How Endometriosis Brought Me Back to Herbs

A personal story about loss, diagnosis, and rediscovering a path I had always known was mine.

I want to share something with you that I don't talk about often. Not because I'm ashamed of it, but because for a long time I didn't fully understand what was happening to me. And when I finally did, it changed everything.

In 2016, after years of symptoms I'd learned to push through, I was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis. If you're not familiar with it, endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places in the body. It affects roughly 1 in 10 women in the UK, and for many of us, the road to diagnosis is painfully long. The latest figures from Endometriosis UK put the average at over 9 years.

Mine was everywhere. All across my abdomen. My womb and bowel are fused together. Like so many women know, I had excision surgery via laparoscopy, and like so many women also know, the symptoms were back within about six months. That cycle of hope and disappointment is something I think only those who've been through it truly understand.

I kept going, the way you do. I had a career in auditing, a life to get on with. You learn to work around it.

When everything shifted

Around the same time, I lost my mum. Grief has a way of stripping things back to what really matters. And in that raw, quiet space after loss, something resurfaced that I hadn't given proper attention to in years.

Herbs.

I'd grown up with herbal knowledge passed down from my grandmother and her mother before her. It was never formal or taught from a book. It was just woven into daily life, absorbed through years of watching and listening. As a child, I soaked it up without even realising I was learning.

But as I grew up, I followed a different path. University, career, the usual route. The herbs were always there in the background, a quiet knowing I carried but never acted on.

Coming back to the path

After the diagnosis, I knew I needed to take things into my own hands. I'll be honest: I felt let down. There was very little guidance on how to navigate life with this condition, no meaningful follow-up, no real conversation about what I could do for myself beyond the surgical route. I fell through the net, and I know I'm not the only one.

I'm not saying ignore your doctors. Conventional medicine matters, and anyone experiencing symptoms should absolutely seek medical advice. But I also believe there is more we can do for ourselves alongside that, and for me, it started with a complete diet and lifestyle change. I looked at what I was eating, how I was moving, how I was resting, what I was putting in and on my body. All of it.

As part of that wider shift, I came back to herbs. I started reading again. Studying. Reconnecting with knowledge that had been passed down to me but that I'd set aside. Herbs like marigold and rosehips, both traditionally associated with supporting the body's natural response to inflammation, became part of my daily routine. Not as replacements for anything, but as gentle companions alongside everything else I was doing.

And I realised that what I'd been given as a child wasn't just recipes or remedies. It was a way of paying attention to the body. Of slowing down enough to notice what it's asking for.

It was never called wellness. It was never called anything. It was just knowing which plants to reach for and when, the way you know to put a coat on when it's cold.

That journey back to herbs is what became The Celtic Apothecary. Not overnight. It took years of quiet work - deepening my knowledge through formal study, finding ethical suppliers, learning where the wisdom I'd been given met the science. I'm still learning every day. I always will be. But the direction was set, and I want to share it with others.

Why I'm sharing this

I know there are others out there going through something similar. Maybe you've been diagnosed with endometriosis, or you're still waiting for answers. Maybe you've had the surgery and you're watching the symptoms creep back. Maybe you've felt let down by a system that wasn't built to support you long-term. Maybe you've always been drawn to herbs and natural approaches but never quite known where to start.

The Celtic Apothecary was built from my journey, and it exists for yours. Not to replace medical care, not to make promises about what any herb can do, but to offer something I believe matters: a place where plant medicine is taken seriously, sourced ethically, and shared with honesty.

Every herb I sell, I've chosen with care. I know where it comes from. I know its traditional uses. And I know that for many people, simply having access to quality dried herbs and someone who genuinely cares about helping you find the right ones can be the start of a meaningful shift in how you look after yourself.

Small steps, not grand gestures

One thing my journey has taught me is that herbal wellness doesn't need to be elaborate. It's not about overhauling your life overnight. It's about small, considered steps. A cup of chamomile before bed. Brewing a pot of peppermint after a heavy meal. Learning to listen to your body and respond with something gentle rather than reaching for the quick fix every time.

That's what I try to help others do, whether you're buying your first pouch of dried herbs or you've been working with plants for years.

A note on endometriosis: If you're experiencing symptoms such as chronic pelvic pain, painful periods, or fatigue that won't shift, please speak to your GP. The average diagnosis time in the UK is now over 9 years, so please don't give up pushing for answers. Endometriosis UK is a wonderful resource for support and information.

If any of this resonates, I'd love to hear from you. You can explore our herb collection, read more about common ailments and the herbs traditionally associated with them, or simply get in touch. I always reply personally.

Andrea x