approach of whole-herb medicines.
​
In my spare time I like being in the great outdoors, camping, hiking, and staying fit. I also love cooking, of course by including as many interesting plant foods as possible, and learning new languages.
