Andrew Flower

Andrew has been practising acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine since 1992. Since graduating he has gained a wide range of experience working in private practice as well as within the NHS and voluntary sector working with people with HIV/AIDS and with drug and alcohol addictions. He is a past President of the UK Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM) and has advised the European Herbal Traditional Practitioners Association (EHTPA) on developing research strategies in Europe.

In 2009 Andrew completed his PhD at The University of Southampton exploring the role of Chinese herbal medicine in the treatment of endometriosis. He has published a number of peer-reviewed papers relating to Chinese medicine research, including two Cochrane systematic reviews. He co-ordinated an EU project that prepared guidelines to improve the quality of clinical trials into Chinese medicine. In 2011 he was awarded a five year NIHR Post doctoral Fellowship to investigate Chinese herbs for the treatment of recurrent urinary tract infections (RUTIs) that has resulted in the RUTI trial that started recruiting in February 2016. He runs herbal clinics in London and Hove and has a special interest in providing supportive treatment for people with cancer. He is a founder member of the White Crane Academy and is passionate about the therapeutic potential of herbal medicines and the importance of rigorous training to ensure this potential is realised.