Avicenna Natural Products Inc.

Joe Nasr, D.PHYT., DO, MNIMH

Founder of Avicenna in UK

From his early childhood, Joseph developed a keen interest and deep attachment to the plants of the terraced hills of the old village of his birthplace in Mount Lebanon. A mysterious and chronic illness that beset his mother prompted him to seek for cures and eventually guided him to the field of complementary medicine.

With the outbreak of the Lebanese civil war in 1975, he continued his education in the UK where he eventually qualified in 1982 with a diploma in Phytotherapy and later also achieved a diploma in Osteopathy. These qualifications entitled him to become a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, and the General Council and Register of Osteopaths. He has practised as a medical herbalist and osteopath and also lectured extensively in the field of herbal medicine and wrote many courses and examination papers.

At the present he practices as a medical herbalist and is a senior lecturer in herbal medicine at the University of Central Lancashire in Preston. The rest of his working time is devoted to working with the organic growing of herbs and the production of high quality herbal extracts and Aromatic Waters using new improved distillation methods. This is carried-out through Avicenna, a company that he founded in 1998 and continues to manage and operate with his immediate family members.

Susan Ingram

Customer Service Associate

Susan Ingram was born and raised on a small family farm on the Canadian Prairies where she spent much of her childhood roaming the fields and woodlands near her home. Her mother knew all the plants by their Latin and Common names and her father had an incredible love for the land. Susan came away with a deep knowledge and abiding respect for nature and her love for natural healing came from this.

While Susan was a Midwife amongst the Ontario Amish, she was privileged to learn much regarding herbs and healing from these good people.

Avicenna has been a natural progression for Susan, allowing her to share her experience and further her knowledge of natural medicine.

Heather Newman

Customer Service Associate

Born and raised in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Heather began working at the Pointe-Claire Holistic Centre in 2005. There she was surrounded by experienced holistic healers and was able to learn about and work with healing foods, homeopathic and herbal remedies, and various natural supplements. That same year, she made her first visit to British Columbia and was drawn to the region due to its majestic natural beauty and progressive mentality.  While doing her  Baccalaureate in specialization psychology at Concordia University, she became interested in neuropsychology and neurological rehabilitation.

She went on to obtain her Hatha yoga teacher certification and quickly began teaching adapted yoga to older adults with mobility issues. Shortly thereafter she also began teaching young people with substance abuse disorders with a focus on overcoming the underlying factors of anxiety and depression. These teaching experiences allowed her to witness the mind-body connection at work and demonstrated the need for an integrative approach to both physical and mental health. Heather finally moved to Vancouver in September of 2011and began working at Avicenna in December.  Her work thus far at Avicenna has furthered her learning and reinforced her love of natural medicine.