Jo Dunbar

After a rigorous 4 year training programme, Jo qualified and began practicing as a Medical Herbalist in 1999, at the same time pursuing a post-graduate MSc degree degree in Complementary Therapies at Westminster University where her research dissertation focused on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

In 2003, Jo founded Botanica Medica herbal apothecary in Surrey, and in 2006, opened her second apothecary in St Margaret’s, Twickenham.

In between running these two apothecaries, Jo studied clinical aromatherapy in France, and Hypnotherapy in London.

Her holistic approach combines herbal medicine with hypnotherapy, diagnostic tests, nutritional supplements and dietary advice to restore wellbeing.

Jo is the author of three books: the award-winning The Spirit of the Hedgerow;  How to Cope Successfully with Candida and Recovering from Stress, Burnout & Fatigue (all available from Amazon). She also regularly contributes to several holistic magazines including Kindred Spirit and Positive Health.

After 17 years of running the herbal apothecaries, Jo closed both shops and now runs a private herbal medicine practice from her peaceful home in the Hampshire countryside near to Petersfield.

Jo has patients from all over the UK, and the world, and this is easy these days with the technology that telephones, Skype and an excellent postal service offer us.

Many of Jo’s medicines are grown in her herb garden, and she makes all her own herbal tinctures and products by hand. This ensures that the herbs are freshly picked, quickly extracted by distillation or maceration and the quality superb.

With her partner Adrian Rooke, Jo regularly holds druid retreat days which are centred around deepening our relationship with specific trees or plants, as well as our relationship to ourselves. Gently as the day progresses, through druid rituals, collective making of herbal brews, traditional story-telling, sacred singing, some craft work, walking in nature and a variety of other beautiful meditative exercises, we open our hearts to the wisdom of nature, and the effect on our lives is profound.