Working with an Herbalist | What to Expect
There are many reasons why folks choose to work with an herbalist. For some, natural medicine is their preferred choice for staying well and regaining health after illness. For others, herbal medicine is a ‘last ditch’ choice after other forms of medical management haven’t worked out. Still others find that working with herbs for healing not only gives them the benefits of the plants but a profound connection to nature and the flow of life energy.
No matter what brings you to working with healing herbs, one thing is for sure: this ancient, ancestral, and powerful modality of healing can meet you where you are and help you to reconnect to your own sacred center- the place where your own vitality exists.
As people explore working with an herbalist, they often wonder what a consultation looks like, what they can expect from a session, and what kinds of herbal remedies and protocols they might receive. Below, I’ll share with you a bit about why my own practice as an herbalist in Salt Lake City, Utah looks like, and share insights into what other practitioners might do as well. Every herbalist is unique in how they hold and share herbal wisdom, but I think we all overlap in some important ways.
The process I share below is specific to a one-on-one herbal consultation. I also offer comprehensive plant spirit sessions which focus on single herbal allies in facilitated meditation and energy work format; that process has many differences from the one shared below.
Herbalist Josh Williams at the Flow Acupuncture & Apothecary Clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah
INTAKE
The first bit of intentional context we’ll have is through my online intake form. This brief form allows me to collect some important information about you, and to share some important considerations with you so that you’re informed and consenting for our session. The most important questions on my intake form are what medications, herbs, and supplements are you currently taking and what is your primary reason for coming in. These help me to ensure that whatever information I give you takes your whole wellness routine into consideration, and that we are able to explore all the things that you define as important to work on. When someone is working with strong or multiple pharmaceutical medications, I will often create a specialized protocol sheet after our session which they can give to their doctor and pharmacist to check all herbs before adding them. Part of your intake is also an explanation that I am not a doctor and that I do not treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent any specific illnesses. I practice herbalism as handed down from our herbwise ancestors and make energetic assessments, remedies, educational presentations, and protocols based on these established traditions of use. I am more than happy to work with any other healthcare provider that’s important to you.
IN-CLINIC or VIRTUAL
I offer both in-person visits at our beautiful clinic space at the base of the historic Avenues Neighborhood on South Temple. I am also happy to meet with you from wherever in the world you may be. In-clinic sessions last for up to 90 minutes, virtual sessions last around an hour.
THE CONSULTATION
A majority of our session will be focused on a dialogue-based exploration of the things you want to work on. For many people, these things are experiences in the body, mind, emotions, spirit, or even in the life path that are not in alignment, cause problems, or are in the way of living the best life. My style of herbalism is very clint-driven. As we chat about what you’re experiencing, when it started, how it’s going, and where you’d like it to go, I will also help you create a hierarchy of wants and needs which will define what we work on first and what things we prioritize in remedies. Your experiences, thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about what’s happening are incredibly important to me- and I do my best to make as much space for them as possible.
While we’re chatting, I will also be taking copious notes and creating a kind of venn diagram where I can see if any of the energetic patterns you’re experiencing overlap in ways that may not be very obvious no the surface. This helps me to start clarifying the kind of herbs we might want to talk about and how we might want to work with those herbs.
Finally, I’ll make an assessment of the energetic patterns and we’ll start talking about the plants!
Handcrafted herbal remedies from our apothecary in Salt Lake City, Utah
FORMULARY & PROTOCOLS
As a traditional and clinical herbalist, I am always most happy when I can custom compound herbal remedies for each unique person I work with. Sometimes I’ll make suggestions about over-the-counter remedies you can find locally or online, but whenever possible I prefer to make them myself, just for you, as part of your session. For folks coming into the clinic, one remedy is included in your session cost.
I work primarily with two formats of herbal medicine: teas and tinctures. These are both liquid extracts of the herbs that allow me to refine the dose, strength, and frequency of a remedy in a way that works with your schedule and abilities. All of the single tinctures I use to craft your remedy are made by hand, by me, following lunar tides, right here in our clinic. The herbs I work with are all organic and come from trusted domestic and international farms run by farmers and growers who are as passionate about herbs as I am.
During your consultation, I will be crafting a formula or two just for you- each herb in the formula is aligned to you as a unique person and has an important place in the formulation; some are there to act directly on an organ system or function, some are there to add warmth or moisture to the formulation, some are there to carry the other herbs to a specific place, others are there due to folkloric references about protection, cleansing, guidance, or spiritual connections. Every herb has a purpose, and each one is the right herb for you. This is one of the many benefits that comes from working with an expert herbalist: you get not just a list of herbs that are good for what ails you, but the specific individual herbs that speak to you.
I will also write for you a protocol which will include simple and detailed instructions on how to work with any herbal remedies we talk about as well as considerations for nourishment, movement, rest, and spiritual connections. All of this information is educational in nature and is tailored to you and your goals.
I’ll spend a few minutes in the apothecary preparing any remedies I am compounding for you while you get comfy in one of our zero-gravity chairs. Then, we’ll do a facilitated first-dose practice together to introduce your whole being to the herbs and to open the ways for the healing to begin.
You’ll receive an email from me at the end of my clinic day with all of my notes, remedies, and protocols along with any video classes, guided audio meditations, or other resources I think you might enjoy.
A look at my consultation space - comfort is key!
WHAT TO EXPECT
Each person’s experience of working with herbs is different, but I have some things I like to see happen in each client I work with.
First, I want you to feel hopeful and optimistic about the process. The more positive, heart-toning feelings we can bring up in our work, the better.
Second, I want you to feel confident about the process and good about moving forward.
Lastly, I like to see positive and wellness-affirming progress withing two weeks. This may not be big and loud, or sometimes it is, but it should be happening.
FOLLOW-UPS
I generally suggest at least one plant spirit session for those who are interested as a support to your daily work with herbs. These sessions build upon one another and are best done in sets of three, but one added to your consultation is really empowering.
You will receive an email check-up from me at around two and a half weeks after our session to see how you’re doing, check on your remedies, and see how I can be helpful. I encourage you to respond to this email, and to drop me a line along the way as needed. Often times we can keep things moving at your complimentary refill visits, other times we might want to schedule a full follow-up to address other things you want to work on down the road.
If you’ve been curious about what working with an herbalist is like, I hope this gives you a bit of insight into how at least one of us does it!
If you feel inspired to explore your herbalism, I would love to connect with you. I am in full-time private practice at my herbal clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah and have session times throughout several days of the week. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch.
