Many of you know Abigail Francis for her exceptional work in Naturopathy and many of us have benefited from her amazing herbs herbal remedies in our colonic clinics, but who is Abigail beyond her profession?
Born in Barton Turf, on the edge of the beautiful Norfolk Broads, Abigail enjoyed a happy childhood immersed in nature-sailing, fishing, and relishing fresh air. Despite coming from a family rooted in medicine she knew from an early age that she wanted a different path. Instead of following in her family footsteps she embarked on an adventurous career in the merchant navy, working on cargo ships across the Atlantic, Baltic and Mediterranean sea.
Her life journey took a new direction in 1988 when she decided to train as a Herbalist and Naturopath, gaining a wealth of knowledge that led to some of her works becoming published. Over the years her expertise in Western herbal medicine took her across the globe lecturing in countries such as Borneo, Singapore and Australia.
Beyond herbalism Abigail pursued multiple career paths with an impressive commitment to teaching. She dedicated seven years to teaching Iridology and five years to teaching Colonic Hydrotherapy. Her passion for understanding the human body led her to complete a herbal dissertation on the colon, its function, pathology and health implications. She was trained in Colonic Hydrotherapy by Milo Siewert, the esteemed founder of ARCH, an organisation we are all proud to be part of. Recognising her expertise, Roger Gross invited Abigail to co-teach at the NCCH, where she taught colonic hydrotherapy for five years.
Abigail and Roger later married sharing a deep bond and a happy life together until his sudden passing in March 2024.
In addition to her teaching and clinical work, Abigail plays a vital role in professional accreditation. She works alongside the GNC on their accreditation board and serves as an independent external examiner for the CNM herbal medicine course. In 2003 she joined ARCH and became a committee member in 2004 where she sat on the committee for many years. Though her resent loss has been profound, she hopes to ease back into these roles in time.
Abigail’s lifetime of work and dedication is truly outstanding and ARCH should feel immensely proud to have her as its current president. As she navigates this new chapter in her life, she is also honouring the dream she and Roger shared, cultivating their beautiful three acres of land growing fruit and vegetables they have nurtured from seed.
Her story is one of passion, resilience and unwavering dedication and we are privileged to have her leadership and expertise within our community.
Written by Susan Briggs
ARCH Colonic Therapist
© ARCH 2026