Every clinical herbalist will most likely work differently. Thankfully, the profession really is very uncontrolled still so each therapist can use their personal preference and creativity to decide the formula they use to work with clients. There are still some general goals that most herbalists working with clients will want to meet though. These goals are partly based on the herbal tradition that they were taught, which they use in their practice and goals will also be based on best practices that years of science and modern medicine has taught us works. Client safety, medication interactions, the clients lifestyle and current health are a few factors that are important to find out about so an herbalist can make the best choices of herbs. Usually, when starting out with an herbalist, you will first fill out a health intake. Herbalism intake forms can typically be more involved than many other health intakes because an herbalist will usually work with more than just the physical ailment. Most herbal traditions look at the physical symptoms along with emotional wellbeing, lifestyle, diet, sleep patterns and physical daily habits and even a little family medical history. Traditional herbalism reaches into all aspects of life and a practitioner wants to be sure to consider all relevant information. After the intake form, you're usually sit down with your practitioner so they can ask questions about your information. After this, some practitioners may jump right into recommendations. Some may have decided protocols they turn to for answers. Others may want to consider the information and do a little research for a few days before recommending any particular protocol or herb, especially if they're newer to their practice. We've listed the approaches and background of our traditional clinical herbalist so you can decide with one would fit best for your needs. Always feel free to reach out to us at oldthymemedicine@gmail.com if you have any questions.