Herbal Medicine & Differing Practices ~ Impacts on Success in Client Outcomes

Herbalists & ‘constitution confusion’ -- it can negatively affect the profession of Herbalism.

It’s something I’ve been starting to call ‘addiction to complication” ...

The important point here is that the constitution of a person is like the backdrop, it’s the general set & setting of their makeup. It’s really meant to be something that can loosely guide, inform, & help one to understand more about that person’s predispositions, tendencies, qualities, and their characteristics. But I don't let that override my ability to see what’s right in front of me.

Remember, the most important thing to pay attention to as an Herbalist is what the most important thing is to the client…the primary complaint. So, I focus on the issue at hand, and in the case of acute symptoms, these are more important than the constitution.

Some Herbalists get really caught up on constitution & that prevents them from actually having an effective therapeutic protocol for the current client issue at hand. It’s really important that to address what’s presenting for the client currently. So if I were to suggest to them something like Licorice or Marshmallow, these more demulcent expectorant remedies for the lungs, I don’t have to worry about the fact that those remedies are generally contraindicated for a cold and damp constitution because at the moment I 'm addressing an acute situation in a localized organ system that needs constitutional correction.

The constitution of an individual is less important than the actual assessment, though it can help provide some valuable supportive role insights and perspectives into how to work with the person. But I don’t let it blind me from seeing the presentation of the case. It’s important that I address what’s right in front of us. That is what has made my client decide to consult with me. We correct the excesses & the deficiencies that are contributing to the health concern that a person is having in this moment. The key takeaway here is to always make sure to attend to the current or assumed symptomatic red flag pattern. This is done by combining that info with intuitive nuance & by asking pointed questions to confirm the intuitive gleaning.

When suggesting herbal remedies, especially for an acute symptom like a cough, I'm not going to give those remedies for months and months at a time. I'll suggest them for a few days or weeks until that acute symptom resolves itself, at which point the herbal protocol is stopped because the primary problem has been resolved. In these situations, the plants usually aren’t being taken long enough to lead to any constitutional imbalances in the whole person.

As Herbalists, we want herbs to help people. Any over emphasis or hyper focus on ‘constitution’ leads a fear mentality & reduces accessibility to traditional valuable herbalism out of fear of not wanting to give the wrong remedy create an ‘imbalance in their constitution’. It spreads false neurosis about Herbalism.

It contributes to the dis-information of the ease of using herbals successfully.

One does not run into that kind of an issue when I'm suggesting herbs in moderate doses, moderate frequency for a short period of time. It’s not until someone is taking an herb with consistency for a longer-term period of time that you’re going to start seeing it affecting the constitution as a whole.

If you’ve combined the symptom immediate urgency care to the primary complaint that is priority to the client, there is often a whole-body whole mind whole system constitution benefit obtained.

1) I consider the length of time someone will take the herb – this is factored into the protocol equation.

2) Be a most attentive to localized imbalance within the organ system (symptoms or red flags) versus the constitutional pattern as a whole.

3) More often than not, especially for acute symptoms, the current assumed state, or that of the local organ system, is more important than the core constitution.

Look at the wholeness of a person, AND look at the specificity of the imbalanced tissue state in that organ system and begin to work with that. One will dynamically cultivate an awareness of someone’s ‘constitution’ as a whole, while really focusing on what’s right in front of you and needing to be addressed.

Herbalism success (maximum outcomes) depends on client consistency in use of the protocol of tinctures/extracts/syrups/formulated teas, it depends on the herbs and the dosage and the frequency, it depends on the herbal formats being suggested as to whether the client’s digestibility function is a detriment – which is why I do not suggest capsuled, pellet, compressed commercial manufactured herbals – for most people, these are not bio-available --- success also depends on willingness to make needed helpful adjustments in diet, life habits, both motion wise & mind wise mind processes- are they willing to turn over a new leaf? and it’s going to be different every time, person to person, case to case, remedy to remedy.

More & more commercial manufactured herbals are lower in therapeutic strength, having become weaker in potency due to interference and manufacturing restrictions- I have watched this take place rapidly over the last 20+ years. This reduces client successful outcomes & drives the false notion that ‘herbalism doesn’t work’.

Poor quality, inferior, imported/irradiated herbals are just like poor quality foods--- lacking in nutritional energetic sustenance & they give the herbal medicine a bad reputation which contributes to the public not trusting real herbalism which is traditionally olde world compounded therapeutic vitality infused formulas.

This is why an experienced local Canadian Custom Compounding Herbalist who grows wildharvests & sources organic herbs for custom formulations is key to the highest form of holistic wellness practice.

Kelly Remmer Oct 26 2025

The Stillroom Shoppe

www.stonehouseholistics.com

Compounding Master herbalist 1995

Family Herb Farm Wildcrafting & Herbal Dispensary

See Complimentary Micro-consultation details on my website

Credit for points of content : Evolutionary School of Herbalism