x Contributors

Ramsey Affifi is Lecturer in Science (Biology) Education and Environmental Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. http://ramseyaffifi.org

Hazel Brady’s background is in IT, but she has always loved plants and since retiring has expanded her knowledge, especially around herbs. She completed the Diploma in Herbology at RBGE under Catherine Conway-Payne. Retirement has also given her the opportunity to develop another of her interests —an artistic practice centred in drawing and painting.

Ruth Crighton-Ward has had a long interest in plants and nature, although her first career was in Stage Management. After 18 years working in a variety of Scottish theatres, she decided to go into gardening. She took her RHS Level 2 in Horticulture, as well as a Certificate in Practical Horticulture at RBGE. In 2014 she started her own gardening business, which has proved successful. In 2018, alongside her full- time work as a gardener, she returned to the RBGE for a Diploma in Herbology.

Anne Dalziel qualified as a Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner (BFRP) in 2006, later becoming a licensed teacher for the Bach International Education Programme (BIEP) and for the Bach Foundation. Anne has facilitated many workshops in community education, and for several commercial organisations. IG: @bachflowertraining

Claire Gormley is a graduate student at the University of Edinburgh, completing her Postgraduate Diploma in Education for Chemistry and Biology. She earned an undergraduate degree in Biotechnology from James Madison University in 2017, and an MSc in Science Communication and Public Engagement from the University of Edinburgh in 2019. Claire is passionate about building positive relationships between communities and science through education and engagement.

Marianne Hughes began following her interest in complementary medicine after a career in Social Work Education and voluntary work in Fair Trade. Starting with Reflexology & Reiki, she progressed into Herbal Medicine. The evening classes at the RBGE got her hooked and she completed the Certificate in Herbology and, more recently, the Diploma in Herbology. Her current joy is experimenting with herb-growing in her own garden, in a local park, and alongside other volunteers in the RBGE Physic Garden. marianne@commonfuture.co.uk

Dr. Ella Leith is an ethnologist and folklorist who studied in Scotland and now lives in Malta. She particularly loves folktales and the storytelling traditions of linguistic and cultural minorities. @leithyface

Khadija Meghrawi is a medical student who believes that a doctor's job isn't just to heal the diseases of bodily systems, but to also heal those in the systems around us. She is Chair of her University’s BME network and coled the formation of the BAME Medical Students Group, to increase racial representation in the curriculum at Bristol Medical School. Previously the President of Students for Global Health Bristol, she now advocates nationally for refugee and other minority patient group representation at the British Medical Association (BMA).

Maddy Mould is an illustrator who loves to create work influenced by her interests in the natural landscape of her home in the Borders, folklore, and history. She likes to illuminate the magic of everyday things, both through her art and some simple kitchen witchery with what she hopes will soon be home-grown produce. IG @maddymould

Sarah Murphy trained as a medical herbalist, graduated from the College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2007, and is an active member of the Herb Society and the Unified Register of Herbal Practitioners. She is the owner of Alchemilla apothecary, a herbal dispensary and wellness clinic on the Cornish coast. Sarah specialises in the use of herbs for common skin complaints as well as having an interest in the use of herbs in the treatment of PTSD. She manufactures her own organic skincare range based on the extract of the Sausage Tree. www.alchemilla.co

Joseph Nolan practices Herbal Medicine in Edinburgh, at the UK’s oldest herbal clinic, and specialises in men’s health and paediatrics. He is a member of the Association of Foragers, and teaches classes and workshops related to herbal medicine making, wild plants, foraging, and natural health. You can find him on Facebook and Instagram @herbalmedicineman, and on his website: www.herbalmedicineman.com

Kyra Pollitt is a graduate of the Diploma in Herbology at the RBGE. When not editing Herbology News, she works as a translator, interpreter, writer and artist. She lives on the Isle of Harris, where she is busily planning and growing a garden. www.actsoftranslation.com

Marissa Stoffer is a mixed media artist based in Edinburgh, studying her master’s at the Royal College of Art. Her practice centres on ecology, plants, and our relationships with them. She is particularly interested in the ontology of New Animism and methods of making with local materials through foraging for colour. Her work focuses on nature— modified and abstracted from both real and imagined images. Through these combinations she explores the peculiarities of history, mythology, and beliefs. Instagram: @marissastoffer

Dora Wagner is a graduate of the RBGE Diploma in Herbology, and a Didactician in Natural Science. She also works as a Naturopath for Psychotherapy, and as a Horticultural Therapist. She currently lectures in Medical Herbalism at the University of Witten/Herdecke, and is leading a project reconstructing the medicinal herb garden of an Anthroposophic Hospital in Germany. dora.wagner@t-online.de and www.plantadora.de

Herbology News has grown from the Herbology courses taught at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, under the careful eye of Catherine Conway-Payne.

A suite of Herbology course options are available, as part of the broad range of education courses offered by RBGE.