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Billericay Herbal Medicine

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Billericay Herbal Medicine

Western Herbal Medicine in Billericay, Chelmsford and online from Heidi Nisbett BSc, MNIMH. Specialises in emotional health.

Herbal Medicine in Billericay, Chelmsford, and online (UK only) with Heidi Nisbett, BSc (Hons), MNIMH.

21/08/2026

Can you only discuss one issue at a time with a medical herbalist? Due to time limitations, when you see your GP, most surgeries ask you to book a double appointment if you have more than one issue you need to talk about. In a herbal medicine consultation, in the hour we have you can get it all off your chest, and then we’ll ask you even more questions that you didn’t realise you needed to sift through!

You can talk about more than one problem; such as your hayfever and your headaches; your digestive problems and your cycle; your arthritis, skin problems and anxiety. There may be links between your ailments that you hadn't considered! And in follow up appointments, what happens if something else comes up? Not a problem.
You are prescribed a mixture of herbs and if one condition has started to become under control, we can “tweak” the herbs to concentrate on a different condition. What if we’re still looking at the original condition but in the meantime you’re still bunged up after recent virus? We can prescribe you a second herbal mix for a couple of weeks to help get rid of the catarrh or soothe your throat. Suddenly come up with a skin rash or dry patch? If appropriate, we can mix you a cream.

As we have all your medical details from your first appointment, we can react to what’s important to you at that time. And if you’re a patient who we haven’t seen for a while, as long as no major medical issues have taken place in the meantime, we will of course still have your notes so you can pop back in for new ailments, major or minor. It’s not often that people have only one health complaint at a time and we medical herbalists are fully equipped to deal with this – we’re the ultimate in multi-taskers!

19/08/2026

This is my spearmint (Mentha spicata) plant which has been flowering for a few weeks. You can find it in the wild as well - just rub the leaves and sniff and you'll know you've found it! The close-up photo shows the square stem.

Most people know peppermint as a medicinal herb and may have drunk it in tea for digestion. Spearmint can be used in the same way - it has carminative properties which means it can relieve wind and bloating.

However, perhaps it's main use in herbal medicine is in PMOS, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (formerly known as PCOS, polycystic o***y syndrome) - it can reduce excess free testosterone in women and hence can help with some of the symptoms such as excess hair growth (I'll post more about PMOS soon as it's quite a complicated condition).

I much prefer the smell and taste of spearmint to peppermint - how about you?

17/08/2026

Have you heard of vulvodynia? It’s chronic (long term) pain and discomfort around the vulva/genital area with no apparent cause. It can be experienced differently – some say it is a burning sensation, some stabbing, sore, throbbing or itching; some also experience the pain in the va**na either during s*x or inserting a tampon (including muscle spasms, or vaginismus), or just spontaneously, whereas some only experience external pain. The pain can even be brought on by certain types of clothing, riding a bike or even just sitting down. Some experience swelling in the area. It’s not caused by any infection, but sometimes can be as a result of one. Some find the pain changes according to their cycle. Vaginismus can even be leftover from pain experienced years ago. It can have a really negative effect upon someone’s life.

Most of the time, a patient experiencing vulvodynia and/or vaginismus will have already been to their GP or a gynaecologist. Sometimes they will have been prescribed creams, and sometimes an antidepressant called amitriptyline – this is because it’s thought that the condition could be caused by a problem with the nerve fibres and amitriptyline can help with this. A specialist physiotherapist can be helpful to learn to relax the muscles if there is tension.

What can herbal medicine do? First, it helps to talk to someone in confidence – the first appointment is an hour so you don’t have to get across what you want to say in five minutes. We also talk about the emotional side of what’s been going on. Herbally, as always, I approach the condition in different ways. Like orthodox medicine, I often use herbs that help with nerve pain. We can discuss whether your symptoms change with your cycle, and use herbs to gently balance your hormones. I ask questions about your gut health, and often prescribe accordingly. If relevant, I may use anti-inflammatory herbs, or herbs to help the muscles relax. And of course, I may feel you might benefit from herbs that help *you* relax too! I may also prescribe a soothing cream, or if you feel it’s too painful to even apply this, I can help with herbal baths or washes to “swoosh” over the area.

Vulvodynia is a complex condition, so if you’d like to have a no-obligation chat about how I might be able to help you, please get in touch.

15/08/2026

Managed to get some photos of the wonderfully-named Devil's-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis) before the cows got to them! From the teasel family, I believe. These photos show it at different stages in its development at Mill Meadows in Billericay.

Devil’s-bit scabious was so called as legend has it that the devil was so annoyed at how useful a plant it was that he bit off part of the root to kill it. Despite this it survived, but from that day it has had quite a stumpy root! “Scabious” apparently comes from the Latin “scabere” – to scratch – one of the traditional uses for the plant was for itchy skin problems. It was also used for the plague and “the bitings of venomous beasts” (Culpeper).

A lovely light purple colour contrasting with the pinks and yellows around it (which are a bit faded now).

13/08/2026

Another bee on flower photo: this is passionflower (Passiflora species), a climbing plant which seems to like living on the front of my house alongside the honeysuckle and clematis. It’s evergreen and the beautiful flowers are giving way at the moment to green then orange plum-sized fruits. The best thing about it is that in the spring the sparrows nest in it and we can hear them chirping from our bedroom!

Despite its exciting name, in herbal medicine we use one particular passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) mainly for its calming effects. It has sedative and anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) properties which we think may be due to the alkaloids and flavonoids in the plant. It’s thought that passionflower acts on the GABA receptors which are then partially responsible for down-regulating the stress/anxiety response. It can also decrease the heart and respiratory rate which often increase when we feel jittery.
As a result we use it in insomnia, anxiety, restlessness, “nervous tummy”, circular thinking/ruminating and increased heart rate caused by stress. It’s also helpful when giving up smoking or drinking, or coming off some prescription medications. Its actions on the nervous system can make it a useful tool in neuralgia or nerve pain. I frequently use it in “sleep mixes” in tincture form for patients suffering from insomnia. If anxiety is a problem during the day I would also put a small amount in their daytime mix. It’s also good in a herbal tea mix!

Passionflower has traditionally been a symbol of the Christian faith; the three stigmas representing the nails on the cross, and the filaments the crown of thorns. It's also used to attract friendship, love and prosperity. And it's used symbolically by some gay men in Tokyo.

Have you seen passionflower on your travels?

11/08/2026

A number of my patients and people I meet in day-to-day life have been diagnosed later in life with ADHD and/or autism – perhaps a formal diagnosis or self-diagnosis from online questionnaires, identifying with other people with ADHD/autism/AuDHD, or often because their child has been diagnosed. And what I notice is that a lot of them can feel happy with their diagnosis (“so THAT’S why I’m like that!) but then feel belittled after watching something on TV or online suggesting there’s no such thing, or hearing people say “oh everyone’s got that these days, you just need to concentrate more”, or “don’t be silly, it’s just your hormones”.

I’m here to say – whether you’re formally diagnosed, self-diagnosed, or think that what you’re feeling matches up with a diagnosed family member:
What you’re experiencing is valid and you deserve to be listened to.

If you need help with anxiety, self-confidence, overwhelm, brain chatter, guilt, working through past trauma, depression, brain fog, rumination, mental exhaustion from masking, or any other emotional issue, then I’m here. I’m trained to ensure that the herbs I prescribe won’t interact with any prescribed medication you’re on and I don’t judge. It’s not a magic wand but talking to someone who understands, combined with a bespoke herbal medicine to suit you personally can really help.

Zoom or face to face appointments available, drop me a line for more info.

09/08/2026

It's National Marine Week so i thought I'd share some information about the fairly common bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus). Did you know that it’s used in herbal medicine?

Bladderwrack is rich in iodine which is an important part of thyroid hormones and so it can be useful in some cases of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and goitre.
It also has diuretic properties (flushes you through) and a mild laxative effect so helps support the body with waste removal. This means we use it in skin complaints like eczema and psoriasis, and as it’s also anti-inflammatory, some arthritic conditions.
It seems to have a particular affinity for the urinary system, firstly increasing urine output as a diuretic, but also as a soothing anti-inflammatory for UTIs/cystitis, benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH) and orchitis (inflammation of the testicles) and prostatitis.

You may have come across it being used in beauty salons as body wraps – this is because it inhibits the enzymes which break down collagen and elastin so it’s thought to be useful for cellulite.

Traditional folklore suggested that bladderwrack was used for protection when travelling across or flying over water.

The whole plant is used, either as a tincture, or dried and sometimes ground into a powder. It can also be added to a bath for aching muscles or for cellulite. Well, you’ve never seen a mermaid with cellulite, have you? 🧜🏻‍♀️

08/08/2026

Weekend in Berlin with Mr BHM. Seven years since we were last here! (apologies to Kewina for the bad plank but at least I got my picture!)

06/08/2026

It seems I’m getting a bit of a reputation for helping people out with their “brain chatter”! Do you experience this? You’re trying to sleep but your brain keeps working through the to-do list, or going over a conversation you had earlier on that day. Or you’re home for the evening and watching the TV but you keep thinking about what happened at work. Or perhaps you are trying to focus on a task but a family problem is stopping you from concentrating on what you need to be doing? Or something that's not exactly important, like trying to remember the name of the dog in the Queen Vic in 1987?

This is what I call brain chatter – it’s basically when your brain just will not shut up. Other people call it overthinking, rumination or “monkey mind”. You’d be surprised how many people identify with this! It can lead to never starting tasks, feeling too overwhelmed to know what to do, or ending up mentally exhausted or burnt out.

Of course, everybody is different and that’s why I provide a bespoke mix of herbs that’s tailored exactly to their needs. That’s where an hour-long, one to one consultation comes in. Often my patients will be prescribed a mixture of six or seven herbs in tincture form (a concentrated liquid form of the herb), taking into account any other medical conditions or individual needs. My patients suffering from anxiety, stress, ADHD, low mood or depression, PMT, peri/menopausal symptoms, and of course, brain chatter do really well on my prescriptions. It's not a magic wand but the herbs can certainly take the edge off things.

If you’d like to talk more about making an appointment then please get in touch! I'm available for appointments online and in Billericay and Chelmsford.

04/08/2026

This is my thornapple plant (Datura stramonium - "dhattura" is Sanskrit for "poisoner"!), also known as known as jimsonweed, Devil’s apple and Devil’s trumpet – if you look at the spiky fruits you can see where the name thornapple comes from! The more sinister names possibly come from the fact that it’s pretty toxic. A member of the nightshade family, thornapple is what we call in herbal medicine a Schedule 20 herb which means that, in the UK, it is illegal for anyone other than a qualified medical herbalist to prescribe it, and there are strict guidelines as to the maximum safe dosage.

Thornapple is actually a safe herb, when used within the correct guidelines which also include contraindications – medical conditions or drugs that it shouldn’t be taken with. It has a number of different medicinal properties – it is antispasmodic, anti-asthmatic, painkilling, anticholinergic (can block a certain type of nerve impulse – useful in conditions such as Parkinsons), decreases some secretions like saliva, mucus and sweat, and is also sedative.

We don’t use it as much as some other herbs, but it can be very effective in certain types of asthma or persistent coughs (in previous time it was actually smoked), and as I mentioned, Parkinsons – it can help with the tremors and excess salivation.
The Zuni people of New Mexico believe datura can help commune with dead ancestors. There are also medical reports from the 1600s detailing its use for mind control, and from 19th century India where curry laced with the seeds would be served to travellers by professional thieves before robbing them!

Thornapple grows on wasteland or disturbed land but this is one I grew from seed and is doing well amongst my begonias - a nice contrast!

Address

Nature's Table, 8 The Walk
Billericay
CM129YB

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5pm
Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+447596842642

Website

http://www.billericayherbal.com/

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