Professor Kerry Bone is the co-founder and innovation driver at MediHerb, a herbal supply company, where he serves as Director of Research and Development. In 2016 MediHerb was awarded the American Botanical Council’s (ABC’s) Varro E. Tyler Award for excellence in Phytomedicinal Research. Kerry is Principal of the Australian College of Phytotherapy and also Adjunct Professor at New York Chiropractic College, providing input into their postgraduate applied nutrition program. He also founded the successful Masters of Health Science (Herbal Medicine) course at the University of New England in 2004, and served there as Associate Professor from 2004 to 2012. 

He has also written or co-written several popular textbooks on botanical medicine, including his latest with Herbal Reality host Simon Mills, Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy, which was awarded the 2013 James A. Duke Excellence in Botanical Literature Award by the ABC. 

This rich and in-depth conversation showcases the importance of phytotherapy within herbalism, a science-based medical practice which relies on an empirical appreciation of medicinal herbs, linking back to traditional knowledge and practice. A pioneer, who has dedicated his career to the research and development of herbs, it’s widely believed by those in the industry that no one can eclipse Kerry in his herbal expertise.

Kerry talks on:

• His journey into herbal medicine and why the advice not to study medicine was the right one.
• The beginnings of MediHerb via a desire to increase herbal dosage strength.
• Why the process of extraction is critical to quality and efficacy of herbs.
• Adulterations and substitution in herbal processing - the echinacea trap!
• Tackling problems with herbal education and producing the first standard herbal medicine textbook.
• Being a grumpy old herbalist and calling out misinformation and exaggerated claims that damage the industry.
• The importance of referencing herbs and peer reviewing of clinical papers.
• Adequate dosages - counterproductivity & efficacy of drop-dosing.
• Why the bio-medical scientist is the herbalist’s new best friend

Discover more about Kerry Bone and his books at www.millsandboneacademy.com

Find out more about Herbal Reality on Instagram @herbal.reality or visit www.herbalreality.com 

Herbcast is produced by Decibelle Creative: @decibelle_creative / www.decibellecreative.com