The Faculty

Beatriz Linhares
Teacher & Tutor

I have felt a deep connection with plants since I was a child. My grandmother was a traditional herbalist, midwife, and yoga and meditation teacher. She was light years ahead of her time. I, in many ways, followed in her footsteps by training to become a professional herbalist and Active Birth Teacher. I love the fact that we can heal ourselves with what nature has provided for us. I have been a practising Medical Herbalist and Traditional Chinese Herbalist for over forty years.  I enjoy the potential for combining Western and Chinese herbal traditions and energetics.

I value the interaction with my patients and the insight I gain into their lives. This helps me empower them to heal themselves with the aid of medicinal plants, nutrition and lifestyle changes. Being a herbalist means being able to use many of the branches of the healing tree to improve health and enhance emotional well-being.

I have recently joined the School of Health as Herbal Medicine Tutor and look forward to finding out about my students. It’s exciting to know that they come from all over the world and have very different life experiences but all have in common their interest in learning herbal medicine – an interest which for some may lead to a profession. I hope to encourage and inspire students in whichever way this herbal journey takes them.

I trained initially in Western herbal medicine at the School of Herbal Medicine in 1982 and later on studied Chinese herbal medicine, going to China to complete my training in 1996.

I am also an Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist and combine therapies when relevant. Over the past 40 years I have taught and supervised herbal clinics at several schools and universities, which I thoroughly enjoyed. For fifteen years I co-ran a herbal dermatology clinic at Whipps Cross Hospital in East London for the training of University of Westminster BSc Herbal Medicine degree students. I have a special interest in treating skin conditions and gained much experience as a result of this. I also enjoyed running mentoring groups to help qualified herbal students build up confidence to set up a successful practice.

I was born in Recife, North East Brazil, and have lived in the UK most of my adult life. I live in beautiful rural Wales with my husband. I love going for walks and identifying plants wherever I go. I can get absorbed admiring what, for some is just a weed, but for me is a delightful healing plant. I often talk to them and stroke them gently to feel the texture of their leaves and their scent. I think they love that! My house plants are taking over!

Environmental issues and protection of our planet are important to me. I take great care to use sustainable herbal remedies from reputable suppliers, try to live a simple life and eat organic locally grown foods as much as possible but I also love laughing, dancing and having fun. I bring my Brazilian fun-loving side and to all aspects of my life.

• Long-standing member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists – MNIMH
• Member of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy – MCPP
• Member of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine- MRCHM
• Member of the General Hypnotherapy Register – MGHR

"Do what makes your heart sing"