No.1 Herbal Medicine Expert: This Over The Counter Drug Is Quietly Killing You & They’re Lying About Medicinal Plants!

Simon Mills (0:00)

That is the most widely prescribed drug in this country, and I believe in the US also. But the list of problems accruing from long term use is beginning to grow and there's serious cancers, dementias, but the other thing is, is that once you're on it, it's really difficult to come off it. And that's not all. We use far too many antibiotics and that's coming a serious health issue now, because a number of people dying from antibiotic resistance infections is beginning to rise dramatically. It's quite frightening.

Steven Bartlett (0:28)

So are there alternatives on this table that I should also consider as a form of medicine?

Simon Mills (0:32)

Oh, yes. And most of these ones I'm going to be talking about have a pretty immediate effect. Now have a bite of this.

Steven Bartlett (0:39)

Whoa.

SPEAKER_3 (0:39)

For almost 50 years, Dr. Simon Mills has pioneered how we think about natural medicine, earning global recognition as one of the most respected and influential herbal practitioners of our time.

Simon Mills (0:50)

These things have medicinal properties. So let's start with dark chocolate. In terms of long-term brain health and cardiovascular health, that's one of the best medicines around.

Steven Bartlett (1:00)

Really?

Simon Mills (1:01)

Oh, yes. The next one is garlic. And in some parts of the world, they use garlic instead of penicillin. In fact, there was an old trick where if you had enough garlic, breathe on a petri dish and you could kill various pathogens just by your breath.

Steven Bartlett (1:12)

Wow.

Simon Mills (1:13)

And then there's this to reduce your cholesterol levels. This can really help with your eyesight. This is your blood flow, gut health, cardiovascular health. Now this is one of the ones to watch in terms of long-term brain health.

Rosemary, we actually did a clinical trial on this. All you need to do is press it and sniff. So you can see why some of this stuff already is powerful. Now we have more to go through and this is where it gets interesting. There's a lot of people listening who will want to hear this. Coffee.

Steven Bartlett (1:38)

Oh, God. What do I need to know?

Simon Mills (1:40)

So.

Steven Bartlett (1:46)

Simon Mills, you are a pioneer by all accounts in what is called complementary medicine, but you're also one of the most respected herbal practitioners in the world. You've been doing this for more than 50 years. I've actually never spoken to somebody that has a comprehensive understanding of herbal remedies and herbal medicine. So I'm super excited to have this conversation with you today. What is the mission you're on, and why do you think it's important?

Simon Mills (2:14)

I think my main mission is to do what I can to help people get stronger. I sometimes say that, you know, the world is pretty rough out there. I can't do anything about the sea and the waves, but I can help you to build a better boat that can sit better in the water. And I think people relate to that, that if they were felt a bit stronger in themselves, they would be able to cope better with what life throws at them. I chose plants because people have always used plants as their primary source of medicine. People have always grown up with plants. They've evolved along with plants. And what I aim to do is to put the old wisdoms into some scientific framework and then make it fit with conventional norms of healthcare.

Steven Bartlett (3:07)

You were a board member of the British Herbal Medicine Association. You're the first chair of the Council for Complementary and Alternative Medicine launched in Parliament by former Prime Minister Alec Douglas Home. You led a major European Commission project on herbal medicine involving over 20 centres across Europe. You're the secretary of the European Scientific Cooperative on...

Simon Mills (3:31)

Phytotherapy.

Steven Bartlett (3:32)

I was not able to say that word.

Simon Mills (3:34)

Which is the polite way of saying herbs. So it's phytoplant therapy.

Steven Bartlett (3:40)

I think when people think about herbal medicine and using plants as a form of medicine, they think of tribes and they think of, I don't know, sort of ancient Chinese traditions. And I think, you know, the modern Westerner thinks of pills.

Simon Mills (3:55)

Yes.

Steven Bartlett (3:55)

When they think of medicine.

Simon Mills (3:56)

Yes.

Steven Bartlett (3:58)

What is it that we've lost? Is there like a lost wisdom?

Simon Mills (4:02)

Yes.

Steven Bartlett (4:03)

And how did that happen? And what is it we've lost?

Simon Mills (4:06)

When we lived in the countryside, when we lived close to nature, that was very much around us. And in every little community, there'd be someone, usually a woman, who would know their way around the plants and would help you out when you had an illness and a sickness. I'm not saying that there's a golden age, but when we moved into cities, we lost a lot. Apart from anything else, we were living on top of each other. We had to drink each other's water. You know, there was a lot of new illnesses, sicknesses, pestilences and so on that only came in cities. In that world, the herbs couldn't cut it. So we needed stronger stuff. So they started using minerals. They started using things that were poisons. And the original physician's job was to be the only guy who could handle medicines that other people would not be safe to use. And so you've got your training to use these much more powerful medicines. And it was thought that the old plant things were too soft and gentle. And so they were generally discarded. And then you develop these medicines into pills because often they were powders anyway. And you know, then the pharmaceutical industry came in and branded and made proprietary materials from them. And that drifted a long way from just going down to a hedgerow, going into the garden, going to the kitchen and picking up remedies.