A trust kept since 1860

Napiers the Herbalists was founded by Duncan Napier. Despite being abandoned at birth, he became an eminent Victorian botanist and the most famous herbalist in Scotland.

His legacy lives on to this day with original herbal remedies, natural therapeutic skincare, botanical beauty and herbal food supplements and teas that are second to none.

Humble beginnings

Abandoned by his mother at birth in 1831, Duncan was taken in and raised by a local innkeeper and his wife. He was routinely beaten and used little better than a slave.

At the age of 9, Duncan became an apprentice to a baker. However, the flour dust triggered a cough he could not shake off.

Looking for a cure, and inspired by his mentor John Hope, he left home at the age of 15 to attend Scientific Botany classes and later joined the Edinburgh Botanical Society.

He became interested in herbs and created his famed Lobelia Cough Syrup. The result was so successful that it inspired him to become a herbalist and open a shop to make herbal remedies available for the people of Edinburgh. 

Bristo Place

On 25 May 1860 Duncan opened a herbal shop in Bristo Place in Edinburgh.

People queued for hours to see him and find a herbal cure for their ailments.

At the weekends he walked the Scottish hills, collecting plants and herbs for his herbal remedies, sold as far away as New York. He became a well-respected member of the Medical Reformers of England and the British Pharmaceutical Society.

His three sons, and then his grandsons joined the business and it expanded to open stores in Glasgow and Bathgate.

Over the last 162 years, Napiers has become one of the UK's leading names in complementary and natural health care. We are dedicated to the best of health and wellbeing through the use of herbal medicine and other natural therapies. 

Prescription Tincture Blend - Napiers

Tried, tested & trusted

We proudly continue our founder Duncan Napier's dream "to provide an affordable choice of natural health care for all people".

Remaining true to our past, we develop combination herb formulas to treat the whole person and the whole body. Many of our medicines are also produced at traditional practitioner-strength dose levels.

Our motto is Tried, Tested & Trusted - and we live this daily. Our remedies have been tried by generations of people, who have tested them and returned to us decade after decade.

Napiers the Herbalists, now supplies Napiers herbal products to several hundred health stores and independent pharmacies in the UK.

All of our natural products are manufactured in the UK and we export them across the world.

Our "original formulas" are now supplied to Belif, the South Korean natural beauty brand.