It's six years since Lesley Robinson began her Holme Valley-based Little Herbal Company, selling a product inspired by an African witch doctor. Today she has celebrity customers and a successful, growing business. HILARIE STELFOX reports

MICHAEL WINNER is, apparently, a big fan of herbal remedies.

But not for himself, says Lesley Robinson, who is the brains behind The Little Herbal Company.

"He buys them for his friends. He'll ring up and say `Lesley darling can you send me some of that marvellous stuff'."

Barbara Windsor went public with the fact that she used one of Lesley's remedies, Simba, to help her fight off the devastating Epstein Barr infection that put her out of action for months.

Former Holme Valley actress Samantha Giles (Where the Heart Is and Emmerdale) is another Little Herbal Company fan. "We've also been mentioned in Carole Caplin's health book, Lifesmart," explained Lesley, who says she finds Cherie Blair's guru to be "a lovely person".

But it is not the celebrity purchasers who have made The Little Herbal Company what it is today. It is the thousands of ordinary customers who have bought the remedies and passed their recommendations on by word of mouth to their friends and relations.

That's why it has taken Lesley a good three or four years to see her business take off. In the last 18 months, however, turnover has increased sevenfold and this year's looks set to be a record one.

It's been a hard slog but Lesley feels that the products have proved themselves and she now has a satisfied and growing customer base.

She began back in 1999 by selling Themba, a cream aimed at people suffering from eczema and psoriasis. Lesley discovered the power of African herbs after being taken to a witch doctor while on holiday and treated successfully for a persistent knee injury.

From small beginnings, running a mail order business from her cottage in the Holme Valley, she quickly moved on to develop further products. Today Lesley and her family live in a farmhouse on the moors above Holmfirth. Her son-in-law Jan Danilo gave up a full- time job to join the business.

Lesley, who used to work in the pharmaceutical industry, recently launched her fourth herbal preparation, which is called Filisa (in Zulu this means "to make better").

Filisa is produced from a flowering shrub called Sutherlandia Frutescens, which is widely used in Africa for the treatment of stomach problems and internal cancers.

Research has found that the plant is naturally anti-viral, antibacterial and antifungal. It is used to fight depression and as an anti-inflammatory. It was widely used during the 1918 flu pandemic and is traditionally believed to shorten the duration and severity of the illness.

Lesley is excited about Filisa and has gathered together as much research on its safety and efficacy as she can, which she supplies to customers.

"The Zulu warriors used to take it when they had been to war to de-stress themselves; and their women took it because it eased their grief when their men died. Sutherlandia contains something called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is an inhibitory neuro transmitter. People who are stressed have a shortage of GABA so Sutherlandia puts this back into the body," explained Lesley.

She sees many potential uses for Filisa. "It is an adaptogen, which means it helps the body fight off illness and can be used for many different things. In Africa it is used to treat diabetes, cancer, HIV and Aids. It's also helpful for PMS and chronic fatigue," she added.

South African researchers have said that not only is Sutherlandia one of the most multi-purpose of medicinal plants it is also non-toxic and there are no reports of adverse affects from it.

The Little Herbal Company also sells a remedy made from the African Potato Tuber called Simba, which has attracted a lot of attention on the health pages of magazines and newspapers.

Simba is a rich natural source of plant sterols, subtances that maintain a strong immune sysem. They also have an anti-inflammatory action. Scientists at St James's Hospital in Leeds have found that the supplement increases the body's production of fighter cells. Dr Andy Wright, a Bolton GP who specialises in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome or MS, says that up to 60% of sufferers see an improvement when using Simba.

Lesley also sells the African Potato Tuber in a cream form, called Kuswera Zuro (the day before yesterday), and markets it as a super moisturiser and anti-ageing cream. However, customers have reported that the cream helps skin conditions such as acne rosacea.

Simba is also used by Dr Julian Kenyon in his work at the Dove Clinic in London. "We did a small clinical observation on chronic fatigue and breast cancer patients looking at their interferon gamma levels (part of the body's mechanism to fight disease) and found that in all cases their levels went up when they had Simba. (Pregnant or breastfeeding women and post-transplant patients should not use Simba).

"Herbal remedies are widely used in Africa, where healers work alongside doctors. Quite often people can't afford to go to hospital and have to rely on herbal medicines," said Lesley.

"But there's a lot of research now in South Africa in particular that is showing that the old remedies are powerful medicine," she added.

* The Little Herbal Company products can be seen at Dodds Health Store in Byram Street but most sales are by mail order. The website is www.littleherbal.co.uk (tel 01484 685100).

ACTRESS Samatha Giles, who has starred in both Emmerdale and Where the Heart Is, is a regular customer of The Little Herbal Company.

"I use Simba to balance my immune system. It keeps me well and, touch wood, I haven't been ill since taking it regularly. It also keeps your digestive system moving along nicely, which when you are filming funny hours is a godsend!

"I also take Filisa in times of stress of anxiety, which keeps me calm and able to deal with life's problems and stresses," says Samantha, who lived in the Holme Valley while working on the northern series.

"I much prefer using herbal medicine to over-the-counter remedies, as with these products you know what you are putting into your body and the effects are truly amazing," she added.