A delightful collection of anecdotes, musings, and stories from the desk of a herbalist who dedicated four decades to healing with plants

In this unique work of herbal fiction, Andrew Chevallier distils a treasure trove of knowledge from his experience working with herbal medicine into a collection of twenty-three short stories, which give valuable insight to what it takes to train and practise as a medical herbalist. 

The Herbal Apprentice is a rare opportunity to explore the inner workings of an experienced herbalist through the medium of fiction, offering profound and personal insights which often can be absent from traditional textbooks.

Covering topics such as finding one’s purpose, new plants, burnout, herbal politics, community herbalism, the consultation, the importance of practitioner-patient relationships, and many more, The Herbal Apprentice offers one-of-a-kind insights into the often complicated, but never boring, world of herbalism, as well as the quirks and practicalities running a busy clinic. 

Rich with humour, wit, and sage advice The Herbal Apprentice will be enjoyed by both students, lay people, and the experienced herbalist alike. 

Andrew Chevallier read Philosophy and Literature at Warwick University and later trained at the School of Herbal Medicine, qualifying and joining the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (NIMH) in 1987. He ran a busy herbal practice in London and Norfolk for close to forty years.

He is a past President of the NIMH and taught herbal medicine for ten years at Middlesex University, where he was as a Senior Lecturer in Herbal Medicine (P/T).

He is probably best known for his books on herbal medicine, particularly his best-selling Encyclopaedia of Herbal Medicine (DK, 1996, 2023) and The Home Herbal (DK, 2023). The Herbal Apprentice and Other Stories is his first published work of fiction.