Angela teaches the Botany sections of the programme.
Angela graduated from the University of London with a joint honours degree in Botany and Zoology. She taught Biology to A-Level for 9 years during which time she developed an interest in health and the healing capacity of the body.
Discovering herbal medicine as a profession in the late eighties was immensely exciting, combining as it does, all the most fascinating aspects of her subjects. She went on to train with the School of Phytotherapy, winning prizes in both Part 1 and Part 2 exams and then to set up in practice as a member of the NIMH in 1991.
Since then she has continued to practice and to play a part in education, both in schools and colleges and by running herbal workshops and adult education classes.

Carl teaches the Anatomy and Physiology sections of the programme.
Initially trained as an agronomist at Seale-Hayne Agricultural College in Newton Abbot, S. Devon and worked for 5 years in Northamptonshire.
Significant career change number one led me into mobile phones and a position as a Global Account Director for Ericsson in Malmo, Sweden.
Then, ultimately, retrained as an Osteopath at Oxford Brookes University with a practice at home near Banbury and also within an NHS setting near Stratford-Upon-Avon, now retired from practice but still actively involved with helping newly trained osteopaths establish and maintain their practices.
I have taught anatomy, physiology, embryology, pathophysiology and osteopathic technique as well as acting as a clinic tutor at Oxford Brookes, and also taught physiology, embryology, pathophysiology and business management at the University College of Osteopathy in Borough, S. London.
I have three adult children, a love of the outdoors and a continually hungry black Labrador to enjoy it with.

Dedj teaches the Clinical Skills and the Materia Medica sections of the programme.
Dedj trained in nursing on leaving school and after a break for having children she trained for four years in Western Herbal medicine, qualifying in 1992. Having variable success with dermatology she then trained in Chinese Herbal Medicine, (which has an excellent reputation in this field) qualifying in 1997. This 2 year post graduate course concluded with 6 weeks full time clinical practice under supervision in China.
In 2006 Dedj undertook a further 4 year BSc (Hons) degree in acupuncture at the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine. Dedj is part of the Conventional Medical Science teaching team at the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine. She is a past Director of Education for the National Institute of Herbal Medicine and a clinical examiner at Middlesex University. In 2013 Dedj was awarded a Fellowship of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists; “in acknowledgment of her professional attainments and the great services which she has contributed to the science and practice of Medical Herbalism”.
Dedj is a qualified Emergency Medical Technician and First Aid trainer. She founded the ‘Medical Herbalists’ which is a changing group of qualified and undergraduate herbalists who provide Herbal First Aid and Acute Medical Services at festivals.
Dedj’s approach to treatment is to integrate Western Herbal Medicine, Chinese Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture; drawing on both Eastern and Western Medical traditions for a treatment strategy. She also offers dietary and lifestyle advice if appropriate. Her special interests are Acute Medicine, Dermatology and Gynaecology.
Dedj regularly teaches and is committed to her own professional development. She has an extensive dispensary of both Chinese and Western Herbs.

Helen teaches the Chemistry sections of the programme.
I am a science technician with a love of chemistry. I have a BSc Hons degree in chemistry from Nottingham University and worked in the detergents industry as a technical manager and formulator for 10 years. Since then I have trained and worked as a Medical Herbalist for 14 years.
After training at the College of Phytotherapy (Herbal Medicine) in East Sussex, I qualified with a Diploma in Phytotherapy in 2001. I then had a part time practice in Salisbury, at Neal’s Yard Remedies, which continued till 2013. After that I practiced part time from home in Andover.
I practiced European herbal medicine using the native plants to treat a wide variety of medical conditions. During my career I treated over 600 patients, worked at festivals on herbal first aid, did herb walks, talks to many groups such as teachers and WI, taught phytochemistry to some herbal students and offered workshops in home medicine.
My aim is to make chemistry as accessible as possible and to build students confidence in their knowledge of the subject.

Helen is a Betonica Director, Lead of Betonica, Clinical Supervisor, Head of Year 4 and teaches the Clinical Skills, Pharmacognosy and Dispensing part of the programme.
Helen has a BSc (Hons) in Herbal Medicine, a background in permaculture, first aid and teaching gardening and growing.
Helen trained for five years in Herbal Medicine in London gaining experience in the dermatology department of Whipps Cross Hospital, Middlesex University Archway Clinic, Westminster University Herbal Medicine Clinic and the University of East London Clinic. She continues to keep up to date with the latest findings on herbal medicine, attending seminars and lectures as well as keeping a connection with the plants she uses as medicine by making many of her own tinctures, creams and ointments, and offering herb walks and teaching workshops.
Helen has gained a lot of experience in acute medicine (both herbal and orthodox) through her work as a festival first aider and community first responder. Helen has also worked in the Calais ‘jungle’ as part of a team of medics.

Hera teaches the Pharmacognosy and Dispensing part of the programme.
Bio coming soon.

Jo teaches the Nutrition sections of the programme.
I am an AFN registered nutritionist and a medical herbalist with a special interest in gut health. I am also a keen fermenter and fermentation educator and I am currently working on my PhD, focussing on a particular form of fermented food. I am conducting research into oxymels as a form of herbal medicine; a special interest for me that combines my love of both ferments and medicinal herbs. My previous career was in law.
I am a proponent of being the change we want to see in our world. I work with people one to one as well as running events relating to nutrition, herbs and microbes that aim to enthuse and support others in taking responsibility for their own wellbeing. I am one of the founders of The Peach, an organisation seeking to help people get to the heart of health through human connection and nature-based activities.
I am mother to 4 amazing children. I love being in the woods, learning, asking questions and laughing. In 2018, I jointly set the first ever Guinness World Record for making the largest dish of bacterially fermented sauerkraut.

Laura teaches the Clinical Skills sections of the programme.
Laura graduated from the Betonica medical herbalist diploma with distinction and received the Catherine Johnson memorial cup for clinical excellence at the end of four years study in May 2024.
Laura describes this as an incredible journey which all began with Helen as a participant on the home herbalist course.
She came to herbs having experienced the power of plant medicine to restore her own health and loved finding out how to support her family and friends as a home herbalist.
She is now practising as a medical herbalist and has a passion for empowering health in our communities by teaching people how to take steps to rebalance their own health.
She is looking forward to teaching the respiratory and digestive aspect of the advanced home herbalist course as herbs offer so much support in these areas. She teaches the clinical skills seminars with Dedj Leibbrandt and enjoys helping students understand the workings of our anatomy and physiology to better understand the wonderful ways that herbs support us.

Paula teaches the Reflective Practice sections of the programme.
I have been interested in herbal medicine for many years. When my children were small my interest developed as I looked for alternatives to conventional medicines for minor ailments. I undertook a years correspondence course in herbal medicine with the School of Phytotherapy and started learning as much as I could about herbs and their uses. I began to harvests herbs and make my own herbal products, something which has now become a real passion of mine.

When my children left home I decided to start my journey to becoming a qualified Medical Herbalist. I was accepted on the BSc in Herbal Medicine at Lincoln College and I qualified in 2017 with a first class honours. Over the three years of the degree I studied many aspects of Western herbal medicine including: Materia Medica, philosophy and history of herbal medicine , anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, energetics and clinical skills. I completed 500 hours of clinical training before qualifying.

I am currently undertaking a course in Chinese Herbal Medicine which I feel will enhance my practice and widen my understanding of herbs and there uses.

I am practicing member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists.I am committed to running an ethical and environmentally friendly practice and where possible I harvest many of the herbs I use locally and I make a number of herbal products myself.

Callum is a NIMH-registered medical herbalist with a background in conventional medicine and over a decade of experience spanning the NHS, private healthcare and public health sectors. He initially trained as a pharmacist at UCL before retraining in herbal medicine, and now runs a busy online clinic and dispensary from his smallholding in North Devon. Alongside his clinical work, Callum is also involved in medical AI development, contributing to the design of specialist healthcare datasets.
He has particular interests in nutrition, gut health, immunology, and bridging the gap between biomedical science and traditional herbal practice.