This post explains what herbalists are looking for when we ask for your past and present medications and supplements.
It also explains the level of detail we need and why we’re asking.
This guide was written for my patients but should be useful to most people seeing a complementary therapist, especially a herbalist or naturopath.
Hopefully this helps you fill out the intake form or what to bring to your first consultation if you’d rather discuss them during the consultation. The more of the intake form you fill out, the more streamlined and focused our session can be.
The Importance of the Medication & Supplement History
This part of the intake form is often skipped over or rushed, but it’s one of the most important parts.
Many of the things we take aren’t obviously medicine but still influence our health story and the safety of other medications, supplements, or herbs.
Why I'm asking
Safety
Medications, supplements, and herbs often take similar routes through the body. Some combinations require dose adjustment, some will undermine each other, some will increase each other’s effects, and some shouldn't be combined at all. Accurate details about what you're taking now allows me to make safe recommendations.
Understanding your history
Past medications (even from childhood) can be relevant clues in your health story. A course of antibiotics at age five, a steroid prescription at sixteen, or long-term oral contraception may offer clues about what we're seeing now. This tells us something useful regardless of whether or not the medication contributed to the problem.
Deficiencies and residues
Long-term or repeated medication use can lead to nutrient deficiencies, alter gut flora, or affect organ function for a while after you’ve stopped taking them. Knowing your medication history helps me anticipate what support you might need.
What to include
When detailing your medications / supplements please include:
Everything in these categories
Regardless of it’s relevance to issue you’re bringing to the consultation, please include:
Medications for other conditions
e.g. thyroid, blood pressure, contraception, mental health
Over-the-counter pain relief, antacids, antihistamines, sleep aids
Supplements
e.g. vitamins, minerals, oils, protein powders, fitness supplements
Herbs
e.g. capsules, tinctures, teas, proprietary blends
Beauty or wellness products containing active ingredients
e.g. collagen, biotin, hair/nails/skin formulas
Recreational substances and alcohol
Anything prescribed or recommended by another practitioner
including a GP, consultant, nutritionist, another herbalist, or mental health provider
For anything you’re currently taking
I need as much accuracy as possible here. Try to give me:
Name (brand name or generic name)
Form (e.g. if you’re taking magnesium is it glycinate, citrate, etc)
Strength / dose (e.g. 500 mg, 400 IU, 5 ml)
How often (e.g. twice daily, weekly, as needed)
How long for (e.g. three months, two years, since 2019)
Spelling doesn't matter.
For anything you’ve taken in the past
Estimates from memory are fine here. I’d like to see:
Roughly when (childhood, teens, 2010s, last five years)
How long you took it (a few weeks, six months, several years)
What it was for (if you remember. e.g. antibiotics for recurrent throat infections, oral contraception for heavy periods)
Whether it seemed to help, cause issues, or do nothing
The goal is just to roughly map your health history, not create a perfect record.
Memory jogger lists - commonly forgotten items
Medications
Pain relief: paracetamol, ibuprofen, aspirin, topical pain relief
Digestive: antacids, omeprazole, laxatives, anti-diarrhoeals
Allergy and breathing: antihistamines, nasal sprays, inhalers, night-time cold remedies
Hormonal: contraceptive pill, patches, rings, implants, hormonal coils. various kinds of HRT.
Mental health: antidepressants, sleeping tablets, beta-blockers
Blood thinners: warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, clopidogrel, low-dose aspirin
Short courses: antibiotics, migraine tablets, travel medication
Supplements
Vitamin D
multivitamins
iron
omega-3
calcium
magnesium
zinc
selenium
CoQ10
probiotics
protein powders
creatine
electrolytes
collagen
Herbs
St John's wort
ginkgo
ginseng
ashwagandha
valerian
passionflower
liquorice
turmeric
senna
saw palmetto
black cohosh
echinacea
aloe vera
anything in proprietary blends
Beauty and wellness products with active ingredients
Many "cosmetic" supplements contain herbs or compounds that affect prescribing:
Hair, skin and nails formulas (often high-biotin, silica, horsetail)
Collagen supplements
Detox or cleanse blends (may contain laxatives or diuretics)
Weight management products (may contain stimulants, thyroid-affecting ingredients)
Pre-workout or performance formulas (stimulants, nitrates)
Foods and drinks
Grapefruit & grapefruit juice (increases the bioavailable amount of many medications, which can increase the amount in your body above safe levels)
Cranberry juice (relevant with blood thinners)
Seaweed or kelp (iodine rich)
Liquorice in sweets and teas (can change blood pressure and potassium levels)
What if I don't know exact details?
For current items: provide what you do know and tell me where the gaps are. "Something for cholesterol, one tablet daily, taken for a few years" is much more useful than nothing.
If I know the full list of diagnoses you've been given, then I can avoid any herbs that are contraindicated with medication commonly prescribed for those conditions.
This means I have a much smaller selection of herbs to work with but it ensures we avoid any unwanted interactions.
For past items: anything you can remember will do.
If anything comes to mind later (during our consultation, after you've looked at your medicine cabinet, once you've checked old prescriptions, etc) email it to me. I'll add it to your case notes.
Photograph your labels
Taking photos is usually easier and more accurate than typing.
What to photograph:
Front and back of bottle/packaging
Any labels with strength, dosage instructions, or ingredients
Repeat prescription slips
Where to send them:
Reply to your appointment confirmation email
Attach to your completed intake form
Send to my email at cora.inkster@pm.me
If you prefer, have your bottles with you during your online consultation and we can go through them together.
How to do this efficiently
Sweep the house - bathroom cabinet, kitchen drawer, bedside table, handbag, coat pockets
Check your email/phone - your online order history shows what you've bought
Find your pharmacy printout
Write basic info - an incomplete entry is a better clue than nothing.
You can always add more later if you remember more.
This isn't a moral inventory
Sometimes people have difficulty with this section of the intake form because they worry they'll be judged.
Rest assured, I don’t ascribe any value judgement to the tools we use to enhance our health or enjoyment of life. I'm purely gathering information so I can make safe and appropriate recommendations.
If you have any other questions about the intake form, reply to your appointment confirmation email or contact me at cora.inkster@pm.me .
Summary Checklist
Prescribed: tablets, inhalers, creams, patches, injections, drops, contraceptives, HRT
Over the counter: painkillers, antacids, antihistamines, laxatives, sleep aids, cold remedies
Supplements: vitamins, minerals, oils, probiotics, powders, electrolytes
Herbs: capsules, tinctures, teas, blends, anything from a health shop or online
Beauty/wellness: hair, skin, nails formulas, collagen, detox blends
Foods and drinks: grapefruit, cranberry, kelp, liquorice
Other: alcohol, recreational substances, anything from another practitioner
Details needed:
Current items: name - dose - how often - how long
Past items: roughly when - how long - what it was for - seemed to help/harm/nothing
