Godshaer.co.uk :: about godshaer

about godshaer

other reasons to look into the godshaer ABC site

Find out about the herbs you could use by making a search in the herbal materia medica section, or go to the illnesses A-Z section, or go to our tonics for a complete list of botanic medicinals specifically formulated for general use, or, to make it easy for you, simply email me to discuss your needs. I normally reply the same day.

Do you want to improve your liver function, strengthen your muscles, colour your hair, grow more hair, have less hair on your body, improve your potency, improve the density of your bones, stop smoking, get a safe pain killer for your arthritis; do you want to know what herbs for what illness; or what powder to use for cleansing your bowels; how to boost your immune system, or memory, better concentration, etc, etc? find out here

Do you want to lose weight with our successful weight-reducing tonic. This tonic has proved itself with thousands of overweight people. See our WeightLess page. Or do you struggle with menopausal sweats? Look for FlushLess Tonic.

If you are interested in some of the wider aspects of herbalism, or wish to find out about wheatgrass or synergistic herbs, parasite treatment, clearing gall stones, treating a leg ulcer, click here for a full overview - A to Z.

Perhaps you have a searching, enquiring mind, you want to know what drugs come from what herbs, or a short but detailed history of herbalism, or forerunners of modern herbal medicine, or you have a real desire to find out about the deeper aspects and inner purpose of herbalism, then you will not leave without being totally satisfied, or at least with a lot to think about!

Go to our site map or select for direct access on the side panel

Free gifts for all...

Celebrate your health with Alan who recently had his 25th Anniversary as a Medical Herbal Practitioner, by getting yourself healthier - find out what herbal medicines you need to improve your health and happiness

Visitors Book -View Comments about Our Treatment and Have Your Say

What's in a name? what's special about Godshaer Fern?

Find out about the special folk mythology about the Godshaer Fern and its amazing medicinal qualities, while the stream in the forest flows by....

If you want to know about medical herbalism

Go to the full listing of medicinal herbs and their medicinal action and uses, their temperature and meridian influence. Short and to the point. Materia medica

How are our herbal medicines made?

Our herbal medicines are made at our dedicated clinic/dispensary. Our herbal medicines are tinctures at different strengths according to the directions of the British Herbal Pharmacopoei; the strengths of our tinctures range from 1:1, 1:3, 1:5, 1:10; most of our tinctures are 1:5. The tinctures are made from certified organic grain alcohol. The glycerites are alcohol-free extracts made from certified organic vegetable glycerine. Both tinctures and glycerites are cold extracts and allowed to soak for a minimum of a month before being pressed out to maximize the extracting quality and strength. We use organic herbs wherever possible. We also use wildcrafted herbs (medicinal herbs collected from the clean, clear countryside).

Prices

Our prices are realistic and lower than all who have equivalent extracts. For instance a well-known outlet sells single herbal tinctures in 30ml (1oz) bottles at £6.85 ($10.50) (Godshaer sells 100ml bottles at £9.95); their 120ml (4oz) tinctures are sold at £22.50 ($39.90), Godshaer sells 300ml from £17.95. You save a lot of money and also gain with the better quality of our herbal extracts. See our prices

If you are visiting Godshaer

because you landed up here somehow or you heard about it and had to have a look for yourself, go into the various areas and I guarantee you'll find something that you'll like, the EHA tonic, or the information about the ducking stool located on Mill Stream near to my Clinic, or the history of herbalism or the information about Hawthon or Horny Goat Weed, or the fascinating story about the Godshaer herb, after which the Clinic and Shop is named, or the water in which our medicines are made.

CONSULTATIONS WITH ALAN HOPKING

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Godshaer's 2007 is Stevia Year!

We'd like you to enjoy a sweeter temperament with the balancing action of Stevia on your blood sugar. Life is sweet.
No more highs and lows... Lose weight... Reduce the number of visits to the dentist..
Be healthier by cutting sugar from your diet and replacing it with our whole, very sweet, healthy, glucose free Stevia.
Try it, you've got nothing to lose and a lot to gain...

We have many FREE offers to encourage you to go sugar-free with Stevia; time to wake up to Stevia's health gifts! Hence our FREE GIFTS!
Make 2007 your StevYear!
remember to order whole leaf Stevia powder or extract
- FIND OUT MORE ABOUT STEVIA
avoid like the plague white "Stevia" powder and clear "Stevia" drops. These products are a commercial deception of a health-loving public. These products are just industrialised and
processed steviosides. Health value: zero. Always choose whole leaf Stevia powder and whole leaf Stevia liquid. Godshaer Stevia is just that, nothing added, nothing taken away.
Read more about stevioside

Also ask for our FREE GIFT of Stevia with your first order of ABCD Herbal PowderPlus

Alan Hopking Celebrates 25 Years as a Herbal Practitioner!

Alan Hopking is the herbal medicine consultant for UK's leading monthly health
magazine LIVE IT! Naturally.
He writes a monthly article about herbs and herbalism
and answers questions in his column.

See his article on Stevia in UK's most informative monthly medical health magazine
LIVE IT! Naturally June 2006 edition
(find in WHSmith, Borders, Tesco, etc)

Alan also writes articles for ICON Magazine the celebrated monthly for alternative treatments of cancer.

FREE gifts for you - ask for our special offers

Celebrate your health with our herbalist by getting yourself healthier - find out what herbal medicines you need to improve your health and happiness

site map - for complete web content

Finally (or firstly). We must also act for the health of our planet. We need to cut our own carbon emissions; turn down the heating in your home and place of work, use energy efficent light bulbs, drive less - walk or bicycle more, recycle, go organic. Rent the movie An Inconvenient Truth and watch it together with your friends and family.
Visit www.climatecrisis.net

Order our Arnica

ordering policy

To make your order click here
To check the price click here
To make a donation to Godshaer Herbalist via PayPal click here

Our herbal tonic medicines are carefully prepared on a personal and individual basis for your healing by medical herbalist Alan Hopking MA MNIMH MRCHM FINEH. Only whole herbs are used in our herbal medicines. Nothing else is added. If you have symptoms which you consider might be helped with herbal medicine please contact herbal practitioner Alan Hopking for a friendly confidential professional consultation. Telphone using our freephone 0500 90 96 97.
Once you have received your herbal prescription you can contact Alan Hopking at any time for more free advice (preferably by email). When you have completed your bottle of herbal medicine and if you want a repeat prescription you are requested to phone or email so that your progress can be assessed and adjustments made if necessary so that there is no break in your treatment. To order or re-order, click here.

UK Government Dept - MHRA

General advice to consumers on the use of herbal remedies from the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

From the website of the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (www.mhra.gov.uk) Department of Health, UK

• Remember that herbal remedies are medicines. As with any other medicine they are likely to have an effect on the body and should be used with care.
• Herbal remedies may sometimes interact with other medicines. This makes it particularly important to tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking a herbal remedy with other medicines such as prescribed medicines (those provided through your doctor or dentist).
• Treat with caution any suggestion that a herbal remedy is '100% safe' or is 'safe because it is natural'. Many plants, trees, fungi and algae can be poisonous to humans. It is worth remembering that many pharmaceuticals have been developed or derived from these sources because of the powerful compounds they contain. Any medicine, including herbal remedies, which have an effect on the body should be used with care.
• Treat with caution any herbalist or other person who supplies herbal remedies if they are unwilling or unable to provide written information, in English, listing the ingredients of the herbal remedy they are providing.
• If you are due to have a surgical operation you should always remember to tell your doctor about any herbal remedy that you are taking.
• Anyone who has previously experienced any liver complaint, or any other serious health complaint is advised not to take any herbal remedy without speaking to their doctor first.

PRECAUTIONS:

Pregnant/Breast-feeding mothers
Few conventional medicines have been established as safe to take during pregnancy and it is generally recognised that no medicine should be taken unless the benefit to the mother outweighs any possible risk to the foetus. This rule should also be applied to herbal medicinal products. However, herbal products are often promoted to the public as being “natural” and completely “safe” alternatives to conventional medicines. Some herbal ingredients that specifically should be avoided or used with caution during pregnancy. As with conventional medicines, no herbal products should be taken during pregnancy unless the benefit outweighs the potential risk.

Volatile Oils

Many herbs are traditionally reputed to be abortifacient and for some this reputation can be attributed to their volatile oil component.(6) A number of volatile oils are irritant to the genito-urinary tract if ingested and may induce uterine contractions. Herbs that contain irritant volatile oils include ground ivy, juniper, parsley, pennyroyal, sage, tansy and yarrow. Some of these oils contain the terpenoid constituent, thujone, which is known to be abortifacient. Pennyroyal oil also contains the hepatotoxic terpenoid constituent, pulegone. A case of liver failure in a woman who ingested pennyroyal oil as an abortifacient has been documented.

Uteroactivity

A stimulant or spasmolytic action on uterine muscle has been documented for some herbal ingredients including blue cohosh, burdock, fenugreek, golden seal, hawthorn, jamaica dogwood, motherwort, nettle, raspberry, and vervain. Herbal Teas Increased awareness of the harmful effects associated with excessive tea and coffee consumption has prompted many individuals to switch to herbal teas. Whilst some herbal teas may offer pleasant alternatives to tea and coffee, some contain pharmacologically active herbal ingredients, which may have unpredictable effects depending on the quantity of tea consumed and strength of the brew. Some herbal teas contain laxative herbal ingredients such as senna, frangula, and cascara. In general stimulant laxative preparations are not recommended during pregnancy and the use of unstandardised laxative preparations is particularly unsuitable. A case of hepatotoxicity in a newborn baby has been documented in which the mother consumed a herbal tea during pregnancy as an expectorant. Following analysis the herbal tea was reported to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are known to be hepatotoxic.

Breast-feeding mothers

A drug substance taken by a breast-feeding mother presents a hazard if it is transferred to the breast milk in pharmacologically or toxicologically significant amounts. Limited information is available regarding the safety of conventional medicines taken during breast-feeding. Much less information exists for herbal ingredients, and generally the use of herbal remedies is not recommended during lactation.

Paediatric Use

Herbal remedies have traditionally been used to treat both adults and children. Herbal remedies may offer a milder alternative to some conventional medicines, although the suitability of a herbal remedy needs to be considered with respect to quality, safety and efficacy. Herbal remedies should be used with caution in children and medical advice should be sought if in doubt. Chamomile is a popular remedy used to treat teething pains in babies. However, chamomile is known to contain allergenic sesquiterpene lactones and should therefore be used with caution. The administration of herbal teas to children needs to be considered carefully and professional advice may be needed.

Perioperative use

The need for patients to discontinue herbal medicinal products prior to surgery has recently been proposed. The authors considered eight commonly used herbal medicinal products (echinacea, ephedra, garlic, ginkgo, ginseng, kava, St John’s Wort, valerian). On the evidence available they concluded that the potential existed for direct pharmacological effects, pharmacodynamic interactions and pharmacokinetic interactions. The need for physicians to have a clear understanding of the herbal medicinal products being used by patients and to take a detailed history was highlighted. The American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) has advised patients to tell their doctor if they are taking herbal products before surgery and has reported that a number of anaesthesiologists have reported significant changes in heart rate or blood pressure in some patients who have been taking herbal medicinal products including St John’s Wort, ginkgo and ginseng. MCA is currently investigating a serious adverse reaction associated with the use of ginkgo prior to surgery. In this case, the patient who was undergoing hip replacement experienced uncontrolled bleeding thought to be related to the use of ginkgo.

From the website of the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (www.mhra.gov.uk) Department of Health, UK

Quick links menu

Contact details

Post

Godshaer Herbal Clinic
Advanced Botanical Centre of Medicine
Ducking Stool Lane
Christchurch
Dorset
BH23 1DS
UK

Telephone

+44 (0) 1202 488122
Freephone UK 0500 90 96 97

alanhopking@godshaer.co.uk

Skype (by arrangement)

alanhopking

Directions and maps

How to Pay

You can pay by card or by PayPal Secure (see below) or by Western Union Money Transfer (see below).
To make your order click here

This service is 100% secure and encrypted and confidential. To use PayPal do the following:
1. Email your order. Please say what country you live in.
2. I will then email you back the exact amount to pay, including p&p (shipping).

We take all card payments.
There is a 3.95% handling charge for credit cards and PayPal. For debit and maestro cards there is no charge.
With PayPal:
Pay for purchases in your selected currency. Payment is automatically converted to your desired currency. No need to hold a balance in another currency to send a payment.
We accept payments in:
Pounds Sterling
US Dollars
Euros
Swiss Francs
Swedish Krona
Danish Krone
Norwegian Krone
Polish Zloty
Hungarian Forint
Czech Koruna
Australian Dollars
New Zealand Dollars
Canadian Dollars
Yen
Hong Kong Dollars
Singapore Dollars

If your country or currency is not listed you can send cash (money transfer service) from any country in the world via Western Union Bank (see http://www.ukmoneytransfer.com), first email us for the total UK pounds you need to send; or simply tell us your credit card details by telephone and we'll do the rest.

Disclaimer and pledge

As a professional herbal practitioner I am in practice in conformity with the laws of England and the 1968 Medicines Act. The UK legislative provisions for herbal medicine are to be found in the Medicines Act 1968, Section 12, paragraphs 1 & 2, and Section 56, paragraphs 1 & 2.

Section 12:1 specifies exemption for herbal medicines from licensing provided that they are supplied subsequent to private personal consultation. Section 12:2 exempts herbal medicines provided that they are produced according to standard traditional, non-industrial methods. It also specifies that no written claims may be made for the use of the remedy.

Therefore at Godshaer Herbalist no claims about any medical condition regarding the herbal medicines prescribed by Alan Hopking are made. Indeed, be it a doctor, surgeon or herbal practitioner, the successful outcome of our treatments cannot with any certainty be predicted, let alone guaranteed. Further, following UK and EU law, the information on this web site attach no medical claims and no claims concerning the medicinal herbs mentioned relating to any medical conditions listed. All the herbal prescriptions are unlicensed and made by Alan N. Hopking at the address of Godshaer Herbalist for patients of Alan N. Hopking.

I pledge that, I shall do all I can, using my knowledge of herbal medicines and natural treatment, to help you regain your deserved health.
Alan Hopking MA MNIMH MRCHM FINEH

All our herbal medicines are made from the raw herb at our dedicated clinic and dispensary in Ducking Stool Lane. We collect the fresh herbs, or import the dry herb. They are organic if at all possible. We only use whole herbs. We are against the use of standardized extracts, or the concentration of herbs by adding more of the active constituent. We recommend you do not use such products in any form (dry, in capsules or as tincture extracts). To use our herbal tonics you should follow the prescribed dose. Any side effects or problems should be reported to us.