The Canterbury Apothecary

Most herbalists rely on the dispensing services provided by some of the bigger herb supply companies to fill out their prescriptions and send them on to their patients. That way, they avoid the expense and hassle of having their own herbal pharmacy. 

But right from the start of his studies in herbal medicine, Dominic knew he’d be wanting to have the herbs he’d use around him and readily accessible so, on his return from China in 2006, he began setting up his own in-house herbal pharmacy. Very soon, much of the house was filled with boxes, bags, jars and pots of herbs from all sorts of different suppliers as he went about working out which herbs were best sourced from where.

This pharmacy – which continued to grow and became known as The Canterbury Apothecary – stocks a complete range of dried Chinese herbs and concentrated single herb extracts. Like Canterbury Acupuncture, it is based at Concorde House Clinic, on Stour St in central Canterbury.

Because herb quality is of paramount importance for both the safety and efficacy of his herbal treatments, Dominic spends a lot of time and effort ensuring that we source the best quality herbs available and, as a result, we have established excellent relationships with a number of trusted suppliers over the years.

We are proud to stock a limited organic range of classical formulas in the form of ‘honey pearls’ (ground up herbs mixed with honey and formed into pills) made by Empirical Health in Port Macquarie, Australia. These ‘honey pearls’ are produced according to the precise instructions in the original texts and designed for use in a range of specific clinical scenarios. Because they can be taken with warm water (or in some instances chewed with a little rice wine!) they can be handy when travelling makes it difficult to take herbs by other methods.

Over the years, The Canterbury Apothecary has built a reputation for excellence and efficiency, and our prescription services are used by a number of highly-experienced associated herbalist colleagues. And yes, the herbs used in our pharmacy still occupy most of the storage spaces back at home and in the Clinic!