Simon Mills - Complex Systems, Holism, and the Qualities of Herbs

Simon Mills emphasises the importance of deepening our understanding of herbal medicine through direct organoleptic experience. He also discusses the complexity of systems and how this applies to holistic healthcare. He then dives into the ‘qualities of herbs’ attributes such as hot and cold and how to apply these qualities when prescribing herbs in clinic.

In this Episode:

2.19 - Welcome Simon

4:45 - Lessons from Emily the goat – allowing our instinctual/intuitive nature to deepen our understanding of herbal medicine

5:34 – Traditional and folk medicine and the direct experience of plant medicine in shaping our understanding of our modern materia medica – if in doubt, taste (experience) it. The importance of the organoleptic experience

10:40 - Applying traditional herbs in a complex modern world

13:33 - Simons’ clinical process, identifiying core patterns, building a chronology, clinician as detective, building a prescription by applying the unique qualities of herbs

17:48 - A dive into complex living systems, the science of complexity, and the science qualities. Health as a natural state – bodies want to be healthy, it’s their gravitational pull (homeostasis). Life being self organsing

24:44 – Understanding the qualities of cold/hot/damp/dry

28:29 – Applying the understanding of the before-mentioned qualities and how they apply to gastrointestinal conditions/herbs

34:40 - The unique actions of herbs in comparison to pharmaceuticals

35:48 - Blending ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ herbs for the digestive system

41:11 – The microbiome, plant foods, and herbs

50:33 - Tonics for convalescence using TCM and Ayurvedic principles

56:03 - Thank you Simon

Bio: Author, teacher and herbal practitioner at Exeter in England, Simon Mills co-founded the worlds’ first University Complementary Health Study Unit, was a Special Advisor to the UK House Of Lords, coordinator of a Department of Health project pioneering elements of social prescription, and founded the first herbal masters program in the US. Simon is now the Herbal Strategist at Pukka Herbs, Self-Care Lead at the College of Medicine, Lead Writer at herbalreality.com and co-founded the Mills & Bone Academy with Professor Kerry Bone.