Topic: Uncategorized

Rowan berry and sage syrup

rowan and sage infusing

Sore throats, tonsillitis, syrup and gargling

Foraging for making has become a prfound new joy of mine. I had had some lurking doubts about the pillaging of nature and whether I had the right to do this. But, they are now gone and I am loving that connection, the creativity of making things and the new recipes to trial.

What’s on the go right now?

I’ve made rowan berry and sage syrups and vinegars.

Research showed me that raw berries are really not a good plan due to potentially toxic components. So, I stewed a few berries with some sage in water. Then I let it sit for a few weeks (the hot liquid sealed the jar keeping it good) before straining and re-heating, dissolving sugar into it, turning it into a syrup.

And, what does it taste like?

The flavour is frankly AWESOME! I haven’t ever tasted anything else like it. It’s sharp, it’s sweet and fruity but there’s something else which I am yet to put a word to.

The finished product is up for grabs in partnership with Rowanberry and sage vinegar.

Why the pairing of sage and rowanberry?

Well, the traditional medicine from rowan berries is for sore throats and tonsillitis. Sage also has a great reputation for healing throats because it has the power to cut through the mucousy substrate keeping all the gremlins alive causing your symptoms. So, it seemed like a match made in heaven.

Fancy a go?

Do you get recurrent sore throats and/or tonsillitis? If you do, you might like to give these beauties a go.

Contact me for more info

Cold sore lip balm

The pleasure of making remedies is immeasurable!

I have been getting cold sores since I was 7. My dad does and so did my grandma. They have ranged from very small and gone in a few days to widespread across my chin and taking weeks to heal. But, they’re always around my mouth. The virus lives in your spinal column and you get your sores in the area which the nerves it affects serve.

I, like most who have them, hate them. They make you feel dirty because they’re so contagious and once they’re scabby, just ugly!

Dietary modifications can reduce the prevalence but the foods to be avoided are good ones (most nuts, oats and more).

I have used various natural, chemical and herbal products. Nothing has been brilliant but some have reduced the severity and duration length.

This summer, with aspects of COVID-19 lockdown measures still in place, I took a look around the garden. I had so many lovely flowers with activity for healing, anti-viral properties and the humble self-heal with its alleged affinity for herpetic wounds according to traditional herbal books, I thought it was time to give it a go.

I gathered some lemon balm, calendula flowers, lavender flowers, st john’s wort and self heal. I let them wilt in the heat but out of the light and then infused them all in oil in a porringer for a couple of hours. Once that was done, I thickened it, but not too much, with beeswax and shea butter. I usually love a super thick nourishing lip balm but to get the best medicine, this needs frequent re-application so, a lighter texture was my priority here.

I was almost keen to get another sore! The balm is wonderful. I’m surprised myself by its efficacy. It was so much more effective than anything else I have ever used. It didn’t disappear instantly – I wish I had that level of magic! – but it was so much quicker than other sores I have had and also other treatments I have used.

Get in touch if you experience frequent cold sores as, whilst good topical treatments when you get them are great, it’s better if you can keep your immune system in tip-top order and prevent them occuring. Herbs and EFT are powerful tools for managing daily stressors and keeping well.

Nettle root-the medicine

Wild herbs as medicines

Nettle root has a reputation amongst herbalists for use as part of treatment for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. For most men, their prostate is very likely to enlarge as they age and, beyond the symptoms it causes, is not something to be worried about. As the saying goes, ‘most men die with prostate enlargement, but very few die of a (benign) prostate enlargement’.

However, the symptoms can be life changing, causing increased frequency, urgency and incomplete emptying, dribbling, not to mention the increased nocturia.

Reference to the use of plants for BPH symptoms dates back to Egyptian papyrus in the 15th Century.

A study reported by Mohammad Reza Safarinejad, MD, showed that nettle root extractions performed in a statistically significant way better than placebo in all areas which were monitored. Their IPSS (International Prostate Symptom Score) improved such that the mean scores dropped from 19.8 to 11.8 with nettle root and 19.2 to 17.7 with placebo! Flow rate improved by 77% in those taking nettle and by 31% in the placebo group. Residual bladder contents volume in the nettle group improved whereas the placebo group has no significant change. The prostate size decreased in the treatment group and remained the same in the placebo group. Importantly, testosterone levels remained unchanged.

The trial participants were monitored and placebo group was switched to nettle root after the trial period ended and continued to be monitored. The positive effects of nettle root seen during the trial period were maintained for the rest of the 18 months of monitoring and the placebo group also demonstrated similar improvements after switching to nettle root treatment.

I absolutely LOVE that something as ubiquitous as nettle root could be a significant and life altering treatment for so many people. It makes my heart sing to think that a medicine without negative side effects could safely and effectively help in this way. What a joy!

I have written about collecting and preparing nettle root here

If you are experiencing symptoms of prostate enlargement or have a diagnosis of BPH and would like help. Get in touch

Nettle root

At work in the Herbalist’s kitchen

This weekend I was determined to get a heap of stuff done in the garden. Did it pan out that way? Did it heck!

However, what I did manage to do was pull up the pesky nettle which insists on joining my culinary herb garden. Whilst not entirely misplaced, it makes a fine risotto ingredient, I know it’ll just take over and that’s exactly what I don’t want it to do!

The benefit of allowing it to grow during the summer season before pulling it up (knowing that it’ll come back next year for sure) is that I get a good chunk of root.

Nettle root and secateurs
Once it has dried a little, the root ‘skin’ looks a lot less yellowy than it does fresh.

Working with nettle root

After pulling it up, it needs a good scrub in water to get rid of the soil. Once it is scrubbed, allow the water to dry and then chop it up. This is harder than it sounds and needs secateurs to get through it as it has a rubberiness to its woody fibres which prevent knives getting through.

Once chopped, leave it to dry somewhere warm-ish and with good air flow. Once completely dried, store it in a clean, labelled jar with a well fitting lid and keep out of the light.

Nettle root as a medicine. I talk about using the root as medicine here

Rowan, a portent of healing?

Portent

2. LITERARY: an exceptional or wonderful person or thing

Thinking about the rowan’s auspicious and protective properties, I decided to make a decoration for my consultation room. As I stuck the needle through them, finding that the seeds are soft, and that the juice is both sharp and sweet, it got me thinking.

Sharp and sweet. Hmmmm, sharp and sweet? Is that a contradiction? Not really, in fact, it’s much like the journey of healing.

The pain of the issue, emotional or physical, which keeps us stuck usually has a sharpness to it else we wouldn’t seek out help.

And the sweetness? Well, to me that reflects how we feel as we emerge out the other side, newly emerged and fully fledged.

Rowan berry decoration fun

What do you think of my little creation? They’re all plump and juicy here but they’ll wither as they dry out.

Metamorphosis of healing

But what struck me the most – even more than the wonderful colour combinations – is the idea of combining protection with metamorphosis. These two simple things represent what happens in this space, my consultation room. My sacred space of healing and transformation.

You come to me with problems to solve, entrusting yourself to me and between us, we find our way to your metamorphosis, your emerging from the coccoon of safe stuckness into the spreading of your newly painted, fablous wings which enable you to move forward in your best image.

Buy the little wooden butterfly buttons here on eBay

Rosehip syrup

RECIPE

Now, I am known for rarely following a recipe and making it up as I go along. So, don’t worry too much about exact quantities, this does not need mL accuracy!

Collecting rosehips – TAKE GLOVES! Rosa rugosa is totally covered in thorns and fiendish as a result. I picked a half poly bag of supermarket size including the leaves and made over 1l of syrup. To trial it out, you’ll need far fewer. Be kind to wildlife and make sure you don’t overpick as they need these things too. See my post on mindful foraging here

EQUIPMENT

  • Scissors, Gloves & Bag for collecting
  • Steel pan, weighing scales
  • Sterilised bottles (wash well in hot, soapy water then dry in the oven at a low-ish heat eg 100oC) – preferably in amber glass

INGREDIENTS

  • A bag of rosehips
  • Sugar – I prefer molasses or other raw cane varieties but they do change the flavour – white sugar has least impact on flavour

METHOD

  • lay out the hips and ask the insects to ‘buzz off’
  • give your hips a brief rinse
  • snip off all the green bits straight into a steel pan
  • add enough water to cover
  • bring to a gentle simmer
  • once softer, begin to mash off the heat
  • add a little more water if too sticky
  • strain through a jelly bag or double muslin (IMPORTANT – the hairs inside the hips were used for itching powder and are not nice in your gut!) overnight. Squeeze gently but not enough to split the muslin
  • measure the volume of liquid
  • weigh out sugar to half weight of volume (eg 100ml liquid = 50g sugar)
  • return to a low heat, stir in sugar until dissolved
  • take off heat, allow to cool a little
  • bottle in sterile bottles – small is good
  • LABEL WELL!

Tips for making things

Always label.

Take notes of the process and where you found your bounty – you think you’ll remember but you won’t (heed my warning – I know this all too horribly well!)

Always label

If you wash bottles in dishwasher, labels may not then stick well – worth wiping down outside first – depends on label type

Did I say to label?

Store cool and dark, especially if your bottles aren’t amber glass. Refrigerate after opening.

Roses and rosehips

Rosehips - plump and juicy

I love the abundance of nature’s fruits right now. The reds and oranges, greens, purples and browns of the fruits spilling forth from shrubs, bushes and trees. M-mmm

What have you kept sub rosa?

Did you know that due to the high regard of the rose, that anything spoken below a ceiling rose was considered ‘sub rosa‘ which means that it would not be spoken of outside the room. In my house, there are many ceiling roses and it would be hard to have a conversation with more than 2 people which isn’t at least partially sub rosa!

Venus, Cupid and Harpocrates

This comes from the interactions of Venus (goddess of love) and Harpocrates (god of silence). The rose is sacred to Venus and consecrated by Cupid to Harpocrates thus silenced in order not to tell of Venus’s amorous activities!

Medicine of the Rose

Both petals and rosehips are rich with medicine. There is a lot to say and best kept for another post. Read more

Rosehip medicine

Collection of Rosehips from dog rose

Plump, juicy and full of nutrition

Those glorious colours and that plump juiciness. Rosehips have a surprising constituent which brings great relief to those who suffer with arthritis.

I have been aware of morning stiffness and a difficulty in fully bending my small finger joints on my right hand. I have also noticed that it seems to react badly to wheat and tomatoes and even more to a combination of the two. I generally avoid eating wheat as home-made Spelt products seem to be ok instead. But, I do love a tomato and have always loved tomato based sauces and all the dishes which depend on them such as chilli con carne and spaghetti.

But, food delights aside, I was concerned that I seemed to be starting a degenerative joint condition and have sought out an X-ray for confirmation (results pending) and am limiting the consumption of tomatoes outside of their season (for some reason, the impact on my finger joints is considerably less in summer)

What to do?

Well, one of the most effective and simple treatment combinations I have found when working with my patients and also in quick advisories to others, is to combine Rosehips and Fish oils. A colleague noted that within 1 month of treatment, severe knee pain was gone simply taking a combination of these two nutrients as supplements! And, my partner’s audible-on-the-stairs knees also improved and he has remarked that they feel better.

Panacea for all?

Now, of course, this may not work for everyone as nothing is a blanket panacea and these cases are knees not fingers. And, with such a small sample size, far from conclusive. So, I thought to myself, as I have already been taking fish oils for years (not a keen fish eater), could the rosehips really make a substantial difference? Worth a try. We had some in the house. And, lo, after a few weeks, it has been making a really notable difference.

Why?

Well, rosehips contain a constituent which has been found to be pain relieving in a few small studies. GOPO is a galactolipid and considered to be an active constituent in rosehips. Now, as a herbalist, I am a great believer in the Aristotolean principle that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. There are other aspects of rosehips which are also likely contributory factors. Vitamin C, if there is any left in the preparation, or it is added, plays a role in collagen formation. Collagen is a vital component of our connective tissues forming gelatine and helping make our joint spaces spongy and skin more elastic. This could explain why my fingers are less stiff in the mornings too.

Evidence

So, if you want to read an un-biased, scientific review of some of the evidence, there is one here on the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/news/food-and-diet/rosehip-for-osteoarthritis-pain/

Personally, I find that this kind of writing is rather deadly and prone to making me feel that there is no hope. Mainly because I find it discouraging that studies of natural products tend to have rather small cohorts and be, to my mind, rather limited in their focus. I think that an isolated constituent is considerably less interesting than when it is in the symbiosis of its natural state. But, multi-constituents do not fit the paradigm and make for a less conclusive study as it is unclear exactly what it was which did the job. But, as we know from using single constituent medications, there tends to be unwanted side effects when we isolate and synthesise and ingest without the complement of the full spectrum. Back to Aristotle, please.

Rowan the medicine

Those glorious clusters of richly orangey-red berries light up the gloomy skies and this year I am mightily drawn to them! This tree with its attractive berries carry folklore from many countries particularly as a protective plant. They are most effective against all forms of witchcraft. Carrying twigs in your pocket, using canes and making ships from the wood and many, many more notions will ward off the evil.

Sometimes, it is possible to find a root of the phantastical in something which science has uncovered to be surprisingly valid such as with elder and its potentially toxic constituents but with Rowan it is hard to see why it should be considered quite so auspicious. The hawthorn with a similar reputation is more obvious – it’s a heart drug of fine order and its protection of your house as well as your body? Well, that just makes sense.

The Rowan? For now, I cannot find the answer and the medicine appears not to be especially radical either. Peter Conway in his Tree Medicine book mentions sore throats and tonsillitis for the berries, leucorrhoea douches and sore throats for the bark. The fruits are reputedly nutritive as well as astringent and the bark simply astringent. Are we missing something here?

Culpeper makes no mention (unless I have failed to find the name by which he called it!) and Mrs Grieve suggests that the berries make great jellies for cold game or wild fowl but that their medicine is for haemorrhoids – the astringency – and as gargles for ailments of the throat.

A favourite resource, the PFAF website reminds us that the seeds of the rowan contain cyanogenic glycosides and that these become prussic acid (cyanide) when in contact with water. Hence Mrs Grieve’s suggestion of jelly not a jam. Strain out the seeds should you decide to make anything with them.

Perhaps the secret to these berries lies in the now-lost Welsh recipe for rowan-berry Ale?

To sate my curiosity, I shall dry a few berries and keep them for the fluey season and when the telltale warning of a prickly throat comes my way, as surely it will, I can brew them up and gargle away and find out whether that’s where their magic lies.

Hedgerow love

Rowan berries in a decorative floral circle

It’s a wonder that I haven’t driven off the road as I pass by some glorious herbs craning my neck to have a good look!

This summer I have been particularly drawn to the forming rowan berries. Perhaps naming my daughter is what’s done it, or an inkling of their importance in Folklore…

Either way, I am saddened that this year our tree has 3 paltry bunches of berries. Not deterred, I find that the tree just down the road is LADEN! Absolutely heaving with luscious looking berries in huge clusters. So, I took my mini Rowan for a little forage… she might as well get used to it (in fact, a friend once told Rowan-the-pre-verbal-baby that she would need to get used to mummy popping into the bushes, camera in hand, for a closer look at some herb or other!)

We picked about 8 bunches and I have filled a bowl. We will be making some house decorations and a necklace for Rowan to wear. Rowan is reputed to be the very best of antidotes to witchcraft, fairies and other ill-doings. Carrying a twig will keep you safe from witches’ curses. Eating from the tree will sate you for nine meals and the wood used on the chimney breast will prevent witches from their favourite entry point – down the chimney.

I hope that the adornment of Rowan with a rowan-necklace won’t prevent mummy-witch from giving her daughter a kiss whilst she’s still young enough to accept them from me!