Sara Rooney

I am a qualified Medical Herbalist and have specialised in women's health and hormone balance for over ten years with additional postgraduate training in mycotherapy, the study of medicinal mushrooms. I have also recently completed further studies in the Systems Approach to Cancer with Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel, our Director and an award-winning Precision Health and Integrative Medicine doctor, now supporting our adult Integrative Cancer Care and Integrative Pain Care teams.

Herbal medicine in supporting women’s health and wellbeing

Hormone imbalance can affect a wide range of physiological functions and can cause a diverse array of physical and emotional symptoms. This imbalance can have a significant effect on our wellbeing and how we feel day to day. Through the years, I have helped support a wide range of women, of all ages, with symptoms of PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis, unexplained fertility, perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms, PMT and PMDD, period irregularities and pain, gut imbalances including IBS, sleep issues, joint pain and inflammation, hormonal acne, low mood and anxiety.

I will support you utilising herbal medicines, medicinal mushrooms, targeted nutrition strategies and stress management can help gently support hormones back into balance. I analyse the bigger picture of your health; your nutrition, your stress levels, your daily activity, your exercise, and movement. My challenge is to discover the root cause of imbalances and gently, but effectively, help you restore your vitality with targeted plant-based medicine and  nutrition. I use a personalised functional approach and incorporate targeted functional testing, including gut, hormone and metabolic panels, if necessary, to get to the root cause of symptoms.

Herbal medicine support in integrative cancer care and integrative pain care

I am a firm believer in integrated health whereby natural medicine and modern medicine can be part of a bigger system whereby both can work individually and also, synergistically to provide the best possible health outcomes. The advances in modern medicine are truly amazing and life saving, however there are times where a gentler more preventive approach is necessary. This is where I believe herbal medicines, targeted nutrition and lifestyle medicine can play an important role. I have worked collaboratively in clinics with functional medicine doctors, physiotherapists and mental wellbeing professionals, as sometimes a combined approach is necessary to restore health. I am delighted to be a part of the Synthesis Clinic’s Women’s Health, Integrative Cancer Care and Integrative Pain Care teams, and I work closely with our physicians, health coaches, rehabilitation specialists and mental wellbeing support professionals. A truly aligned team approach, combining the best personalised care from different disciplines, can really transform quality of life and wellbeing when applied consistently.

My background in herbal medicine

My pathway into medical herbalism began whilst working on a Quechua project in the Amazon basin, Ecuador, with limited access to pharmaceutical medicines after completing a degree in Social anthropology at Sussex University.  I was immediately drawn to working alongside the local Shaman collecting and propagating medicinal plants, and was treated successfully for several persistent ailments with these plant medicines. I was hooked and decided I had to learn more about plant based medicine.

I returned to the UK and completed a degree in Phytotherapy B.S.c.(Hons) at the University of East London whilst running a support project with young carers.  My research project was on Phytotherapy for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and was later published in the International Journal of Herbal Medicine by Elsevier.

I have always had a strong passion for women's health and how herbs can support hormone balance. I have run, led workshops and been resident herbalist on women's wellness retreats in the UK, Spain and Portugal, including at Vale de Moses. I have written extensively on women's health topics for the Herbal Academy in the US. I am currently formulator and consultant for Adaptogenic Apothecary, developing a range of adaptogenic functional herbal and mushroom powders.

Utilising my many years of experience supporting women with natural medicine, I can support, direct and empower you to achieve your health goals. Small changes make a big difference over time and these need to be sustainable, we work together to find changes that support you. Herbs and plant based medicines have been used for millennia to support women's health in every culture. I take a modern evidence informed approach to incorporating these natural medicines, the latest research and my clinical experience, to support you to optimum health and vitality, so you can feel you again.