I come from Lithuania where it is common for people to use medicinal plants to help to treat or prevent disease. My parents have been using herbs all their life. I grew up in a household, where from time to time herbs would be collected, dried and turned into teas or tinctures (herbs steeped in a mixture of alcohol and water) that would be taken as a medicine or just as a health tonic. This is where my inspiration and interest in medicinal plants, commonly called herbs, come from.
Later in life, I decided to learn herbal medicine properly, and enrolled into a degree course in Herbal Medicine at UEL in London that took 6 years to complete (part time study). However, it was just the beginning of a journey. I have been deepening my knowledge and getting to know many wonderful plants (both in their natural habitat and in the herbal texts and scientific literature) non-stop since my graduation. Plants are my friends and I love meeting them and spending time with them, admiring them, smelling them, touching them, collecting them (sustainably!), eating them, meditating with them, you name it! I honestly think a life time is not enough to obtain all the knowledge because it is so vast!
I am deeply indebted to my husband, who, a plant lover too, not only shares my ramblings and excitements, but also encourages them. I live with my husband and my son in Ealing, West London, and practice in the area.
Publications:
Milovanova-Palmer & Pendry, “Is there a Role for Herbal Medicine in Treatment and Management of Periodontal Disease?”, Journal of Herbal Medicine, 12 (2018) 33-48
Conference Presentations:
Milovanova-Palmer, Oral Presentation “Is there a Role for Herbal Medicine in Treatment and Management of Periodontal Disease?” at International Dental Forum, London, July 2019
Contributions: Consultant, providing information on modern medicinal use of plants for the Exhibition “Seeing the Invisible: Medieval Hidden Heritage Revealed” at John Rylands Library, University of Manchester, 30 October 2019 – 8 March 2020