Sarah Turton – Master Herbalist & Iridologist in Oxford

• Creator of The Turton Method

A Clear, Gentle Approach to Healing

I'm Sarah Turton, a Master Medicinal Herbalist and Iridologist, and founder of Oxford Herbal.

I work particularly with people whose health has become complex, whose symptoms keep returning, or who feel that the different parts of their health have never quite been looked at together.

Over years of clinical practice, I have become increasingly interested in what happens when we stop looking at symptoms in isolation and begin looking at health over time: what was normal for someone before things changed, what happened first, what followed, and what keeps returning.

That way of thinking now sits at the heart of my clinical work and The Turton Method.

Why I Do This Work

For many years I have watched people search for answers in all directions, often feeling unheard, dismissed or overwhelmed by conflicting advice. What interested me was not simply the symptom they arrived with, but the story behind it.

What had their health been like before? What changed first? What happened next? What had disappeared only to return months or years later?

The longer I have worked in practice, the more convinced I have become that changes in the body often leave clues. My work involves helping people notice those clues and explore the patterns they may form.

Herbal Medicine gave me the tools to work with the body. Iridology introduced me to a traditional framework for observing constitution and terrain. My clients taught me the importance of chronology, pattern recognition and listening carefully to what has changed over time.

Together, these influences have shaped the way I practise today.

Training & Professional Background

My journey into Herbal Medicine began with a one-year correspondence course at the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine. What began as curiosity soon developed into a deeper fascination with medicinal plants and their relationship with human health.

I went on to undertake four years of professional training at the Irish School of Herbal Medicine (now Core College), completing more than 600 hours of supervised clinical practice. As part of my studies, I wrote a dissertation exploring terrain theory — an approach concerned with the internal conditions of the body and their relationship to health and illness.

Before becoming a Herbalist, I spent 15 years working within the NHS as a medical secretary across several departments within Oxford University Hospitals, including Paediatrics, Ear, Nose and Throat, Plastic Surgery, Maxillofacial Surgery and finally Histopathology at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford.

I deliberately sought experience across different medical specialities to broaden my understanding of the human body and conventional healthcare.

That background left me with a strong respect for appropriate medical investigation and for Herbal Medicine working alongside, rather than in opposition to, conventional care.

My education has continued through further study with the Evolutionary School of Herbalism, Mills & Bone and Margi Flint, deepening my knowledge of traditional Western Herbal Medicine, constitutional assessment and clinical observation.

Professional Memberships

I am a member of the Association of Master Herbalists (AMH), the Irish Association of Master Herbalists (IMMAH) and the Association of Naturopathic Practitioners (ANP), and remain committed to continuing professional development.

What I Believe

I believe the body is constantly communicating.

A symptom matters, but so does what came before it. Changes in sleep, digestion, energy, mood, appetite, skin, pain and the way we respond to stress can become part of a much larger picture when we begin looking at them over time.

The body is not a collection of separate parts. It is a living system with a history.

When people begin to understand that history, they often become much better observers of their own health.

This belief lies at the heart of The Turton Method, my structured approach to exploring an individual's health history, constitution and changing patterns.

Rather than considering each symptom in isolation, I look at how different aspects of health may be connected, and what those connections might tell us about the person as a whole.

My Current Work

Alongside my clinical practice, I am writing The Body Never Lies, a book about learning to recognise the language of the body.

It grew directly from what I have observed in practice: people often know far more about their bodies than they realise. They remember when something changed, what was happening around that time, what came next and which seemingly unrelated symptoms appeared along the way. The difficulty is that nobody has taught them to regard those observations as meaningful.

The book explores how we can become better at noticing those changes, recognising patterns and understanding our own health history — without turning every sensation into something to fear or diagnose.

It is a natural continuation of the work I do in clinic: helping people understand their bodies rather than simply telling them what to do.

Away From the Clinic

Nature remains an important part of both my work and my life. I spend as much time as I can outdoors, particularly in woods and wild places, and my relationship with medicinal plants began long before they became something I dispensed from bottles.

For me, Herbal Medicine is ultimately about that relationship: between plants, people and the environments in which we live.

Working With Me

If your health has changed, symptoms keep returning, or you simply have the sense that the pieces of your health story have never quite been put together, my work begins by asking a very simple question:

What changed first?

I offer individual consultations at Oxford Herbal, bringing together traditional Herbal Medicine, careful observation and a considered understanding of your health history.

Book a free 20-minute discovery call to explore whether my approach is right for you.