The Mother Podcast - Herbalism in the Home with Medical Herbalist Lucie Bradley

Herbalism in the Home with Medical Herbalist Lucie Bradley

Explicit content warning

12/14/23 • 84 min

The Mother Podcast

In this episode, medical herbalist Lucie Bradley talks about how she was initially led to explore alternative health options when medical treatment for persistent vaginal thrush failed to work for her. This enquiry led her to study medical herbalism, and subsequently spend time in Africa working with nurses and doctors in integrated clinics, using herbal medicine alongside medical practices.

Her exploration of local uses of herbs in Tanzania led her to then complete a Masters degree in ethnobotany while living and working as a single mother in Africa.

On returning to the UK she set up a clinical herbalist practice in Edinburgh, and is now based in Glasgow with a busy herbal practice. Lucie is eager for people to be able to take more control over their own health, and so also runs a course on using herbal remedies to treat simple ailments in the home.

Lucie Bradley embodies the values and aims of The Mother Podcast, to empower women to take more control over their health by exploring and learning about alternatives to Western medicine. Lucie has worked tirelessly through her life to teach people to not only use, but integrate, plant medicine into their lives.

Listen to this episode to find out:

How persistent vaginal thrush led Lucie to find alternative health practices
The connection between the food we eat and our health
How our past experiences and trauma can affect our health
How plant medicine is used in malaria treatment
The challenge of being a successful practitioner and running a business
Working with money blocks to be able to earn money as an alternative health practitioner
How practitioner-grade herbs are more effective
How the processing of herbs determines its effectiveness
How plants work synergistically, and pharmacological medicines don’t
Reasons why people are suspicious of herbal medicine, and how herbal medicine got pushed out of mainstream culture
How understanding your own constitution is important for taking control of your health
That most herbs are safe in pregnancy
Why it is important to maintain your health – and gut health – to stay well, and why it is even more important for pregnant women to keep themselves healthy
How to use garlic and onion as antimicrobials
How to make fire cider
Making your own berry tincture in the autumn to stay well in winter
How staying well includes treating our stress levels
Adaptogens and their importance in keeping stress levels healthy
Finding reliable information on herbal medicine
How to use herbal baths for infants and children

Lucie can be found at https://www.luciebradley.co.uk/
Lucie's instagram handle is lbradleymedicalherbalist
You can access Lucie's Herbs for Simple Ailments online course through her Instagram

Send us a text

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music by Shooglenifty with Dhun Dhora
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The Mother Podcast is produced by Garry Finlayson and Suzanne Maier

Her exploration of local uses of herbs in Tanzania led her to then complete a Masters degree in ethnobotany while living and working as a single mother in Africa.

Listen to this episode to find out:

How persistent vaginal thrush led Lucie to find alternative health practices
The connection between the food we eat and our health
How our past experiences and trauma can affect our health
How plant medicine is used in malaria treatment
The challenge of being a successful practitioner and running a business
Working with money blocks to be able to earn money as an alternative health practitioner
How practitioner-grade herbs are more effective
How the processing of herbs determines its effectiveness
How plants work synergistically, and pharmacological medicines don’t
Reasons why people are suspicious of herbal medicine, and how herbal medicine got pushed out of mainstream culture
How understanding your own constitution is important for taking control of your health
That most herbs are safe in pregnancy
Why it is important to maintain your health – and gut health – to stay well, and why it is even more important for pregnant women to keep themselves healthy
How to use garlic and onion as antimicrobials
How to make fire cider
Making your own berry tincture in the autumn to stay well in winter
How staying well includes treating our stress levels
Adaptogens and their importance in keeping stress levels healthy
Finding reliable information on herbal medicine
How to use herbal baths for infants and children

Lucie can be found at https://www.luciebradley.co.uk/
Lucie's instagram handle is lbradleymedicalherbalist
You can access Lucie's Herbs for Simple Ailments online course through her Instagram

Send us a text

Previous Episode

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Pregnancy and Postpartum with Lena Fong

In this episode, Suzanne speaks with Lena Fong, a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner who uses acupuncture, herbs, moxibustion and cupping to heal to maintain vitality and wellbeing. Lena is a highly learned and experienced practitioner and explains the TCM approach to health.
Lena is also a yoga teacher and a doula, and is passionate about working with pregnant and postpartum women to maintain health and wellbeing.
Listen to this episode to find out:

the TCM approach to fertility
the TCM approach to reproductive health
how TCM approaches health in an individualised way
how TCM uses holistic means in convalescing from an illness or surgery
what cupping is and how it works
the intricacy of TCM - pulse taking as a diagnostic skill so different than the Western approach
different pregnancy conditions that TCM is useful for, including hyperemesis and SPD (symphysis pubis dysfunction)
how moxibustion works for breech presentation - or any fetal positioning you'd like to encourage to move
acupuncture for a postdates pregnancy to help stimulate spontaneous labour
acupuncture with mastitis
the TCM approach to postpartum care - the mother's 40 days and how to care for her
the difference between acupuncture delivered from a TCM approach and acupuncture from a Western approach

Further Reading

The Spark in the Machine by Dr Daniel Keown
Lena can be found at www.lenafong.com

Send us a text

Next Episode

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Helen Cummings is the Calm Baby Sleep Expert.

Helen educates pregnant parents in how to care for their newborn babies. She is a maternity nurse who can help with feeding, daily caring tasks and most importantly – helping people learn how to soothe and calm their babies into a restful sleep.

Helen is a qualified nursery nurse, and began working as a maternity nurse 20 years ago. Since then, Helen has helped all kinds of parents learn how to recognise their baby’s cues for sleep, and how to help the baby self settle, which can allow parents to have a better quality of sleep themselves.

Listen to this podcast episode to find out: