When Wendy first walked through the doors of the Gosport property that would become her second herbal medicine clinic, it wasn’t the high street frontage that captured her imagination. It was the garden. A large, enclosed, almost storybooklike walled garden that instantly reminded her of The Secret Garden. Protected, peaceful, full of potential. For someone who has spent her life working with plants, it felt like fate.

Wendy grew up in Southsea, Portsmouth, where her love of herbs began long before she knew it would become her career. As a child, she mixed potions from petals, read books on herbal medicine, and adored Roald Dahl, especially George’s Marvellous Medicine, which sparked her fascination with the healing power of plants. By the time she finished her Alevels, Wendy knew exactly what she wanted to do.

She went straight into training, later earning a degree in Medical Herbalism from the University of Central Lancashire in 2006. Her early career was spent working as a medical herbalist in an independent NHS pharmacy, where she gained six years of handson experience. But the dream was always to run her own apothecary, to be her own boss, shape her own practice, and create a space where herbal medicine could thrive.

“Opening my own practice was daunting,” she admits. “No holiday pay, no safety net. But the scarier thought was never trying.”

She opened her Southsea clinic and spent 14 years building a loyal patient base and a reputation for thoughtful, thorough care.

A second clinic and a new community

The opportunity to expand came unexpectedly. A property in Gosport became available, complete with that rare walled garden. Wendy saw not just a shop, but a future teaching space, a community hub, and a place where herbal medicine could be experienced from seed to bottle.

The Gosport branch opens on Sundays and Mondays specifically to run a student clinic, giving students valuable handson experience treating patients under Wendy’s supervision. It also benefits the local community, who can access consultations at a reduced rate.

Training the herbalists of tomorrow

For the past six years, Wendy has been training herbal medicine students on an international diploma programme. They must complete 500 clinical hours, and while observing Wendy’s private practice was valuable, she saw a gap: students needed real, supervised experience with real patients.

The reducedrate student clinic in Gosport was born.

“It enables second to fourthyear students to take hourlong consultations with patients, but fully under my guidance. Patients receive a full, indepth assessment which covers their medical history, supplements, diet, lifestyle, and every system of their body. They walk away with a personalised herbal prescription. Students gain essential clinical confidence. Patients gain affordable access to holistic care.”

Wendy says the clinic has already attracted students from Canada, Qatar, Guernsey, and across the UK.

“It’s so important that the next generation of herbalists learn how to work face to face with patients, and Gosport has been the perfect place for that.”

What herbal medicine offers

Herbal medicine, Wendy explains, works with plant materials rather than conventional drugs, supporting the body’s natural processes rather than overriding them. A key difference is time. Instead of the fiveminute appointment many people are used to, her consultations last a full hour.

During that time, she explores a patient’s medical history, any supplements or medications they’re taking, their diet, lifestyle, and every major system of the body, from skin and digestion to the nervous and skeletal systems.

“It gives me a complete picture of someone as an individual,” she says. “No two prescriptions are the same. If two people came in with eczema, their remedies would be completely different because their bodies and their lives are different.”

This personalised approach also means supporting patients through meaningful lifestyle changes, such as reducing sugar, cutting back on processed foods, improving sleep, or managing stress.

“It’s about walking alongside people on their health journey,” Wendy says. “Herbal medicine is not just about the bottle of herbs. It’s about helping people understand their bodies and giving them the tools to feel better.”

Real stories, real impact

Many of Wendy’s patients come to her after trying everything else. Some have chronic or autoimmune conditions; others are struggling with medication side effects.

One gentleman arrived dizzy and unsteady, taking a long list of prescriptions. Wendy immediately referred him back to his pharmacist, who reduced his medication, which was something that hadn’t been reviewed in years.

“He was in danger of having a fall,” she says. “People often assume symptoms are just ageing, when actually it’s the medication.”

Another patient, a fouryearold with severe eczema, has been working with Wendy for six months. With dietary changes and herbal support, she is now off all steroid creams, avoiding the longterm skinthinning effects they can cause.

Stories like these are why Wendy believes herbal knowledge should be accessible to everyone. “You can grow your own medicine,” she says. “Even on a balcony.”

Finding her place in Gosport

The early days in Gosport were challenging. Wendy was well known in Southsea, but in a new town with no advertising budget, she had to build trust from scratch. Gosport, she quickly learned, is very different from Portsmouth, but it’s full of warmth.

Two years on, the student clinic is thriving, drawing people from across the south coast. Wendy has met “some amazing people,” she says.

Although she isn’t currently running workshops, Wendy hopes to offer them in the future. “I would love to teach local people about herbal medicine, showing them how to make simple remedies using herbs they already have in their kitchens, and creating more opportunities for local engagement. Community connection is really important to me,” she says. “I’d love to do more of that as the clinic grows.”

Always learning

Wendy is also committed to her own professional development. As a registered herbalist she completes continuing education every year, attending workshops and training sessions to deepen her knowledge. “I’m really big on professional development,” she says. “Lately I’ve been studying medical ethics and diet. It really interests me and it makes me a better practitioner.”

A teaching garden for the future

Wendy’s longterm dream is to transform the walled garden into a living classroom.

“I’d love to turn it into a herbal medicine teaching garden, from seed to harvest, to making your own remedies,” she says. “And I want to do more community outreach, helping people understand that you can grow your own medicine in a garden, or even on a balcony. You don’t need a lot of space. Every house should have a herbalist.”

She envisions more outreach, more learning, and a deeper relationship with the town.

“It has so much potential. Gosport could become a real hub for herbal learning.”

For the girl who once mixed potions in her childhood garden, it feels like a fullcircle moment, and a gift to the community she now proudly serves.