In this short and sweet interview Anne Critchley talks about her use of Bach flower remedies. To hear about Anne’s memories of Baldwins, click here.
Thank you to Anne and interviewer Bibi Saffina Zafar for this lovely listen.
Category: Herbs and Plants
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Herb and Heart Gardening
We came, we watered, we weeded, we planted and sowed.
The herb and heart gardeners are growing, amongst other things, beetroot for the Pasley Park Fair on Saturday 7th September from 12-4pm.
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The Roots on Facebook!
Wow! We’ve been having such wonderful feedback from the lovely people on the Now and Then Walworth Facebook group. Thank you to everyone who has been sharing and “liking” our work – it makes us very happy to know there are so many people enjoying it :)
Even Baldwins have been sharing the our blog!
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How to Use Herbs
There are so many different ways herbs can be used. For one of our herb talks we put together this list of some of the many forms herbal remedies can take. Which ones have you tried?
Infusion – fresh or dried herbs covered in hot water and steeped for a few minutes. Ususally used for leaves and flowers.
Decoction – herb is simmered or boiled in water for some time and strained. Used with roots and barks, infusions and decoctions can be used as mouthwashes, gargles and eyebaths.
Tincture – a liquid extract of a plant, usually in alcohol, sometimes in water. Fill a jar with herb of choice and top up with vodka or brandy and leave between a day and a month before straining and bottling in a dark coloured glass.
Wine – fresh herbal wines and beers such a elderberry or nettle.
Vinegar – herbal vinegars are usually made form pleasant tasting herbs and used in salad dressings. They can be added to a bath or used as a gargle.
Oxymel – a mix of honey and vinegar and can also be used as a cordial. Very good for colds and flu.
Electuary – dried herbs are mixed into honey to make an edible paste. Good as a children’s remedy (though don’t give honey to children under 12 months!).
Bath – herbs added to bathwater in a sock or cloth full of dried herbs under the hot tap and left to soak.
Herbal sweets – coltsfoot rock or peppermints are a traditional way of taking medicine.
Ointment or salve – the simplest way is to blend beeswax with an infused oil. More wax makes a firmer balm.
Infused oil – herbs are macerated in the oil, for example St John’s Wort.
Butter – can be used instead of oil to extract the herb. Once clarified, it keeps without refrigeration.
Cream – a mix of water and oil based emulsions. More difficult to make and best refrigerated.
Poultice – a mashed fresh herb put on the skin. They can be kept in place with a bandage and changed every few hours.
Fomentation or compress – a decoction applied externally on a flannel or bandage.
Embrocation or liniment – herbs in an oil or water base massaged into the skin.
Syrup – made by boiling herbs with sugar.
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Chickweed
Have you heard of chickweed? Chickweed is a little known herb thought to have a great variety of medicinal uses. It is also an edible plant which can be used in cooking or to make teas, (in tea form it is supposedly an excellent acne wash). And with its high content of vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and potassium it is rather good for you! Chickweed is sometimes applied to the skin to relieve pain and to aid healing, and is often an ingredient of various ointments and salves. Chickweed can even be added to a hot bath to help with sores, rashes, boils and burns.One of our volunteers gave us this recipe for Chickweek Ointment, for dry or irritated skin.
Do not use in place of advice from a doctor or trained medical practitioner. Use extra caution if pregnant – check dose and suitability before use.Chickweed ointment
Ingredients and equipment:
* Double saucepan or basin in a saucepan of boiling water
* Shallow wide necked screw top jar
* Sieve
* Odourless vegetable oil, grape seed is best
* Handful of chickweed, which you will find growing on soil that has been cultivated.
* Beeswax. (If you don’t know a beekeeper, Baldwin’s sell this)
* A few drops of essential oil e.g. lavender (optional)Method:
1. Remove any roots, dirt or dead leaves from the chickweed and cut into approx 2 inch lengths and place in an oven proof bowl. Press down and cover with vegetable oil. Put in oven at 150c degrees or less. Meanwhile, you can make a batch of shortbread, and by the time this is cooked, your chickweed will be ready for the next stage.2. Place a piece of beeswax about the size of an eyeball into the top of a double saucepan, add boiling water to the bottom half of the saucepan to melt the wax. Remove from heat. Strain the oil off the chickweed. Squeeze out the last drops of oil, then throw away the chickweed. Allow the oil to cool a little, then add to the melted beeswax in the double saucepan and stir.
3. Remove the top part of the double saucepan and leave to cool and set. You want this mixture to set into a thick cream. If it is too hard, re-melt and add some more oil. If it is still runny, re-melt and add some more wax.
4. When the consistency is right, re-melt and add some drops of essential oil to make it smell nice. Lavender is good.
5. Pour the melted mixture into the jar and leave to cool.
6. This ointment is good for dry or irritated skin. I keep a jar in the kitchen to use after washing up.
7. There are no preservatives in this ointment, so you should only make up a small quantity so that you can use it.
image via science.bayercropscience.co.uk
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Herb Garret Visit
In September we took a trip to the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret near London Bridge, where we were given a fascinating talk on the history of herbal remedies. We were also able to explore some of the beautiful, 300 year old rooms in the old Saint Thomas Hospital where herbs and medical equipment was stored.
Thank you to the Herb Garret for a wonderful and informative afternoon!
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Dandelions
You may think the dandelion is a lowly weed, and although it is often regarded as a pest by gardeners, the dandelion has many beneficial uses! Historically, the dandelion has been used for a variety of medical purposes and even today many people praise its curative properties. The root of dandelion can be used for a liver tonic, taken as a decoction ½ hour before a meal as an aid to efficient digestion. The Dandelion is also thought to be a good treatment for bile problems and an effective diuretic.
The whole of the dandelion is edible. Young leaves can be eaten in salads in the spring, and were an ingredient of a traditional spring pudding. Some people roast dandelions and use it as a substitute for coffee. If it is harvested in the autumn it is sweeter. Do be careful though, dandelion pollen can cause allergic reactions when eaten, or adverse skin reactions in sensitive individuals!
And even for gardeners the dandelion can be quite useful! The dandelion is a good companion plant, it’s roots will bring up minerals and nutrients for shallower-rooting plants. Dandelions also attract pollinating insects.Did you know, in France the dandelion is called “pis-en-lit” which translates as “piss-a-bed”! This is because the leaves are diuretic.
(photo by mgpenguin86 via flickr)
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Ginseng
Traditionally regarded in China as the ‘Herb of Aging Emperors’ due to its high price and exclusivity, ginseng is a perennial plant with fleshy roots, which has been used all over the world for thousands years to improve peoples’ health. Luckily it’s much more widely available today!
The root (and sometimes the leaf) is the part of the plant most often used in herbal remedies. Did you know that the word “Ginseng” comes from a Chinese term meaning “Man”, this is because the forked root of the plant often resembles a small person!Ginseng is thought to be an adaptogen, this means it is able to help the body cope with stress and support the immune system (although it should not be taken when you have an infection).
Ginseng is often taken to increase a sense of wellbeing and stamina, and improves both mental and physical performance. Because of the supportive action of ginseng it is also used for depression, asthma, memory impairment, fatigue and premature aging.Ginseng is still very popular today, and is available in a range of forms including tablets, capsules, softgel, powder, extracts, teas, and creams.
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Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera seems to be everywhere these days, in sun creams, drinks, toothpaste, make up, soaps and even toilet roll! Although there are over 200 varieties of Aloe, it is the Aloe Barbadensis Miller (Aloe Vera) which has been been most commonly used for its medicinal properties. The Aloe leaf is made up of four components: Rind, Sap, Gel and Juice. The Gel (or Mucilage Gel) is the part of the plant most often used for medicinal purposes as it contains the 8 essential Amino Acids that the human body needs but cannot manufacture itself.Aloe Vera has been used for centuries, with earliest records of its use as far back as 1500 BC in ancient Egypt! To this day Aloe Vera is used in Western medical science and is very popular modern herbal remedies and treatments.
Aloe Gel is often used topically as a soothing treatment for a variety of skin conditions. It is used to treat psoriasis, burns, frostbite, sores, sunburn and eczema. Research has shown that, taken orally, aloe gel can help to lower cholesterol levels in people with high cholesterol, and can help to lower blood glucose levels in people with type II diabetes.
Do you use aloe for anything?
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Sarsaparilla!
You probably know Sarsaparilla best as a sweet soft drink, but did you know Sarsaparilla is thought to have many medicinal properties and used to be drunk as a curative tonic?
Sarsaparilla is a vine, native to the rainforests of Central and South America. The root of the plant is the most valued part of the plant, and the part used for its medicinal benefits.
Sarsaparilla was brought to Europe from the Americas in the mid-sixteenth century where it quickly became popular with physicians and the public.Today, Sarsaparilla is most often used for its anti-inflammatory properties, which make it a great treatment for sufferers of skin problems such as psoriasis, eczema and itchiness. Sarsparilla has also been used in the past to treat a variety of conditions, including gout, arthritis, rheumatism, impotence, depression, syphilis and some symptoms of the menopause.
The root of the Sarsaparilla plant is very bitter, and so it was common for pharmacists to distill the useful chemicals from the plant and then to mix these with sugar and water. This tonic would often contain ingredients such as liquorice, cassia, ginger, cloves, coriander seeds, sassafras and wintergreen.
Sarsaparilla was one of G. Baldwin & Co’s most popular remedies, where they used to serve it strong and frothy, and very different to the sweet carbonated drink Sarsaparilla is today! Did you ever try a glass of Baldwin’s Sarsaparilla?
Today the anti-inflammatory action is still much in demand for treating arthritis and skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis, and supplements of the plant are still on sale in Baldwins today.