Category: Herbal Allies
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St John’s Wort
Hypericums are commonly found in gardens and municipal areas, enjoyed for their big yellow flowers. Sometimes known as the ‘happy plant’ it’s not just the joyful blooms that make you smile, there’s also a therapeutic punch in the plant that is preferred by some to off-the-shelf mood improvers. However, for that kind of medicine, it’s…
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Lemon Balm
To soothe, enliven and restore. There’s a duality in many plants, with lemon balm it’s her ability to both calm and enliven. She will soothe the mind, ease the ache of a broken heart and enable a clarity of thinking, coming to you as a ‘breath of fresh air’. Lemon balm is recommended as an…
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Hopping Down in Cam
Words by Dr Viv Rolfe I was joyed to see the tips of my hop plant coming through this week. The plant was kindly provided by the Hoptician Pub in Dursley last year, but my plant did not grow well enough to create any ales for them. So I’m excited that it is shooting as…
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Coltsfoot
Early in the year, round about late February or early March, especially if you’re wandering alongside a stream or river, where there is moist, heavy soil, you may see a yellow flowerhead looking, at first glance, like a dandelion. Take a closer look. You may find, instead of the toothed leaves and smooth stem of…
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Violets in the Spring
One of the first woodland flowers to bring delight, once the initial flurry of snowdrops is passed, are violets. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch their scent on the air when a patch of their purple or white flowers is nearby. Gerard summed up violets as ‘delightfull to looke upon and pleasant to smell’ John Gerard…
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Begin with Birch
Ground never remains bare for long, nature will soon move in. One of the first trees to establish itself is often birch. Young birch trees will grow quickly and provide the shelter that enables the rest of the habitat to develop. This is one of the reasons birch has traditionally been associated with new beginnings.…
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Holly
At this time of the year, our woods are full of sleeping giants. The dark, muscular trunks of beech stand in slumber, their leaves coating the ground with a russet uniform. The green that gives us hope of life ongoing is holly, present on every corner, at every turn – evergreen. Despite her glossy spikiness…
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Mother of Herbs
Mugwort, Artemesia vulgaris When running a herb stall at the market, I’m often asked for mugwort, she is a much sought after herb. Though I’m never sure which use she is intended for. There are many applications, let’s look at a few. Who is mugwort? But first of all, getting clear on identifying the plant…
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Yarrow
Gardens, fields and hedgerows always look a little straggly by late summer. Conditioned from an early age to start anew in September, we seek out freshness, bright sparks, inspiration. Among the yellowed grass and withered stalks, one summer plant still shines with its white frothy tops and feathery leaves, yarrow. With luck, she’ll be flowering…
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Lavender
Lavender is one of the most quintessential plants in an english herb garden, and deployed way beyond the herb garden too for scented borders and in flower beds. Those with a lavender-lined path are lucky enough to be daily skipping over a treasure trove of scent. Though, as a relatively common and well-known plant, lavender…