Herbal Medicine and Bach Flower Remedies in Cowaramup with Marilyn Smith, Naturopath
GDHSc, DN, DBT, BFRP. Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner. Serving Cowaramup, Margaret River and the South West.
Herbal medicine and Bach Flower Remedies are prescribed by Marilyn Smith at Iris Naturopathic Clinic in Cowaramup, as part of a naturopathic consultation. Marilyn formulates individual liquid herbal extracts, herbal teas and Bach Flower blends for you, and screens every formula against the medications you already take. Remedies are dispensed after your consultation and charged separately from the consultation fee.
Book a ConsultationWHAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY PRESCRIBED
What is herbal medicine, and how does a naturopath prescribe it?
Herbal medicine is the prescribing of concentrated plant extracts, chosen for you and made up as a liquid mix you take daily. Marilyn takes your full health history first, then selects herbs for what she has found, in the strengths and combinations she judges you need. Nothing is off a shelf. Two people with the same complaint rarely leave with the same bottle.
Alongside the herbs, Marilyn is a Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner, trained in the UK at the Bach Centre in Dr Edward Bach's original 38 flower essences. Where herbal medicine works on the body, flower remedies are used to support how you are coping, during stress, grief, a sudden change or a long stretch of feeling wrung out.
Most people are prescribed one or the other. Some are prescribed both, in one plan, because the physical complaint and the emotional load they are carrying are rarely separate things.
"Anyone can look up a herb. The work is knowing which ones belong together, at what strength, for this particular person, alongside everything else they are already taking."
Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner (BFRP)
Formally trained in Dr Bach's 38 flower essences for emotional balance.
HERBS, FLOWER REMEDIES, OR BOTH
What is the difference between herbal medicine and flower remedies?
They are two different things, prescribed for two different reasons. Here is how Marilyn uses each.
What is clinical herbal medicine?
Physiological & Tissue Support
Clinical herbal medicine uses concentrated liquid extracts made from roots, bark, leaves and flowers, prescribed by a practitioner trained to use them. Rather than covering over a symptom, herbs are selected to support the body's own processes, including digestive and liver function, healthy inflammatory response, nervous system resilience and immune function.
Individually Formulated Liquid Extracts
Herbal liquid tinctures blended specifically to your physical needs, supporting organ systems, nervous resilience, and natural restorative processes.
Medication Cross-Referencing
With decades in clinical practice, Marilyn carefully screens for potential herb-drug interactions, ensuring botanical prescriptions are safe alongside prescribed medical treatments.
Organic Teas & Botanical Preparations
Gentle daily infusions designed to nourish gut mucosa, soothe restless sleep, and support clear skin from within.
What are Bach Flower Remedies?
Emotional Resilience & Inner Peace
Bach Flower Remedies are gentle flower essence preparations developed by Dr Edward Bach in England in the 1930s. There are 38 of them, and each one is traditionally associated with a particular emotional state, such as fear, indecision, discouragement or overwhelm. Marilyn selects the ones that match what you describe and blends them into a single dropper bottle for you.
Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner (BFRP)
Marilyn is formally certified by the Bach Centre in the UK, applying Dr Edward Bach's original 38 botanical essences with deep discernment.
Emotional Ease & Stress Resilience
Subtle flower essences specifically chosen to ease feelings of overwhelm, grief, sudden life changes, anticipatory worry, or emotional fatigue.
Gentle for All Ages, Including Children
Gentle preparations with no known interactions, suitable to take alongside other treatment, and commonly used with children as well as adults. Marilyn will confirm suitability during your consultation.
CLINICAL SAFETY
Safe, Considered & Tailored to Your Body
Every herbal tincture or flower remedy is prepared individually following your consultation. Marilyn considers your full medication profile, known sensitivities, and daily commitments to ensure your remedy is practical to take and comfortable to sustain.
Practitioner Grade
High-potency extracts tested for purity, authenticity, and therapeutic constituents.
Custom Dosing
Formulations matched to your unique constitution, with clear instructions on timing.
Progress Refinements
Blends evolve as your symptoms settle, shifting toward gentle maintenance.
WHO THIS SUITS
Is herbal medicine or a flower remedy right for you?
Herbal medicine and flower remedies are prescribed within a consultation, not chosen from a list, so the honest answer is that Marilyn will tell you at your appointment. That said, these are the situations people most often bring to her.
If what you need sits outside naturopathic care, Marilyn will say so and point you to your GP. Read more about how Marilyn works.
FROM CONSULTATION TO BOTTLE
How does Marilyn decide what to put in your formula?
Herbs are prescribed after a consultation, never before one. Here is what happens between your appointment and the bottle you take home.
Your full health history
Marilyn spends 60 to 75 minutes on your health story, your current concerns, your diet, your sleep and what you have already tried. The formula comes out of that conversation, not out of a symptom checklist.
Your medication and sensitivity review
Marilyn goes through every medication, supplement and known sensitivity you have, and cross-references each herb she is considering against them. Anything that is not appropriate alongside your prescribed treatment is not prescribed.
Your individual formula
Marilyn selects and combines the herbs for you, at the strengths she judges you need, and writes clear instructions for when and how to take them. This may be a liquid mix, a tea blend, a Bach Flower blend, a topical preparation, or a combination.
Review and adjustment
At your follow-up, Marilyn reviews how you responded and adjusts the formula. Most prescriptions change over the course of treatment as things settle.
WHAT TO EXPECT
How long does herbal medicine take to work, and what does it cost?
It depends on what you came in with. Something acute can respond within days. Something you have been carrying for years is usually a longer piece of work. As a general pattern, Marilyn will ask you to take a formula consistently for a typical initial period, for example four to six weeks before you review it together, because herbs need to be taken properly and given time before anyone can judge whether they are the right ones. Most people have an initial consultation and then two to four follow-ups across the first three months. How long you continue after that is your decision. Nothing is sold as a package and there is no lock-in.
Herbs, flower remedies and supplements are charged separately, in addition to your consultation fee. [CONFIRM: typical dispensary cost, for example a 200ml herbal mix at $XX and a Bach Flower blend at $XX.] Marilyn will tell you the cost of your prescription before she dispenses it, and will work to a budget if you tell her what it is.
Initial / Long Consultation
60 to 75 minutes
Subsequent Consultation
30 to 45 minutes
Short Discovery Call
5 to 10 minutes
Full fees, including the $60 short consultation for existing clients, are on the Fees and Booking page.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Common questions about herbal medicine and flower remedies
Can I take herbal medicine with my prescribed medication?
Often yes, but only after it has been checked. Marilyn reviews every medication and supplement you take before she prescribes anything, and cross-references each herb against them. If a herb is not appropriate alongside your medication, she will not prescribe it. Never stop or change a prescribed medication without speaking to your doctor.
Do I need a consultation before I can get a herbal formula?
Yes. Marilyn does not dispense herbs without a consultation, because the formula is built from your health history, your current medications and your sensitivities. An initial consultation is 60 to 75 minutes and costs $145. If you are unsure whether it is worth booking, there is a free 5 to 10 minute discovery call.
What does a herbal medicine mix taste like?
Liquid herbal extracts are strong and usually bitter. That is normal, and for some herbs the bitterness is part of how they work. Marilyn will show you how to take yours, usually diluted in a little water, and can often adjust a formula if you are finding it genuinely difficult to keep taking.
Are Bach Flower Remedies the same as essential oils or homeopathy?
No. Bach Flower Remedies are flower essence preparations from Dr Edward Bach's original 38 essences, taken in drops by mouth. Essential oils are concentrated aromatic plant oils used mainly on the skin or inhaled. Homeopathy is a separate system with its own preparation method. Marilyn is formally registered with the Bach Centre in the UK as a Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner.
Can children take herbal medicine or flower remedies?
Flower remedies are commonly used with children and Marilyn prescribes them for children regularly. Herbal medicine for children is prescribed with the dose and the herbs chosen for their age and weight. Marilyn will tell you what is and is not appropriate for your child at the consultation.
Who is herbal medicine not right for?
Herbal medicine is not emergency care and it does not replace your doctor. If you have an acute injury, chest pain or anything that needs urgent attention, see a doctor or go to hospital. Herbs are also prescribed with extra caution in pregnancy, while breastfeeding, and for anyone on multiple prescribed medications. In some cases Marilyn will decide herbs are not the right option for you and will say so.
Have a question that is not here? Ask Marilyn on your free discovery call, or read about the naturopathic consultation itself.
Not ready to book?
Download Marilyn's short guide, Working With Nature, and she will send you a few practical notes over the following weeks. No pressure, and you can stop any time.
Ready to talk about herbal medicine with Marilyn?
Book a consultation with Marilyn Smith at Iris Naturopathic Clinic, 682 Holben Road, Cowaramup WA, or start with a free discovery call. Your formula is made up after your appointment, once Marilyn has your full history.
Reviewed by Marilyn Smith, GDHSc, DN, DBT, BFRP, ATMS Fellow. Last reviewed 19 September 2026.