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Challenge, Tension And Possibility: An Exploration Into Contemporary Western Herbal Medicine In Australia, Sue Evans

Dr Sue Evans

This thesis is about the contemporary challenges facing herbal medicine. Specifically it concerns the difficulties faced by Australian herbalists in their attempts to maintain authority over the knowledge base of their craft and a connection with traditional understandings of the uses of plant medicines, while at the same time engaging with biomedicine and the broader Australian healthcare system. It contributes to the study of the nascent field of qualitative studies in contemporary western herbal medicine by making three main arguments. Firstly, Australian herbal medicine is characterised by its origins as a European colonial practice and its history of professional marginalisation …