🌿 The Herb Souk

1. Who we are

The Herb Souk is operated by Charles John (trading as Akina Health & Beauty Clinic), a UK-based traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. Contact: cjnaturalhigh@msn.com · 07449 643310.

2. What data we collect

The Herb Souk app collects minimal data:

• Purchase data: When you purchase the app (£4.99), the payment is processed by the App Store (Apple) or Google Play. We receive only confirmation of purchase — not your payment details.
• Language preference: Stored locally on your device only. Never transmitted to us.
• Usage data: If you contact us via email or phone, we store your contact details solely to respond to your enquiry.

We do not collect, store, or process any personal health data entered into the app. All herb browsing and search activity occurs entirely on your device.

3. How we use data

• To verify your purchase and unlock app content
• To respond to consultation enquiries you send to us
• To improve the app based on aggregated, anonymous usage patterns (if analytics are enabled — see below)

4. Analytics

The Herb Souk does not currently use third-party analytics. If this changes, this policy will be updated and you will be notified via an app update.

5. Third-party services

• Unsplash: Herb photographs are loaded from Unsplash's CDN. Unsplash's privacy policy applies to image requests: unsplash.com/privacy
• Google Fonts: Typography loaded from Google Fonts. Google's privacy policy applies: policies.google.com/privacy
• Apple App Store / Google Play: Purchase and distribution managed by Apple and Google respectively. Their privacy policies govern those transactions.

6. Data storage and security

Your language preference is stored in your device's local storage only — it never leaves your device. We do not operate servers that store personal user data from the app.

Consultation enquiries sent via email are stored in our email system (Microsoft Outlook) and treated with full confidentiality in accordance with our clinical data protection obligations.

7. Your rights (UK GDPR)

As a UK-based service, we comply with UK GDPR. You have the right to:

• Access any personal data we hold about you
• Request correction or deletion of your data
• Object to processing of your data
• Data portability
• Lodge a complaint with the ICO (ico.org.uk)

8. Children

The Herb Souk is suitable for users aged 13 and over. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13. The app does not contain content inappropriate for younger users.

9. Health disclaimer

The Herb Souk is an educational reference tool. The information provided does not constitute medical advice and should not replace consultation with a qualified healthcare professional. Always consult your GP or a qualified practitioner before using herbs medicinally, especially if pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking prescription medication.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the app evolves. Significant changes will be communicated via an app update notification. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

AI Translation Service

The Herb Souk uses Claude AI (Anthropic, Inc.) to provide real-time translation of herb content. When you select a non-English language and view a herb profile, the text content of that herb profile is sent to Anthropic's API for translation. No personal data, device identifiers, or user information is included in translation requests. Anthropic's privacy policy governs the processing of translation requests: anthropic.com/privacy. Translation data is not stored by Anthropic beyond the immediate request. You may opt out of AI translation by selecting English as your language.