Herbal Medicine Essentials

Justin has spent decades exploring the diverse field of herbal medicine, both from a scientific and traditional perspective. In his early formative years he had the privilege of living in outback Jabiru in the Northern Territory for 12 months and started to develop an interest in herbal medicine from observing Australia's indigenous Aboriginals and their deep rooted knowledge of the land. It was something that stayed with him for a long time, and at 18, he started studying a Bachelor of Science (Forestry) at the Australian National University, but soon realised this was not the career he was after. He journeyed back to Australia to commence his 'formal' studies in 1997 with the University of New England (BHSc Naturopathy) and then completed the Master of Herbal Medicines degree with the University of Sydney's Faculty of Pharmacy in 2004. Key areas of study in this post-graduate degree were toxicology, pharmacognosy, analytical phytochemistry, herb /drug interactions, pharmaceutical technology and medicinal botany. Since those early years, Justin has been practicing at various clinics in NSW and Queensland and has been a sessional lecturer at both Endeavour College of Natural Health and the Australasian College of Natural Therapies (ACNT). Over the last decade he has been an active member of numerous college committees and advisory groups, won two educational awards for teaching excellence and was awarded practitioner of the year in the inaugural Nature and Health awards in 2015. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Naturopaths & Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA) as both an Executive Director and Examiner and served for 3 years on the Board Member Advisory Committee for the NHAA since its inception in April, 2014. In 2015, he was appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board of United in Compassion (UIC) which supports the use of Medicinal Cannabis in Australia. In 2017, he was appointed as the Head Scientist for the Scientific Advisory Board for UIC. This aligned well with his study and research into the botany, ethnopharmacology, cultivation, phytochemistry and therapeutic applications of the Cannabis plant which has been undertaken both in Australia and overseas since 1994. In 2020, Justin was appointed as a board member to the Australian Medicinal Cannabis Association and has also been recruited to the Advisory Group for the newly formed Psychae Institute in Melbourne (July 2021). Lastly, he also serves pro bono on the advisory panel for Cannabis Clinicians Australia since March 2022.

Daniel Baden is a Naturopath and Homeopath with over 35 years of experience. Having begun the journey as a clinician, he has assumed many roles over the years including consultant to and member of industry regulatory committees, providing technical support to practitioners, assisting various groups in research projects, international and local speaker, author, founder of Traditional medicine supplies, Phytocare and co-founder of Optimal Rx and BioMedica Nutraceuticals. His most recent role was board member of Complementary Medicines Australia (CMA).He has worked on advisory committees at various Australian educational institutions and internationally at Hong Kong University and Dubai Nutrition College.Throughout his career Daniel has focused on the importance of professional holistic healthcare.

Kristin Gilmour is a Melbourne-based naturopathic practitioner with a special interest in the management of immune health, mental health and chronic inflammatory disorders. Alongside her longstanding naturopathic practice, Kristin is a herbal medicine researcher, technical writer and educator for Australian herbal medicine company, OptimalRx. She is also co-host of OptimalRx’s popular podcast, ‘TechTalk with OptimalRx’. With her colleague Julianne Grant, Kristin has recently authored a comprehensive ‘Phytomedicine Compendium’, detailing 180 medicinal plants and fungi. This herbal text is an incredible resource for naturopaths and herbalists in their clinical practice. Kristin is a member of the Naturopaths and Herbalists Association of Australia (NHAA), has a great love of herbal medicine and is passionate about health education and providing clinicians with practical and innovative natural medicine strategies based on current research and clinical results.

Dr. Leila Masson is a Sydney based specialist paediatrician and author of “Children’s Health A-Z” a parent’s guide to natural therapies for common childhood ailments. She specialises in nutritional and environmental medicine for children’s health issues, including allergies, asthma, behavior problems, autism spectrum disorders and ADHD. She sees patients at her clinic in Tamarama and mentors doctors in integrative paediatrics. She received her medical doctorate from the Free University of Berlin and did her paediatric specialist training at the University of California in San Francisco. She received her Master in Public Health from Harvard University and her Diploma in Tropical Medicine from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Dr Masson has worked in the US, Europe, New Zealand, and volunteered for 2 years setting up a rural clinic in Pakistan.