Herbal Medicine
with Alan Longcroft (he/him)
BSc. (Hons) Lic. Ac Lic. Tui Na MSc. PGDip. MBAcC MRCHM
Herbal Medicine services in Cambridge and Norwich areas and online
Face-to-face services in central Cambridge and central Norwich, online service by remote consultation anywhere in UK
Herbal Medicine involves the composition of a complex herbal medicine formula personalised to your individual health needs. Specialising in Chinese Herbal Medicine, I use a materia medica of more than 200 different plant and fungal materials from Chinese Herbal Medicine in complex formulas commonly including 4-12 component herbs. In the form of Full-Composition Granule extracts, your herbal medicine formula is convenient to use, simply dissolved in hot water.
I specialise in Chinese Herbal Medicine with influences from Naturopathy, Western Herbal Medicine and Ayurvedic Herbal Medicine. Prior to qualifying as a herbalist in 2021, I have practised as an acupuncturist, also specialising in Chinese Medicine, since 2016. My expertise includes the Neijing and Jingfang classical traditions, the Bu Tu Pai and Wen Bing post-classical traditions, and the Traditional Chinese Medicine and Five Element contemporary traditions of Chinese Medicine.
for a healthier world
Member of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine
Registration number 2860
Verify registration at www.rchm.co.uk.
The Beechwood Practice
Herbal Medicine service in central Cambridge
The Beechwood Practice in Cambridge is a warm, friendly and well-established practice for complementary medicine, situated on Hills Road, a short walk from Cambridge Central railway station.
Find out more about Herbal Medicine in Cambridge
St. Stephen's Practice
Herbal Medicine service in central Norwich
St. Stephen's Practice in Norwich is a calm and secluded practice for acupuncture and osteopathy, situated on St. Stephen's Road, nearby the historic site of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.
Find out more about Herbal Medicine in Norwich
Online Herbal Medicine Service
Available by remote consultation anywhere in the UK
A comprehensive herbal medicine service with appointments by video call and herbal medicine formulas delivered directly to your door.
Find our more about online Herbal Medicine service
New Patient Herbal Medicine Consultation
New patient consultations are typically 50-60 minutes, carried out online by video call or face-to-face at my Cambridge or Norwich locations. Please ensure that you are familiar with the medications, supplements and herbal remedies you are currently taking, as well as the details of your history of surgical procedures. This information is required before we can get started with any treatment. We'll then check in as often as you need, typically every 2-4 weeks.
Herbal Medicine routine consultations
We will review your progress every 2-4 weeks with a routine consultation, these are typically 15-20 minutes in duration, carried out online by video call or face-to-face at my Cambridge or Norwich locations. We will also monitor your progress on a weekly basis with an individualised review tracker, and we will undertake a comprehensive review of your progress on a periodic basis. Your herbal medicine prescription will be continually adjusted according to changes in your condition or lifestyle as well as factors including climate.
Ko Da FCG herbal granules
Full-Composition Granules (FCG) are concentrated extracts of herbal materials. Just like instant coffee granules, and produced using a very similar method, your herbal medicine is very quick and convenient to prepare: just pour on hot water.
Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) uses hot-water decoctions. Traditionally, a herbal formula would be boiled vigorously for approximately an hour. Since the compounds in hot-water decoctions are all water-soluble, the water can be rapidly evaporated to leave us with the FCGs which can again be conveniently dissolved by pouring on hot water, per the instructions which will be explained during your consultations and provided in written form with your herbal medicine formula.
Ko Da are reputed as the gold-standard in FCGs, certified non-GMO, using certified gluten-free excipients and subject to stringent auditing through the RCHM Approved-Suppliers Scheme.
Quality assured, tested for contaminants
Sourced exclusively through the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine's Approved Suppliers Scheme, all herbal materials are assessed for correct species identification, ingredient toxicity and contamination as part of the scheme's medical audit, under the supervision of trained pharmaceutical auditors. Each batch of Ko Da pharmaceuticals herbal medicines are subject to testing for:
1. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) species identification
2. Sulphur dioxide residue
3. Heavy metals (ICP-OES)
4. Pesticide residue (GC-MSMS)
5. Microbial contamination
6. Aristolochic acid (LC-MSMS)
7. Aflatoxin (HPCL-FL)
8. Loss on drying and essential oil content
9. Total ash and insoluble ash content
10. Compound stability
Expert, comprehensive and compassionate care
I am a degree-level trained herbalist and endeavour to provide professional and compassionate care for my patients. The focus of my EHTPA-accredited programme of study in herbal medicine is in the safe and effective application in herbal medicine treatment, and taking herbal medicine in a course of treatment supervised by qualified practitioner is a low-risk practice.
No endangered species or animal products
With the exception of some materials processed in honey (where appropriate), all materials are vegan, comprised of a materia medica of over 200 plant and fungal materials from Chinese Herbal Medicine. Violations of animal welfare and abuse of endangered species have been condemned throughout the history of Chinese Herbal Medicine as early as the 1st Century AD. Modern practices which abuse these principles to profit from the traffic of (predominantly inert) animal materials could not be further removed from the spirit of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Species identification rules out the presence of CITES-listed endangered plant species. In addition, no animal products of any type are used - this is a legal condition around herbal medicine practice in the UK as well as RCHM policy.
Integrated with your medical care
With your permission, I will personally write to your GP to inform them that you have commenced a course of herbal medicine treatment and inform them of any updates in your care. Your GP, multi-disciplinary team (MDT) or any other healthcare professional involved in your care is always welcome to make contact regarding the details of your herbal medicine treatment, but your explicit consent will always be taken for this in advance.
In addition, the details of all pharmaceutical treatments you are using will be taken before any herbal medicine is prescribed. The EHTPA-accredited herbal medicine training is the highest standard of herbal medicine education in the UK, and I stay up-to-date with updates in documented cases of herb-drug interaction. Using herbal medicine under the supervision of an expert RCHM-certified herbalist ensures the safest environment for your herbal medicine care.
Convenient, quick, easy
Full Composition Granules (FCG) are simple and convenient to use. Just poor over a small amount of hot water to dissolve, allow some time to cool and drink as a small beverage. Depending on your herbal medicine prescription, you may need to take this on a full stomach, an empty stomach, or, most commonly, 15-30 minutes before a reasonable-sized meal. This will all be explained during your consultation and written instructions will be provided with your herbal medicine.
Services online or face-to-face
Whether you choose to attend online or face-to-face is your personal choice. I believe that Herbal Medicine should be accessible to all, I endeavour to ensure my consultation service is affordable and convenient by attending consultation appointments online by video call, whilst also offering the flexibility to attend consultation appointments face-to-face at my Cambridge and Norwich clinics. Routine consultations by video call are included in your weekly fee whilst face-to-face appointments are subject to an additional charge: find out about my face-to-face services in Cambridge and Norwich for fees.
Herbal Medicine pricing structure
I believe that your treatment should be affordable and accessible. I also believe that the specific treatment you need shouldn't dictate the cost to you. No matter the number of herbs in your herbal formula, the size of dosage you require or the frequency of our consultation appointments, I use a fixed weekly fee structure at £20 per week.
The weekly fee covers the herbal materials you will be sent, their postage and my time as regularly as you need. We will agree a schedule for your consultation appointments, and in between these you can book any extra times or contact me whenever you need. The fixed weekly fee ensures I can also avoid rollercoaster pricing for my patients as the constituents of your formula are amended or subject to fluctuating costs in the herbal medicine supply chain.
Affordable weekly fee: £20 per week
Routine consultations by video call come at no additional charge while face-to-face appointments are subject to a fee: find out about my face-to-face services in Cambridge and Norwich for fees.