Blue Flag suddenly becomes hard to source I got a phone call from Tim who runs one of Australia’s leading Natural Medicine dispensaries The Hierophant  ‘We can’t seem to source Blue Flag; do you have any?’ (Blue Flag is Iris versicolor a herb that is marvellous in treating deep seated glandular dysfunction) As it turns out, I do actually. A relic from the times when I was trying to create a botanical ark of medicine plants. (I reached peak herb at 135 species until the drought forced me to rationalise) The Hierophant has contacts with a wide range of commercial suppliers in Australia so ..read more

Arnica is a well-known natural remedy for its use to heal bruises. But is that all you can do with Arnica? There is way more… Read on What is Arnica? Arnica is a perennial herb that grows in mountainous habitats and is related to sunflowers & daisies (they are in the same plant family). Arnica’s flowers and roots have been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Jump over to my You tube video and watch an excerpt from my popular webinar on Arnica covering where it grows and threats to its supply. What is Arnica used for? Arnica is commonly used for treating bruises ..read more

You’re ordering just one packet of seed… Aren’t you are professional grower? The options were one packet (30 seeds) or 1 gram (over 300+ seeds) I had clicked the 1 packet button and was just about to complete… When I realised I’m playing small here. Why not order a decent amount? I’m a serious player here. The 1-gram button was then clicked. Phewww! Arnica a once common herb is now so hard to find Confused…?  We all are. Arnica montana is commercially cultivated in Estonia and other parts of Europe, even New Zealand.  Demand is greater though than supply. North American Herbalists us ..read more

Herbalists, Homeopaths and Naturopaths see plant medicine as a whole picture – you want all of the plant in there and we look at the whole person. Yes, we specifically choose select parts of the plants to make into medicine. This knowledge comes from a long conservative history of tradition and empirical use. For example, a plant with medicinal properties in its roots, you put all of the root in there. Yes, we do often talk of key ingredients in these plants. However, it’s with the awareness that herbs have complex synergies of plant chemicals and the whole plant has an innate wisdom and regul ..read more

Herbal Medicine is often portrayed as some alternative health modality now outdated by the wonderful advance of technological medicine. Every now and again however you see a glimpse of its true impact on the world. Herbal medicines True impact on the world Reading a book on plant explorers (The Plant Hunters – Musgrave & Gardner) the chapter on Sir Joseph Banks talks of how he came to be so fascinated by the plant world. Walking back one summer evening after swimming in the Thames River. He was suddenly transfixed by… The beauty and plant variety of a wild hedgerow in the evening ligh ..read more

What’s my WHY? on growing herbs Here is my source story on how I started growing medicinal herbs. Enjoy! It’s always good to understand where you are coming from and your WHY. Here’s mine about why I grow medicinal herbs. I’d been interested in herbs for a while. Did some courses at The Hierophant then I read this book in 2006… I read this book by Matthew Wood… Matthew Woods The Book of Herbal Wisdom opened up a whole world for me. Matt talked of herbs such as Solomons Seal, Sweet leaf and Teasel. Entranced & impressed I beat a path to The Hierophant in Griffith ACT ..read more

Pssst… how do you grow…? Ever since I started horticulture there would be people sidling up to me and saying quietly… Pssst… How do you grow Marijuana?… I have always had a thing about this… & HATED it. Very annoying being MR Straighty 180 when younger and dope was not my thing. I'm Mr. Straighty 180 Later on, when I studied Herbs … the SAME damn thing happened again. Everyone would say ‘what about marijuana as a medicine?’ Nooooooooo! Now just to get the story straight – As herbalists Medical Marihuana is way out of our reach legally. Its mainstream medicine now D ..read more

This blog gives an insight into different ways Herbalists prescribe dosages of herbs. Official dosages of herbs are given in the British Herbal Pharmacopeia, which very precisely outlines the type of preparation, concentration and dosage in milliliters.  It’s a reference text for many herbalists. Another school of Herb dosing exists which is called simpling. It has deep roots in folk herbalism going back may centuries. This means that prescriptions are often a single herb and the dose is given in drops. XYZ number of drops so many times per day. The legendary Australian Herbalist Dorothy ..read more

Grow your own endangered herbs by your very own hand. Start with seed sowing. Even if you start with simple ones it is empowering and a fundamental reconnection with our green friends. First a story about seed sowing with Echinacea… I had ordered about six different species of Echinacea from Strictly Medicinal Seeds in Oregon USA to see what I could grow. The seed was stratified in the fridge for about 3 months (Stratify means expose the seed to cold temperatures) to break the seed dormancy. Sowed the seed as instructed in a seed tray with commercial seed mix. Then the morning came when the ma ..read more

Why are some herbs endangered and which ones are they? Quite frankly your cup of coffee could be more sustainable than some herbs in commerce. The raw unpleasant truth is that there are a lot of herbs being harvested from wild populations and made into medicine that are scarce in their habitat. This is not sustainable or ethical... It also not much talked about... Just because it’s a herb does not mean that everything is green, eco conscious and sustainable. Quite frankly your cup of coffee could be more sustainable than some herbs in commerce. Why they are endangered is due to over ..read more