Herbal living I would love to see herbs embraced more into our everyday lives in Britain. Not just considered as an embellishment to food, or a pretty addition to the garden, but truly relied upon as bringers, maintainers and restorers of health and vitality. Especially with an attitude towards prevention being better than cure, we need to learn once again how herbs can be as important to us now as they were for our pre-industrial forebears.   Imagine a future scenario where each town has its own herb shop, a place people go, as readily as they would a pharmacy, to pick up supplies o ..read more

Gerard summed up violets as ‘delightfull to looke upon and pleasant to smell’ Sweet violets These are the qualities that have ensured violets have a familiar place in our hearts and are perhaps one of the best know wild flowers. As Culpeper agrees, they are ‘so well known they need no description’. Apart from the small differences between ‘violet’, ‘sweet violet’ and ‘wild violet’, I have not been able to find any more common names for the sweet violet, Viola odorata. Which attests to the huge commonality, distinctiveness and recognition of these violets. There are many other types of violet ..read more

International Women’s Day seems an appropriate time to acknowledge and bring thanks and attention to the many women herbalists who have kept the tradition of Western Herbalism alive through the centuries, and enable it to thrive today. From the wise women to the dedicated practitioners and the enthusiastic educators: we thank you all. The list is long enough to provide a name for every day of the year, but on this special day I’ve taken inspiration from Hilda Leyel’s book ‘Cinquefoil: Herbs to Quicken the Five Senses’ (1957) to highlight a few of the herbalists who have brought us to our sense ..read more

Words by Kayleigh Sinclair — Radiant Rowan! Although the Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) has the common name of mountain ash, it is not related to the Ash tree but takes its name from the similarity between the pinnate leaves arranged alternatively with a terminal leaf at the end. A relatively hardy plant and native to the British Isles, it can predominately be found in the northern hemisphere but has been found to survive at a sea level of approximately 2000m and can live up to 200 years; in fact, a Rowan is growing in Midlothian, Scotland that is believed to be a portal to another world. Seasonal a ..read more

Words by Kristine De Block, Medical Herbalist ————— Sunshine in a pan Pancake Day is a delightful tradition that’s celebrated with joy in many corners of the world. Across Europe, the tradition of pancake making is a cherished ritual. These golden, round treats are symbols of the sun’s life-giving warmth, a beacon of hope during the chilly winters. It’s said that enjoying pancakes on Shrove Tuesday can bring prosperity throughout the year. Now, isn’t that a tradition worth embracing with both hands? That’s why each year, I’m all about celebrating with my special green pancakes – a nod to the e ..read more

Recipe from Kelly Holden A special fruity treat, make the cream in advance so it has time to chill, you can pre-prepare the batter too, then cook the pancakes and serve immediately with the chilled cream. Gluten-free banana and blueberry pancake with coconut creamGluten-Free Blueberry and Banana Vegan Pancakes (Serves 2) Ingredients: 3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour (grind oat cakes to a fine flour) 1/4 cup almonds 1 banana 3/4 cup plant-based milk (I used home-made almond milk) 1tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 cup blueberries, and extra for serving Coconut oil (for cooking) Method: P ..read more

Words by Neil Allies I spend many happy hours falling down herbal rabbit holes as part of my herbal medicine studies, and my bookshelf is getting increasingly heavy with new purchases! A good example is an essay I recently wrote about salicylates, compounds found in some plants that have anti-inflammatory and pain killing effects in humans. Indeed, they’re the origin of aspirin, which was first made in the 19th century using extracts from Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria, whose older name was Spirea ulmaria). Writing that essay led me to read all about different aspects of botany, me ..read more

Words by Neil Allies Whatever the season, I find that there’s always something new in the plant world to surprise me, even in the most familiar of fields. Recently, I went for a walk on the Winter Solstice. It seemed fitting to get out into the countryside on the darkest day of the year, and I wasn’t expecting to find much, other than the odd Dandelion brightening up the dull and grey day. As I walked across a muddy path, I (literally) stumbled on a plant I’d never noticed before that was happily greening up an otherwise brown, muddy, field. After some quick research, I discovered that it was ..read more

Words by Neil Allies There is a phrase that is sometimes used amongst practitioners – a ‘brown bottle herbalist’ – meaning, at its extreme, someone that uses herbs straight out of a bottle, without building a relationship or knowledge of the actual plant itself. This type of herbalism probably does not reflect the experience of humans throughout most of our history. For most people up until recently in the western world, herbs and plants would have been omnipresent in their lives. Not just as medicines, but as food, clothing, cleaning products or fragrances for the home. Pottage, the classic m ..read more

Words by Neil Allies  What’s the difference between a home herbalist and a professional medical herbalist? There are probably lots of different answers to that question, depending on who you ask! The first time you see a paying client after qualifying must be a scary but exciting benchmark moment for a practitioner, and one I’m really looking forward to (although it seems very far off!). To be a member of The National Institute of Medical Herbalists, there are clear guidelines to meet, such as having a degree-level qualification in Herbal Medicine (in which you must have studied subjects ..read more