Her story
A childhood surrounded by herbs
Hilde grew up near Frankfurt in Germany, in the small village of Zellhausen, where herbs were simply part of everyday life. Her mother kept a large garden filled with herbs, and when family members became unwell, herbal remedies were often part of how they were cared for.
It wasn't something Hilde thought of as unusual at the time — it was simply how things were done.
In November 1956, Hilde came to Australia with her mother, joining her older sister and aunt who were already living here. A year later, she began her nursing training — a combination of traditional herbal knowledge and formal healthcare experience that would shape much of her later work.
1985
From a newspaper column to an Australian herbal business
The turning point came in 1985, when a journalist from the Sunday Mail, Andrew Tobin, asked Hilde to write a weekly column about herbs and herbal remedies. She agreed.
The response from readers quickly revealed a problem: people were interested in the herbs Hilde was writing about, but many were difficult or impossible to buy in Australia. Readers began asking where they could find them.
Hilde contacted herbal wholesalers in Germany and began importing herbs that weren't readily available locally — the beginning of Hilde Hemmes' Herbals, which grew into a substantial Australian business supplying herbs, therapeutic herbal teas and traditional preparations through Herbal Supplies Pty Ltd in South Australia for decades.
Epilobium
Bringing little-known herbs into public conversation
One of the earliest herbs to attract significant attention was Epilobium, traditionally associated with prostate health. At the time, prostate problems were rarely discussed openly, and Epilobium was virtually unknown to most Australians.
After Hilde wrote about it in her column, interest grew rapidly — she recalls receiving an extraordinary number of testimonials from men who had begun using it. Looking back across more than four decades, she counts the number of men she believes she helped by raising awareness of prostate health at a time the subject was seldom discussed as one of the things she's most proud of.
Swedish Bitters
The story of Swedish Bitters
Hilde first came across Swedish Bitters while reading a German herbal book. Intrigued, she began recommending it alongside other traditional herbs in her newspaper column — and the response was remarkable.
By the time she wrote her first book, Hilde had already received many testimonials from people describing their experience with it. It went on to become one of the best-known and most successful products associated with Hilde Hemmes' Herbals.
1990
From teaching locally to teaching across Australia
As interest in herbs grew, Hilde found people wanted more than products — they wanted to learn. She began teaching small local classes, but classroom teaching could only reach people who lived nearby.
So the idea evolved: rather than restrict herbal education to a local audience, Hilde developed a correspondence course that let people study from home. In 1990, she established the Australian School of Herbal Medicine.
When she published Herbs and Health in 1992, she used the book to introduce the school to a much wider audience. What began as local classes had become a structured distance-education program — and over time it developed into the 12-lesson course ASOHM offers today, covering the foundations of herbal medicine, herbal preparations, health and disease, the major body systems and the traditional uses of more than 250 herbs.
Hilde's influence on the course
Clear explanations
Lessons are written to help students understand concepts without unnecessary complication.
Practical context
The course connects herbal knowledge with body systems, everyday wellbeing, and responsible learning.
Encouraging study
ASOHM is built around supportive self-paced learning rather than pressure or competition.
Author
Books and published work
Hilde has also brought her herbal knowledge to a wider audience through her writing.
Herbs and Health with Hilde Hemmes
A practical herbal reference featuring more than 160 herbal recipes, published through the Australian School of Herbal Medicine.
Detox and Live
A guide to herbal detox programs using therapeutic juices and herbal teas.
The Breuss Cancer Cure
Hilde helped bring Austrian naturopath Rudolf Breuss's work to English-speaking readers through this co-credited English-language edition.
Today
Finding another way to share herbal knowledge
As Australia's regulation of therapeutic products developed, the way herbal products could be promoted became increasingly restricted — advertising claims about herbal medicines are tightly controlled, including under the framework administered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. For Hilde, that became another reason to focus on education: where advertising could only say so much, teaching let people understand the history, traditions and practical knowledge behind herbs for themselves.
The original Herbal Supplies business has since closed, but the work at its heart continues through ASOHM. More than 40 years after she first began writing publicly about herbal medicine, and more than 35 years after founding the school, Hilde remains personally connected to ASOHM and its students — available to them directly by email throughout their studies.
Continue Hilde's learning pathway
- Read Hilde's herbal medicine books
- Explore the full ASOHM course outline
- Begin with one lesson or choose a package
- Follow ASOHM on Facebook and Instagram for updates