Biography

Veda West is a practising medical herbalist, based in Lancashire, UK. She holds an MSc with distinction in herbal medicine, and is particularly interested in research. She recently conducted an extensive study investigating the clinical reasoning of Western herbal practitioners. She was awarded the Phyto Products Award by NIMH for her work in pharmacology, in which she analysed the role and mechanisms of phytoestrogens in breast cancer. Veda also holds a degree in Fine Art, and remains a passionate painter of portraits and botanical subjects. It is her belief that the practice of herbal medicine draws on both the sciences and the arts. She has lectured in both horticulture and art and is currently involved in writing nationwide art courses for City & Guilds – one of the UK’s premier educational awarding bodies.