Dellna Illavia is a registered Medical Herbalist (MNIMH) with 30+ yrs experience. Cobham & Online

I'm Dellna Illavia, founder of The London Herbalist and a Registered Medical Herbalist (MNIMH), based in Cobham, Surrey. I work with clients locally and online across the UK, with a particular focus on stress, anxiety, burnout, poor sleep and nervous-system overwhelm.

I have more than 30 years' experience in health and herbal medicine, with a background in medical sciences as well as professional training in herbal medicine. 

My qualifications include a BSc in Herbal Medicine from the University of Westminster and a BSc in Medical Sciences and History of Medicine from UCL.

My route into herbal medicine was also personal. When my own health began to unravel many years ago, I became interested not simply in treating individual symptoms, but in understanding why the body was struggling in the first place. That way of looking at health has stayed with me throughout my clinical work.

Today, I work with people who are often still functioning remarkably well on the outside, but know that something has changed. Perhaps sleep is no longer restorative, anxiety has crept in, energy is lower, digestion or mood has become less predictable, or everyday life simply takes more out of you than it used to.

In a consultation, I don't look at symptoms in isolation.

We explore your health history, current symptoms, sleep, digestion, energy, medications, lifestyle and the pressures you may be living with. I am interested in the wider pattern and in how your physical health, nervous system and circumstances may be interacting.

From there, I create an individual herbal and lifestyle plan for you. Herbal medicines are selected specifically for the person in front of me, rather than using the same formula for everyone with the same symptom.

My approach is thoughtful, practical and collaborative. You don't need to arrive knowing what's wrong or having the right words for what you're experiencing. Part of my job is to help make sense of the pattern with you and decide what support is appropriate.

MNIMH means that I am a registered member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, a professional body for medical herbalists in the UK.

Herbal medicine is not statutorily regulated in the UK, which means that people using the title “herbalist” can have very different levels of education and clinical training. Membership of NIMH provides a way for the public to identify practitioners who have completed recognised professional training and who work within defined professional standards.

As an MNIMH practitioner, I am required to follow professional and ethical standards, undertake continuing professional development and maintain appropriate professional insurance.

For me, those standards matter. Herbal medicine can be gentle, but it is still medicine. I take into account your medical history, existing medication, potential herb-drug interactions and, where appropriate, whether something needs to be investigated or referred back to your GP or another healthcare professional.

BSc Herbal Medicine – University of Westminster
BSc Medical Sciences & History of Medicine – University College London
Registered Medical Herbalist – MNIMH
30+ years' experience in health and herbal medicine

Whether you come to me because you're exhausted, anxious, sleeping badly, feeling overwhelmed or simply know that your body isn't coping in quite the way it once did, we start by understanding you, rather than trying to fit you into a standard protocol.