What are you harvesting now?

Once again, a year is racing by and the fifth month already begun. If we turn away and blink, another plant has bloomed and disappeared while others stay with us for a longer duration.

I always think of May as the green month as there are so many different tones of a single colour. Each tree has its own particular shade building up a living palette amongst the landscape. In hedgerows, crabapple has thrown a white garment over her branches and the hawthorn blossom is glistening brightly against the vibrant leaves. We’re still waiting for elder and crampbark flowers but they will soon be here along with the blushing pink of dog rose.

For me, May heralds the urge to harvest. Plantain, cowslip and ground ivy from the fields, hawthorn blossom and leaf from the hedges, daisies from the garden lawn, fresh marjoram, lovage and mint for my cooking and ground ivy to dry for green powder. Errant nettles have been thrown on the compost to add nitrogen to next year’s soil but there may still be time for another harvest from the Sanctuary’s strongest gift.

Before I gather, it is always a good idea to review my larder and decide what I actually need rather than succumbing to the overall urge to forage. I know plantain will be in my future but I’ve also made use of elder leaves from Sanctuary prunings. A tree had grown over the path, making it impossible for my father to pass safely on his mower, so we cut back branches and I have made two batches of infused oils. These could either be used in a general bruise salve but I saw a recipe recently for an insect repellent so there is an opportunity to try making something new.

Broad-leaf thyme has begun to flower and the purple sage is finally looking alive, so I shall be gathering both for a new elixir to replace the amount we’ve used recently whilst suffering from a nasty cold and cough. I am so grateful for my store of elderberry elixir, fire cider vinegar and various cough syrups. When you’re feeling ill, you need the remedy immediately rather than making fresh and having to wait for several weeks.

I am waiting for my St George’s mushroom tincture to finish the six-week alcohol extraction phase. This is the first year I have gathered this variety of mushroom which grows all over my five-acre meadow. One of my apprentices picked the first basket after April’s workshop and I gathered the second for drying just over a week ago. These will be added at the decoction stage so the water and alcohol can be combined for a full-spectrum extraction. St George’s mushrooms can be used against thrush, so I’m looking forward to adding this medicine to my anti-fungal collection.

Another remedy which is about to be made is a chamomile vinegar. This helps to guard against fungal infections in difficult to reach body crevices. The plants emerged as tiny, self-sown seedlings which I transplanted into a single large pot. Now they resemble a green triffid swaying in the breeze already over a foot high. I’m waiting for them to flower in the next week or so before I gather most of the aerial parts to infuse in cider vinegar.

Although most herbalists talk about using chamomile flowers, I have always used the entire aerial parts to good effect. Last year, I experimented in collecting only the flowers and whilst they are lovely in tea, I feel the rest of the plant is just as efficacious and shouldn’t be wasted.

May is also the last month for sowing this year’s herb seeds. A second batch of ashwagandha have been scattered from a single cherry in case the germination of those planted at the beginning of April is not sufficient. It took me a while to find where I’d hidden the holy basil seeds, still on their dry stalks but hopefully they will be showing themselves in a couple of weeks.

With the very cold weather, germination this year has been horrendous. Only two of my motherwort seeds grew and none of the pleurisy root. Someone in Manchester offered to share her woad seeds and those are now good sized seedlings which will be planted out at the Sanctuary in a few days, along with Californian poppy and self-sown chamomile. I have still to decide what to do with milk thistle and the plague of borage seedlings. Both are too large to remain in the vegetable beds for much longer.

As each year progresses, time available to describe what is happening diminishes as necessary practical tasks increase. Even though we may not be able to capture each action in words, memories continue to store treasures against more difficult times.

Times of change: Grief and loss

During this dark time of the year, losing those we admire or love seems somehow harder. We often forget life is a continual series of loss of one kind or another. Just as the year changes with different periods of light and shade, we also move from infant to child, adolescent to adult, fertile to infertile, active to physically challenged, life to death and the passage something else or nothing, depending your own belief system. Each stage brings its own grief which may or may not be noticed or acknowledged.

Shakespeare depicted it in his own inimitable way when he wrote in “As you like it”

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then, the whining school-boy with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then, a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden, and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then, the justice,
In fair round belly, with a good capon lined,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws, and modern instances,
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

Nancy Kerr recently introduced me to a round which sums up “a good life” eloquently in so few words. She was given it by her mother, Sandra, who attributed it either to Kabir, the Indian mystic or “an old Cherokee saying”.

When you are born you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die the world cries and you rejoice.

Whether the loss be large or small, however it arrives there will be periods of grieving to a greater or lesser extent. There is one certainty; everyone will experience grief in a different way and probably at a different time, often when it is least expected. This is normal.

Many people today expect life to be like Norfolk; flat, when the reality is that life is like Birmingham; filled with hills and valleys but often covered with buildings so sunrise and sunset can be obscured.

Many people fear change and many more feel helpless when those around them are physically or emotionally in pain. There are many simple things which can be done to support those suffering and there are several herbs which can help.

Immediate support

It’s hard to plan for loss. News that something is ending whether it is a life, a job, a relationship or something else can elicit shock. Reactions can vary. Denial, avoidance, anger and pain are common and many people experience numbness where nothing seems real and the world turns in slow motion or catapults you into places where you have no control over events.

Shock puts great strain on the adrenal glands. An immediate response can be to offer Rescue Remedy Flower Essence (4 drops under the tongue every half hour for the first four hours or so). I use rose elixir in the same dosage or one dropperful/1/2 a teaspoon every hour.

Perhaps the most important role at this time is being with the person suffering. It doesn’t mean doing the “There, there, don’t cry” routine or “Would you like a cup of tea” because both those phrases impart an unconscious message that you can’t cope with their emotions so please will they stop doing it and you can’t cope so you need to escape to make the tea. Having said that, those suffering will often want respite from the presence of others so going into another room to make a drink can be helpful.

If someone is shocked and numb, they do need someone with them to take care of practical issues. If you know someone is likely to be given bad news, it’s best to go with them so you can hear what is being said and hopefully remember the important points and can make sure they are safe afterwards.

Herbs which help

All the soothing nervines will help to greater or lesser extents. Teas made from chamomile, lemon balm, lemon verbena or lime flowers taste good and can help to make the person feel more relaxed and cared for.

Although alcohol such as whisky or brandy are often given to people in shock it’s not really a good idea in large amounts. Alcohol may deaden the emotional pain for a while but the individual will be dehydrated and suffer other damage if it is used for any length of time.

When I was training mental health nurses and drugs teams several years ago, they all told that people who misused either alcohol or other substances nearly always started because of a bereavement they could not cope with. If grief is not acknowledged and supported, so many difficult life events can follow.

Many people find it difficult to sleep at this time. This is normal but can be debilitating. Chamomile relaxes smooth muscle and has a noticeable effect if tea is drunk twenty minutes prior to going to bed. You can also put it into a bath for both adults and children if drinking tea isn’t an option.

If going to sleep or waking in the night is a problem, passionflower tincture is really helpful for stopping the brain’s chatter. It is recommended to keep a dropper bottle by the bed so a dose can be easily taken without getting out of bed. Both passionflower and skullcap can be used in half doses with children, who will also be suffering, especially if those around them are noticeably upset.

Longer term herbal support

Grieving people often find themselves experiencing quite violent emotional outbursts. This can be anger, sorrow, regret or despair. It’s useful to remember that anger is known as a secondary emotion and usually arises from pain or fear. Often, if you address the primary emotion, anger will die away. Anger needs to be acknowledged so it can be properly addressed, ignoring it only makes it worse.

Emotional pain is also a very real event. If someone is suffering from a complicated grief reaction, which is more likely if they have lost a child or a loved one who was murdered, it can be life threatening.

I will often make up a “bereavement tonic” for someone who is grieving based on a mixture of four nervines. Those in the very early stages of grief will receive Vervain (it makes you let go), Lemon balm, St John’s wort (providing they are not only any other mental health pharmaceuticals) and nettles. The dose is 1tsp three times a day. I also give them a small dropper bottle of skullcap tincture to take when they feel a screaming habdab moment coming on or they just can’t cope any longer. A bottle of tonic should last about a month.

As time goes on, if things are still difficult or they approach me further along their timeline, the mix will probably contain Vervain, Milky Oats, Lemon Balm and Motherwort (especially if they’re experiencing hot flushes and minor palpitations which their doctor has already investigated and found nothing untoward) as a blended tincture and they’ll be given nettle seed to eat 1-2 tsps every day for up to three months.

Other herbs which can be really helpful are hawthorn flower essence which will aid forgiveness either of the person taking it or the person who died or who did something unhelpful around the time of the loss. Agrimony flower essence will also assist anyone who is keeping up a cheerful front but crying inside, the “tears of a clown” syndrome.

Lavender tincture has been called “a hug in a bottle” so may be useful to anyone who needs a hug during difficult times.

If you don’t have a flower essence available but do have a tincture, drop doses of the tincture can be given to obtain the same effect. Dose is 4 drops under the tongue four times a day or sipped in a glass of water throughout the day or 4 drops every half hour during a crisis.

This is only a very short commentary of a very complex subject. If you are interested in more information I have a booklet written especially for those who work with grieving people in any capacity as well as leaflets about herbs which can assist in restoring sleep. Please email me via the blog and I will send them to you.

Chamomile, my new friend

Everyone knows chamomile. It is probably the only tea non-herb lovers recognise. Other herbalists rave about this member of the daisy family. I knew many of its uses but it has only been in the past three months I have truly bonded with this plant.

There are several different forms of chamomile growing wild across the country but two are most commonly used, the former being preferred as it is less bitter.  Matricaria chamomilla (also known as chamomila recutita) is the German or wild chamomile, a native of Europe and Asia. Roman chamomile (anthemis nobilis) is a native of Europe.

The name, chamomile, comes from two Greek words, khamae, meaning “on the ground” and melon meaning “apple”.  The plant has been used medicinally for thousands of years. The ancient Egyptians dedicated it to Ra, the sun god, because it could be used against agues and fevers. The Greek physician, Dioscorides, recommended it for fevers in 800BC.

It was also well known in Anglo-Saxon times when it went by the name, Maythe. It is one of the herbs to appear in the Nine Herb Charm recorded in the Lacnunga manuscript.

“Be mindful now, maythe, of what you made known,

Of what you finished at the alder-tree ford

So that he never should give up his life for disease

Once maythe was prepared for his food.”

Anne McIntyre writes that chamomile was highly valued as a strewing herb in the Middle Ages, it’s pungent odour released through incense burning to keep foul smells and infection at bay. She says “It was hung in bunches over babies’ cots to protect them and keep them healthy.”   This reflects modern use of chamomile with babies and young children to ease colic, fevers, digestive upsets and to calm over-tired infants.  The tea can be added to a child’s bath, ensuring a good night’s sleep.

Beatrix Potter may not have had children of her own, but she knew her plantlore when she wrote “Peter Rabbit was sent to bed with chamomile tea” to ease his stomach ache from eating all the lettuces while Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail enjoyed the fruits of their blackberry picking with cream!

Anne McIntyre also tells us that chamomile was traditionally used in love potions and weddings. Apparently you should wash your face and hair with chamomile to attract your beloved. Its effects cover all ages as historically chamomile has been used as a grave plant, to ease the passage of the dead into the world to come.

The use of chamomile continued along the centuries. Culpepper wrote that “Camomile takes away weariness, eases pains, to what part of the body soever they be applied.”  We now know that chamomile has the ability to relax smooth muscle throughout the body, so whether you have stomach ache, period pains or any other muscular discomfort, chamomile can ease this whether it is drunk as a tea or applied as a fomentation to the affected area.

To apply a fomentation

Make a strong chamomile tea. Place in a bowl and soak a clean length of cloth in the liquid. (A piece of old, clean sheet is ideal.) Wring out the cloth gently so not all the liquid is expelled and place over the affected area, making sure it is not too hot. Cover with a towel and keep in place until the cloth is cold. Replace regularly or, if possible, sleep in it overnight.

When Gabrielle Hatfield was researching folk uses of chamomile, a woman in Suffolk told her that an infusion of the flowers drunk cold, night and morning, was used to treat gallstones.  This ties in with Pechey’s story, published in 1694, where a man cured himself of the stone using a strong decoction of chamomile flowers and then went on to successfully treat several other sufferers in the same way.

The seventeenth century herbalist, Salmon, listed similar properties of chamomile. He noted that as well as provoking “Urine and the Terms, [chamomile] facilitates the Birth and brings away the dead Child and After-birth.”

In 1914, W T Fernie called chamomile a physician for the garden. He wrote, “It is remarkable that each chamomile is a plant physician, since nothing contributes so much to the health of a garden as a number of chamomile herbs dispersed about it. Singularly enough, if another plant is drooping and apparently dying, in nine cases out of ten it will recover if you place a herb of chamomile near it.” Chamomile tea poured over newly transplanted plants will help their transition into their new home.

How can such a seemingly fragile, delicately flowered plant achieve so much? When Anne McIntyre talked about chamomile during my first herb festival in 2010, she appeared both reverent and excited. She spoke about the uses as a digestive tonic and that rang a bell for me. The first time I grew chamomile, I brewed a tea from my dried flowers and looked forward to a taste similar to commercial tea bags.  It was so bitter I couldn’t drink it!

When I complained to a herbalist friend of mine she laughed at me, “Don’t you know chamomile is a bitter?” This was several years ago and I felt duly chastened for expecting home grown to taste anything like a commercial brand. It also put me off chamomile for a long time.

The good thing my friend gave me was the use of chamomile water on red, hot, angry eczema.  I complained to her that I’d been using a salve on my sore finger and nothing was working.  “Don’t put oil on any hot skin,” she told me, “It will only keep the heat in and make things worse. You need something cooling to take the heat away.”

She gave me some chamomile water in a dropper bottle. I have to admit I was sceptical but it worked. For a long time, I thought a floral water must be something highly specialised and distilled until I found a recipe by Gail Faith Edwards. I made elderflower water first  which is also extremely cooling and then made chamomile water the following year when I grew a new plant crop from seed. I gave some to a friend who suffers with whole body eczema when he is severely stressed. He washed the affected area with the water and reported it took the heat away and soothed the skin in a way he’d not achieved before.

Chamomile water

Place fresh or dry chamomile aerial parts in a stainless steel or enamel saucepan and cover with water. Cover and slowly heat to just below a simmer. Turn the heat as low as it will go and continue heating for about ten minutes tightly covered. Turn off the heat and allow all to sit, covered, overnight. The next morning, strain the infusion through muslin or kitchen towel to remove all the floating debris. Add a quarter of the volume in alcohol as a preservative. Bottle and keep in a cool dark place. This should retain its value for a year or more if not frequently opened. If you are using medicinally, place in a small dropper bottle and administer as required.

Chamomile is not just a relaxant, febrifuge or anti-viral, it is also an effective anti-fungal. It was Non Shaw and Christopher Hedley who first brought this use to my attention in their HerbSociety article.  Their recipe for making chamomile vinegar was to add a handful of chamomile flowers to 570ml of cider vinegar. This is then steeped for 2 weeks before straining and bottling.

The dosage they recommend is to use 1 teaspoon to a cupful of water as a regular wash for the genitals, to restore skin pH, and discourage fungal infections. They also suggest using 2 teaspoons to a cup of water as a douche, or a wash, for vaginal or penile thrush or other itchy conditions in the area. 

I tried to use this remedy when my daughter suffered with a bout of under-arm thrush as a teenager. Unfortunately I forgot the vinegar should be diluted and the pain of putting it onto sore skin was too much for her to continue the treament. (I'll know better if there is a next time!)

Non and Chris' chamomile wash for travellers

To prepare lint wipes for travelling, use 3 teaspoons of the chamomile/cider vinegar wash to a cup of water. Cut pieces of lint to just fit and airtight tin and sprinkle enough of the mixture onto each piece to just dampen it. 

Despite all these wonderful uses, I still didn’t believe chamomile was as good as everyone said until last October. The plant has been very patient with me. Luckily, I did plant a new crop from seed last spring and was surprised how well it grew over the sodden summer. As it was there, I harvested the aerial parts whenever the flowers started to bloom and was delighted how much I’d gathered when I came to put it all into a glass jar from the various paper bags in which it had been drying. I divided the flower heads from the stems, intending to try making tea just from the flowers.

Then came the night in October when I suffered from the worst stomach ache I have ever experienced. No vomiting, no diarrhoea just unmitigating pain.  After several hours of clutching a hot water bottle, I dragged myself out of bed and down to the kitchen where I retrieved the large jar of dried chamomile stems and made a mugful of chamomile tea. It tasted delicious and as I laid myself down again on the bed I could feel my whole body relaxing and I slept. The effect lasted for about four hours before the pain woke me again but this time I asked Chris to make the chamomile tea. It worked and I slept again, waking a further four hours later without the pain which didn’t return.

From that moment, I finally understood chamomile. It worked. It really worked and it didn’t taste dreadful! I was sold and chamomile was my new best friend. You still have to be respectful. Too much of the plant in your tea and its powerful astringency will turn your mouth so dry you can’t finish your drink. This is a problem at 4am when you need to sleep!

Chamomile can help with both constipation and diarrhoea because it helps to regulate peristalsis. When a nurse manager friend of mine was suffering with a recurrent upset stomach following a visit to Pakistan, I recommended she try chamomile and raspberry leaf as no pharmaceutical intervention was helping. She reported the two plants stopped all her discomfort within a few days.

Anne McIntyre explained how chamomile can be useful in strengthening the immune system. “Everything starts with a well-balanced digestive system. If you have that, your immune system will flourish.” She calls chamomile the flower of equilibrium, keeping us in balance throughout our lives. Now that I have finally opened myself to chamomile, I can agree with her.  To me, it feels as if she wraps me up in a caring hug, holding me safe until my body can heal itself once more.

References

Hadfield, G Hadfield’s Herbal : The Secret History of British Plants 2007 Penguin Books

Isbn 978 0 140 51577 0

McIntyre, A The Complete Floral Healer 1996 Gaia Books Ltd ISBN 08069 8689 1

McIntyre, A The Complete Herbal Tutor  2010 Gaia Books Ltd ISBN 9781856753180

Pollington, S Leechcraft 2000 Anglo-Saxon Books ISBN 1 989281 238

Wood, M The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants 2008 North Atlantic Books ISBN 9 781556 436925