Posts By: Lucy Blunden

Move Mountains with me

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Lucy Blunden - Adaptogens, Appointments, Change, EFT, Emotional health, How seeing a herbalist works, Nervines, The herbalist, The herbs

National Stress Awareness Week

How I reduce your stress with herbs and EFT

So, we all know how it feels to be stressed. We all know what it’s like in our bodies, in our minds and how it impacts on us.

Or, do we?

Do you notice the relentless micro-stressors in your daily life? Do you feel the constant onslaught of more things to do and get done, more blips on your phone nagging at you, your children tugging your sleeve wanting things and maybe your partner asking for things from you too?

Sometimes, you will and you feel ok about it and sometimes, it all builds up into TOO MUCH and that’s when we might eg shout at someone we love and then feel guilty. It’s a relentless cycle sometimes.

How can herbs help me with that? That’s just in my head, isn’t it? It’s up to me to be more controlled and in control of myself. Right?

How’s that been going for you?

Adaptogens

As a herbalist, I have an entire armoury of wonderful medicines at my disposal to support you. There are different ways of approaching it. If you are feeling stressed and that’s the predominant feature, I can prescribe one out of many different adaptogens. These literally do what they say – they assist your mind and body adapt to stress.

My most recent work with a patient who is taking the lovely adaptogen Withania somnifera has been remarkable. Withania is indicated in many scenarios but particularly for the ‘tired and wired’ and can be brilliant for busy, working mums. We’re also using EFT-tapping and she’s finding the ramifications of the double-pronged approach and subtle changes to be really far-reaching:

She is calmer at work, choosing to lead with love (she’s in what she describes as a ruthless industry)
She has told me that she has chosen the humble path with her husband and that an argument was diffused and she felt much stronger and less petty

These changes are not directed by me, she is growing them from within her as she feels stronger and more at peace. How much more peaceful (and less stressful) are the choice of humility and love? Those outcomes may not completely resonate for you but these outcomes feel right for this person.

Don’t forget nervines…

A medicinal preparation, usually of herbal origin, which is said to act on the nervous system, reduce anxiety and tension (nervine relaxant), and stimulate or strengthen neural function.
https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/nervine

Nervines calm you by soothing and nourishing the nervous system. We have a wide variety of nervine herbs with subtly differing actions – some also support the digestion, some support the gynaecological system, some the muscularskeletal system and others the cardiovascular system. I choose the herbs which align most closely with your experience. Is feeling stressed sending your blood pressure through the roof? There’s a herb for that. Are you getting palpitations when you’re uptight? There’s a herb for that. Do you get bloating in your belly? There’s loads of herbs for that!

I would use a nervous system trophorestorative when someone’s body is far out of whack with what would be considered normal rhythms and responses. Perhaps you’re a hypervigilant new mum who can’t fall asleep as every noise triggers an ‘alarm’ response preventing the ‘permission’ to sink into sleep. Or a distressed student who is feeling totally overwhelmed and panicked by the volume of work they have to tackle and the upcoming assessments and deadlines. Maybe the business person who lies awake half the night, then eventually oversleeps and ends up dashing for the train every morning…

Maybe one of those describes you?

When we work together and using herbs and healthful food choices to nudge the body back to a state of wellness and the EFT to clear out habitual patterns of emotional responses, we can, almost literally, move mountains. Those old thought patterns get tapped away so that the herbally nourished body can flourish.

I have seen it time and again. When our frenetic brains lead the way and we forget our bodies, then we can move out of balance and into a situation of illness. Often something with no name but a collection of life-impacting symptoms. Maybe it’s a dodgy digestion, hurting head, aches and pains, tired all the time…? There are so many annoying ways our clever body devises to send out the SOS signals. My job is to hear them and help you to find the best ways to soothe them and take notice in a constructive, reparative way.

Sounds difficult? Not got time? We do it in ways which work for you and with your routines. Baby steps or giant leaps, whatever you need and are ready for. There is no set path as it is entirely tailored to you. Every prescription is different. Every bit of advice on food and lifestyle. Each takes into account what you can do and manage. This mountain is not moved in one day and not by you on your own. We’re in this together, picking up the pebbles and step-by-step, moving your mountain.

Let’s do it! Contact me to support you in choosing the pebbles to move to become a less stressed and healthier you.

My story: Nia

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Lucy Blunden - My Story

Are you an exercise bunny? Do you love to run/workout/push yourself physically?

I have never been like that. I don’t ever remember a time when being physical was something I enjoyed. I cried throughout the entire cross country run at school, not because I wanted attention but because it felt so awful. I can’t even explain why I hated it so much, I just did.

This week, aware that I am not doing much in the way of exercise at the moment, I tried a new class. I like to do a class. The structure and commitment is helpful for me as is the sense of belonging to something. I met Michele a few years ago and was struck by her glowing personality and beaming smile. Our paths recently crossed once more in 2-day workshop with Sue Stone (and that’s a whole other story!) arranged by Tamara Donn and again I was struck by her lightness, her easy way with people and the way she seems to move happily in her life, mind and body. So, after investigating her website, watching her YouTube video, I signed up for a class. Nia with Michele Kaye in Kings Langley. The Monday Morning class fits perfectly with my schedule AND it is outdoors! Wow.

I’ll own that I was a little apprehensive but, talking to Michele and hearing that there weren’t yet many attendees in this class, I felt better about trying this new thing out without feeling ‘observed’ or ‘scrutinised’. The November day dawned bright and clear – no chance of it being cancelled then – and I arrived in the Steiner School Rose Garden with Michele. I was still a bit unsure what to expect…

Michele had a bluetooth speaker and she began playing some gentle but beat-moving music. I hate the kind of banging, super-loud beat-intense ‘driving’ music most exercise classes choose but this felt right.

And, we began. I loved the combination of fluid movements, the focus on each area of the body without drawing much overt attention to it. The invitation to move as much or as little as I wanted to, to rest if I needed and the sense that anything would be OK. Anything I did would be acceptable. I wasn’t worried about getting it ‘wrong’. I could look up into the sky. I could hear the birds. I could breathe the fresh air. I could move. And, move I did. I have always loved the sensuous movements of undulation and there was opportunity to explore that, to wave my arms around, to kick my legs and all of it just felt good. I simply enjoyed using my body.

Now, this is an ‘exercise’ I feel I could get into and I can’t wait for the next session!

Incidentally, I was never made to do cross country again (which was a rarity in my school)!

What do you enjoy doing?

My story: Anxiety

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Lucy Blunden - Change, EFT, Events, Tapping

“I had heard people talk about feeling anxious and thought it sounded a bit feeble, as though they were being weak”

Then, I found myself in a situation where my adrenaline was surging as though I were about to be run over by a car, that instant, all day and every day for months. This was a lot more than being a ‘bit worried’ about something.

I couldn’t understand what was happening to me. I couldn’t understand why this thing had landed upon me. I had no idea what to do about it. And, this was with a BSc (Hons) degree in herbal medicine! I felt utterly under the control of this physiological happening and it was terrifying.

I lost a ton of weight as food looked like mud, tasted worse and the smell of it triggered nausea in me. I feared that I had broken part of my body’s functioning. It was desparate. I was desparate. And, nothing I did, or tried to get help with, helped me in any way. The first time, I am not sure how it went away but, eventually, it did and I became me again.

Recently, I have had a 5-day spell of the same feelings. I felt horrified when it kicked off, remembering that it went on for months. I had knots in my stomach, my scalp was prickling and cold, my body was gripped with vice-like tension and my stomach lurched at every thought which was anything other than as benign as ‘I’ll go and wash my hands’. My guts were gurgling. Food threatened to come back up. Anything smelly made me want to vomit. My stomach felt like it was in my mouth all the time and the area of my chest around my heart chakra was prickly and it felt prickly down my arm too.

Being a well-resourced person, I upped my Magnesium dosages which felt good. I had a shiatsu appointment to clear some of the energy and tension. I made up a Bach Flower Remedies combination which was very holding and supportive. I put together herbs to calm my nervous system, nourish my adrenal glands and bring me a sense of being loved. They all helped massively and got me through the day, enabled me to function. BUT, I was still in the grip of this frequently surging adrenaline-anxiety and its symptoms. I could bring them down but not ‘get rid of them’. I couldn’t seem to stop them being triggered. I couldn’t find a place of personal safety which allowed my body to stand down. To stop preparing me to fight or flee for my life. And, I was exhausted. It is exhausting feeling as though you are constantly in peril.

So, what did I do? I used EFT-tapping. I worked with a colleague and we tapped together on the feelings in my body, the things I thought might be at the root of it.

And, we got there! I had that moment of clear revelation when you know you’ve hit the nail on the head. It took one hour. Just one hour. It’s not always that quick but sometimes, it really is.

I won’t go into the deeper details but suffice to say, it was linked to an event in my past which was so powerful that it made me feel incapable of making decisions for myself. That I needed approval for everything to be sure of not getting it wrong and that this single episode in my past had such a grip on my subconscious that it had the power to leave me a quivering mess. And, I really felt a mess. Such an incomprehensibly out of control mess.

The beauty of EFT-tapping is that alongside finding this very core event (which triggered the unconscious belief that I was not capable of making good/right decisions for myself), I could tap on the feelings, the sensations in my body and release them. Some things didn’t go right away and the day after I was left with some residual bodily sensations. But, most importantly, when I awoke, I wasn’t frightened, I wasn’t cowed, I felt elated. I felt that sense of freedom that comes when you are unshackled from an invisible weight which has held you down for decades. Held me down.

I love how powerful EFT-tapping is.

If you would like to work on the things which are holding you down, keeping your body in a stuck place, get in touch.

Hypertension

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Lucy Blunden - Appointments, EFT, Tapping, The body

Millstone diagnosis or manageable condition?

The diagnosis of high blood pressure (primary hypertension) can be a difficult thing to receive. If you have received this diagnosis, you’re not alone. It’s pretty common; 1/3 of adult-folk in the UK have hypertension but may not even know. Hypertension brings with it so many comorbidities and due to side effects, pharmaceutical medication doesn’t always seem the right answer even if it reduces risk of the resultant complications.

The risks of untreated hypertension:

Heart disease
Kidney failure
Stroke
Dementia and more

So, what do you do?

As a herbalist, you won’t be suprised to hear that I think that the introduction of herbs into your daily routine is a good plan. There are many herbs which will help to reduce blood pressure and I won’t list them here are the sheer number would seem overwhelming and not lead you to a way of making choices about those herbs for yourself. And, if I only suggested herbs, it would be a bit like putting you on BP meds for the rest of your life. They may not have the same negative side effects but you would likely take them in an on-going manner.

What other interventions would also be required? As you might expect with personalised medicine, there is no one size fits all. This might sound like a bit of a downer if you were hoping for a quick win, but really, it’s brilliant as it gives so many more options of things to try.

The majority of factors, as with so many chronic conditions, can be attributed to lifestyle.

Stress. We all know that lowering stress can be easier said than done. There are herbs to assist with that, foods which assist with that and, in my experience, EFT-tapping helps with that as well. All tools which you would receive guidance on in an appointment with me.
A missing nutrient for many is magnesium and dosing with magnesium can reduce anxiety, body tension and lower blood pressure.
Insulin resistance is a contributing factor as well and tackling that will improve many other areas of your health as well
Do you snore? If you do, then sleep apnoea (another, perhaps surprising, factor which can influence blood pressure) is likely featuring in your life and could do with some attention.
Inflammation is a root cause factor in many, many diseases and conditions. Reduce inflammation with dietary changes, herbs, improving sleep and lowering stress

But what can I do about all this?

Does reading this make you feel more stressed and anxious? Do you feel stuck, overwhelmed and unable to help yourself?

First things first. Take a deep breath and allow yourself a moment or two to settle. Then, try this tapping sequence to support your blood pressure health: Tapping for High Blood Pressure

Hypertension is known as the silent killer. It is a serious health condition which you can be empowered to manage through dietary, lifestyle and other factors such as herbal medicines. If you would like support in lowering your blood pressure, get in touch so that we can discuss an appointment for your health journey to begin.

Completely conkers; a herbalist’s weekend!

Posted on October 11, 2021 by Lucy Blunden - Foraging

What did you do this weekend?

It’s quite likely that you saw family, went out with friends, did some shopping, cooking, washing. Am I right?

Well, I did many of those things too but being a herbalist often means I do things others simply don’t! This weekend, I also processed a large bag of horse chestnuts/conkers ready for using as washing liquid soap for clothes ! Yup, I spent a fair proportion of my weekend blitzing and dehydrating several kilos of conkers.

Conker-medicine

The seeds of Aesculus hipppocastanum are frequently used in herbalism for their astringent, venous tonic and anti-inflammatory qualities. They are wonderful for the veins and are used in prescriptions for varicose veins and other conditions which require the elasticity and tone of veins to be improved. The outcome of which is reduce oedema, pain, fatigue, tenseness and some pruritis in legs. Great, huh? NOTE: saponins are toxic when ingested in large quantities.

Are you completely c bonkers?

Well, possibly but the key thing is that conkers have a large amount of saponins in them. And saponins are soapy and form lather/bubbles when mixed with water and agitated.

So, to the washing liquid… I have done this in the past but as I didn’t have a dehydrator then, I ended up with a lot of mouldy conker bits on trays because I tried to do too many at once. The washes I did manage with conker ‘juice’ were fabulously soft although I found that the stain removing properties when our girl was a baby wasn’t great. That combo somewhat put me off at the time but now, the time feels right to give it another go.

What do you do?

Soak them overnight in hot water and use the liquid in place of washing detergents. There will be a fair amount of starch also released from the conkers and this will look milky around the bottom of the jar but isn’t going to do any harm.

As you can see from the pictures above I blitzed them small but the author of this article used a hammer and made much chunkier pieces. The larger the surface areas, the better the extraction and the quicker they’ll dry.

Gather A LOT of conkers – now is the time – take a small child with you
Blitz them in a food processor (I used a small stick blender bowl doing 5 at a time as my large unit has broken!)
Dry them (spread out on sheets of paper, on trays in a super low oven or in a dehydrator)
Store them airtight
Soak a 1/2 – 1 cup overnight in hot water
Strain and drain into the soap compartment
Run your usual wash
Compost the used bits

TIP: Conkers are ROCK HARD when dried so, to get the most out of them, get them as small as you can whilst fresh. This is not a job to leave for a few weeks!

A-ha moments

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Lucy Blunden - Change, Emotional health, Self care

Of all the things I value the most highly, it is the discovery of a greater understanding of what makes me tick. Over the years, I have explored many different mind and body techniques, EFT-tapping, counselling, therapy, CBT, Alexander Technique, Shiatsu, massage, osteopathy, craniosacral and more.

The moments of “A-HA!” which I remember the most clearly are the ones I have unearthed myself.

The first moment of a-ha

When I learned from Gretchen Rubin’s 4 Tendencies Quiz that I am an Obliger, it seemed incredible to me that all those years of therapy had failed to reveal to me that the reason I struggled so hard with taking up a new habit or actually getting round to creating my own website was not laziness. Falling into the ‘Obliger’ tendency which makes me an excellent employee as I respond primarily to external motivators. And, new habits are not externally driven and, clearly, neither was my website (although I got there in the end!)

I couldn’t believe that after all this soul searching, naval gazing and analysis, that such a simple facet of my personality could be new to me. It was a huge relief to find that there was a driver behind it and knowing about it helped me to find effective strategies to get round it. PHEW!

I ask all my patients and clients to take this quiz as it is really helpful knowing what drives each person to make changes. With Ogliber patients I am more likely to say ‘do this X times per week by the next time I see you’. If I said that to a Rebel or a Questionner, I would get nowhere! With a Rebel I sow a seed with choices, with a Questionner, I would ask them to research a few different options and then plump for the one they prefer. With upholders, I have to be careful not to ask too much and that what I ask of them doesn’t clash with their own requirements of themself.

I love this framework and have found it really interesting working with myself knowing this aspect of myself.

The second a-ha moment

This one is all about clutter. I have been untidy all my life. I have been a very effective medical secretary and administrator with fabulous systems in place but incapable of keeping my own spaces tidy. Strangely, although this one is still at the stage of unfurling, I know that once I can take on board the fullness of the implications, this will change my life (and my partner’s – a minimalist who hates clutter…) The root of it is that I need to have things right in front of me. Those intensely detailed filing systems which I love -in theory- because they appeal to my very organised and methodical brain simply don’t work for me because I need things to be out. The things I use day-to-day need to be in front of my eyes.

I learned this from Cassandra Aarssen’s Clutter bug quiz where I came out as a Butterfly! I was really shocked. I love the systems of a cricket but I never stick to them and it would appear that this is because I need things simple and right in front of me. Put it tidily away in a drawer? It’ll never been seen again. A truly out of sight, out of mind person! Who’da thunk it?

Actually, I am still not sure I believe it but, I am quite excited about adapting my ‘tidying’ styles to this more visual approach to see what happens. And, I have already arranged my pretty notebooks so that I can see them rather than trapping them in a drawer and forgetting which one is for which project.

What have you discovered about yourself which felt revolutionary/revelatory to your life? Email me at: lucy.blunden.botanicals@gmail.com to let me know

Change

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Lucy Blunden - Change, How seeing a herbalist works, The appointment

I talked in my blog on joyous practise about playing the violin. I have played since I was a child of just 8 years old.

Recently, I used my lack of playing during the Covid-19 lockdown to wipe the violin slate clean. Going back and picking it up after not playing for over a year meant I could really feel the bodily contortions I inadvertently get myself into. All the habitual tensions, the “oh no, this will sound really dreadful” downward negative judgements beginning before the bow hads even hit the string.

And, I’ll be completely honest it did sounds dreadful. It sounded awful because my ear was not as out of practise as my fingers and my musician’s critical faculties were in fine fettle. And, it sounded dreadful because I was not able to offer myself the compassion I would to others.

How to wipe the slate clean?

I’ve started Alexander Technique lessons with Julia Duschenes in St Albans. Alexander Technique is a form of body re-education, a way to ‘get out of your own way’, to notice tension and release what’s not needed. Julia’s marvellous AND she plays a stringed instrument AND she works with lots of string players. She is helping me re-build my body and change my body’s reflex response to the violin. I don’t have to take up a ‘violin posture’ before I’ve even lifted it out the case. I don’t have to assume it’ll be hard work, tense, self-critical, not good enough. What joy it is to begin to remove those things from my playing.

During a recent weekend of playing, I’ve noticed the “argh, that’s a lot of very fast notes” tightening in my left hand and aimed to let go of as much of it as I could. I’ve released the “got to be perfect” self-pressure and whilst the habit is not yet gone, it was so joyful to have those moments of freedom, enjoyment and a sense of largesse in my playing.

And, beginning to be freed from my own fearful sense of being ‘not good enough’ I could enjoy being what I am. Fancy that. Enjoying being what I am, in this moment.

So, what am I actually doing?

I’m inviting change. It’s not easy. There are a lot of years of withheld tears in those muscular habits, lots of time suffering from the ‘not good enough’ belief and years of believing that musicians strive for something they’ll never attain: perfection. In truth, I won’t reach that place of CD perfection because I’m a human being not a robot, I don’t practise 4+ hours per day, every day and I don’t want to. It’s simply not that important to me. I have chosen another path. So, my musical mind, my musical body is learning to let go of that pressure and accept that good enough really is.

Why change?

As with any change, noticing a way to be positively different is key. Start interrupting the usual pathway and asking how it could be different. I learned this from Julia. What now sounds soo obvious, and just wasn’t a few short weeks ago, is changing from self-flagellating for a mistake and feeling worthless as a result of that mistake to asking how did it happen and what could I do differently to avoid it next time? Using curiosity rather than harsh self-judgement. Being my own teacher rather than judge and jury.

Why write about change?

I ask my patients to be ready to, and support them in becoming ready for, change. It might sound obvious that there’ll be change but it’s generally the hardest part. We like the way we do things. That’s why we do them that way. We might not see the connection between the outcome and some of our actions and choices. So, it is my job to aid in seeing things differently. Or, we might feel powerless to make positive changes as we feel as though we are losing something important, secure and familiar. But, it is only in adopting changes that we can bring about change.

If we want our bodies to BE different, we have to DO different
Lucy Blunden

My role is to engage you in those changes, enable you to feel it’s possible and help you notice that it feels good when you stick with it.
Having spent years fighting myself over habits which were doing me no good, I really understand how hard it can be to being about change. I recognise that change requires all sorts of different parts of us and sometimes those around us to be on board. Coralling all of those things can be tricky as well. Taking baby steps with my guidance will help you find your way forward moving towards those changes you desire. This is one of the things which I love about my job; helping people to find that a-ha moment enabling them to step into the new concepts positively and with confidence.

Joyous practice

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Lucy Blunden - Emotional health, Self care

Do you have a hobby or regular activity which brings you true joy?

I’ve always loved playing the violin but particularly playing chamber music. The close connection between the instruments, the interplay of each written part and the bond of shared joy in certain pieces of music and composers all adds to the joy of playing the instrument. Before lockdown, I played for 4 months in a local orchestra and our gig was fabulous but it just didn’t hit that deep soul place which rewards me quite like chamber music does.

Since lockdown, I have hardly played at all. So, it has been quite a re-build to get back into it in preparation for a concert in a church and a very special weekend away. (I talk more about that in my blog on

I felt once again so honoured to be invited stay in a friend’s beautiful farmhouse in the most northerly part of Yorkshire with views across to Ingleborough. She is a gloriously hospitable host and her house is luxurious and it’s like staying in a 5* hotel. I’m seriously grateful to be invited and it’s all part of the experience but, I think I’d gain just as much joy from the music-making if we slept in a barn!

There is a deep connectedness which springs up between players, a need to listen very closely, attend to the slips of another when we get out of place and blend our voices together. When I describe it, it sounds like the kind of harmony we require in our human relationships as well as our musical ones.

I was also deeply moved by the music itself. To have been almost music-less for so long and then to slide back into the familiarity of place with musicians I’ve played with for 15 years and create the joy of Schubert and Brahms, Purcell, Strauss and Lawes literally brought me to tears. It’s like Heineken, it reaches into parts of me that other things simply do not.

I’ve come home feeling enriched, that my cup is up to the brim and filled with a deep satisfaction. I am determined that I won’t take so long to find this space again.

What do you do which brings you true joy? How often do you experience something which fills your heart, makes it soar and feel like it will burst?

Can you think of something which you could cultivate into a joyous practice? It doesn’t have to be high-brow, difficult to master or anything other than joyful. It definitely needs to be absorbing. It needs to bring you out of yourself and your busy brain space and into a different zone.

I’ve heard others reflect that kitchen dancing brings them deep joy. No special training required for that one!!

Echinacea

Posted on September 17, 2021 by Lucy Blunden - Uncategorized

This super herb is one of the most well-known herbs for supporting immune systems. A key herb in any herbalist’s armoury, it forms the basis of most immune blends I make up. I like to blend two: Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea angustifolia inline with the preparations made by our highest quality herbal supplier.

Which bit should I use?

All parts of the plant are useable but the most potent is the root. Obviously, if you use the root of a plant, you lose the plant so it’s best to allow it to grow for a while before digging it up so you get larger roots and to keep plants for the following year.

What’s it like?

A really good extract and a herb decoction have the most surprising and peculiar effect in the mouth! I find that the super-strength Echinacea can leave me with a tingling tongue for about 30 minutes. I feel as though my taste buds are fizzing! However, whilst this might be pretty odd, it is a sure-fire indicator that the echinacea you are taking has a high level of the currently understood primary constituent: alkylamides.

Ensure it’s good quality

Like with any natural product, the quality is affected by many things such as harvesting methods, post-harvest production (such as drying) and the manufacture into a product. This can leave proprietary products with as little as zero active constituent! Be sure to buy a good quality over-the-counter brand.

Adulteration

There is the inevitable issue of adulteration with Parthenium integrifolium being substituted in particular in the US. This is likely due to the dwindling stocks of wild echinacea due to loss of habitat and over-harvesting.

SNAKEBITE!

Traditionally used for snakebite: after the observation of rattlesnakes who, when provoked, bite themselves (!) and then suck the plant before hiding to recuperate. Modern herbalists now use it in a multitude of ways.

What for?

Actions: these are so many it would seem pointless just listing them here but amongst the most commonly used for would be the enhancement of many aspects of the immune system’s defenses, the external application for infected wounds, ulceration of different types, gastrointestinal disturbance and skin disorders.

Why am I sick?

Whilst there are obvious benefits from taking a herb in order to boost oneself, and echinacea can be a brilliant prophylactic, as a herbalist, I feel the imperative to ask why the situation arose in the first place. We don’t ‘catch’ every bug going even though we might have been in a crammed train carriage next to someone who is full of cold.

When we are feeling physically run down, it may due to eg lack of sleep or poor dietary choices and that makes us more susceptible to catching infections. If we have had a row with a loved one, or are feeling unloved, lonely, rejected and those intrinsic places of emotional need are depleted, our defenses are lowered. It is also the environment which we create in our bodies which the herbs is acting in. So, even the most fabulous herbs are not miracle workers. Listen in to your body and as well as taking the herbs, take the actions to keep yourself as well as you can. If we can get curious about the circumstances of our catching in infection and take responsible action for gauging our own choices and activities in relation to our health then future illnesses may be much better circumvented.

NOTE: A generally safe herb, it is best avoided as long-term therapy in immunosuppressed conditions.

Autumnal bug-share

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Lucy Blunden - Appointments, The herbalist, The herbs

The school’s are nearly going back, the leaves have begun to fall (yup, I know, we’ve hardly had summery weather in the UK this year and we’re already heading into the darkness). And, after all this isolation, distancing and more with Covid-19 measures, we’re going to start mingling our germs too. Usually, that would be OK. In fact it still is, as being exposed to new mildly pathogenic microbes is part of keeping a strong and fit immune system.

HOWEVER, it also means that we are being bombarded with the potential for those seemingly endless Autumnal and Winter infections.

Do you seem to get every bug going? Are you constantly streaming with snot and snuffling, sneezing and coughing? Are you worried that you’ll catch everything the children do but worse?

I can help.

Herbs are brilliant at managing symptoms of these kinds of self-limiting, minor infections, shortening the duration and preventing them occuring in the first place.

You have a couple of options for working on this with me:

A mini consultation where we discuss you most usual symptoms and how the infection progresses and I make you up a special herbal tincture mix to take in small doses as prevention and then an ’emergency’ mix for if you do get something. These can be teas or tincture blends.

Children’s appointments – Children respond so well to herbs. They are brilliant as their bodies are less stuck in habits and habitual ways. I love working with them as they are so honest about what happens to them. My 4-year-old loves my ‘bogey picking nail’ (which is just a long pinkie finger nail which happens to fit up her nose for those chunky boogers she’s not yet old enough to care about! She loves taking her herbal syrups and often reminds me to dose her up each day.

A Winter wellness plan for the whole season. This is an in-depth treatment plan of herbs, food, lifestyle and tapping to prime your immune system for the winter. You’ll receive weekly emails filled with tips on feeding your immune system with great foods and herbs and a tapalong video. You have 1-2-1 sessions with me to keep yourself on track with the lifestyle changes specific to you. I’ll also create an emergency tincture mix in case anything passes your new resilience and a special early bird tea blend bonus. Click here to find out more. We begin in October.