Home Herbalism - Plants for stress, mental health and immunity ✨ UK Date

UK Herbal Medicine Making - Online Workshop 🌿

In this workshop, Medicinal Plant Ccientist and board member of the McKenna Academy Rebecca Lazarou will be guiding you through herbal medicine making, with plants to support stress,  mental health and immunity.

Sadly traditional medical knowledge and wider ethnobotanical knowledge is not being passed down to new generations, and is at risk of extinction. Rebecca’s PhD is focusing on protecting this knowledge on her home island of Cyprus, and then creating citizen science methods so people can do this for their own communities.

💚 The proceeds from this workshop will support this conservation research project. 💚

The Google Meet Link for this workshop will be sent after you have purchased your ticket. 

How will the workshop run? 

Herbal medicines have been used for millennia to support good health and wellbeing. Knowledge of which plants and fungi are effective was once a normal part of households, however over time this valuable knowledge has been lost.

This workshop will help to restore this knowledge and go as follows:

🌿 A socio-cultural history of herbalism, to enlighten people on the political history of herbalism and why it is now a largely marginalised practise
🌿 The scientific principles of herbal medicines and the doctrines of herbalism 
🌿 Medicinal plants for home herbalism and the science behind them 
🌿 Practical advice on herbalism, sourcing sustainable and quality herbs and when to see a medical herbalist

PLEASE NOTE: The workshop will be for 2 hours and replays will be available for a month after the class. Tickets are available on a sliding scale. Participants will be able to purchase the organic medical grade herbs discussed separate to the event. 

Why is this important?

Home herbalism is an invaluable skill that can go a long way in improving people’s quality of life physically, mentally and emotionally. This was once common knowledge, and it still is a widely embraced form of medicine across most cultures. However early industrialisation and modern life means that we have forgotten something that was previously natural to us.

Knowing which plants are helpful and how to use them is very empowering. It means that when life inevitably gives us troubles, we have tools that support our health and vitality with minimal side effects. It can also be fun to play and experiment, much like cooking! A little bit of knowledge on a few ingredients goes a long way, and lasts a lifetime.  

More about Rebecca: 

Rebecca Lazarou is an ethnopharmacologist, writer, speaker and herbal medicine formulator. She founded Laz The Plant Scientist to provide high quality, sustainably sourced, efficacious natural medicines for people, as well as to educate on this invaluable and deeply overlooked part of healthcare. 

She has a degree in Biomedical Sciences- Human Biology, and an MSc in Medicinal Natural Products and Phytochemistry and her research has spanned research topics from ancient Greek medicines, to psychoactive plants from around the world.

Currently she is doing her PhD in medicinal plants at Kew Gardens and UCL School of Pharmacy, and is the science advisor for Herbal Reality and a board member for the McKenna Academy.

“Ultimately my aim is to help nurture our relationship with nature through natural medicines, and support our species return back to Earth centred living. I am devoted to science to demystify these topics, but equally I am committed to rekindling the magic, awe and healing we find on our precious Earth.”- Rebecca Lazarou

Herbal shop: www.laztheplantscientist.com

Academic website: www.rebeccalazarou.com

Instagram: @Laztheplantscientist

Reviews:

“Fresh perspective and infectious enthusiasm. Absolutely phenomenal talk! Laz was so interesting, inspiring, genuine, and refreshing. Her insights into medicinal herbs and healing were both enlightening and revolutionary. I left feeling uplifted, invigorated, and deeply curious to learn more. I would highly recommend them to anyone interested in the subject – truly unforgettable.” - Lou

“Rebecca talks with such passion and authenticity. Her work is rooted deeply in her heart and it really comes across. She balances the language of science with the art of truly knowing the natural world around her through so many other languages and forms of connection. I just love listening to her speak and hearing about her amazing work.”- Vicky C

“Rebecca Lazarou is a force of nature. Her depth of knowledge, clarity of thought, and commitment to social justice are immediately evident in her teaching. Her workshops are immersive, sensory, and intellectually rigorous - weaving together history, traditional wisdom, and modern research in a way that feels both grounded and expansive. You leave not just informed, but thinking differently.

As a psychiatrist working in the NHS, I found it particularly compelling to reflect on the plants we were working with not only experientially, but through a clinical lens. Laz presents a nuanced and responsible perspective: plant medicine is not framed as a replacement for modern pharmacology, but as a body of knowledge that can complement it. In some contexts, plant-based approaches may offer gentler, better-tolerated options. Which is an important consideration when thinking about patient autonomy and informed choice.

I would highly recommend her workshops to anyone curious to deepen their understanding, whether for personal interest or professional development. They are thoughtful, empowering, and refreshingly balanced.” - Dr Robert Hafes, Psychiatrist, BSc Hons MBChB MRCPsych