Digging for winter health

“What can I forage now?” someone asked recently.

My response was all about roots. This time of year, dandelions tubers swell from seasonal photosynthesis, summer sweetness locked within their fibres. First year burdock, mullein and angelica can be harvested for drying or tincturing. It’s too late if you gather the remains of plants which have already flowered, the roots have sent up all their “goodness/virtue” into flowers and seeds.

Seeds can be gathered as long as they are black and ripe. Mullein seeds are tiny. It’s best to put the whole flowering stalk inside a paper bag and shake vigorously if you want to keep them or maybe spread them on the ground to encourage another harvest in two years’ time.

Burdock seeds are an investment. The seed pods are guarded by sharp thorns. They are best approached with heavy gloves and when you’ve gathered enough, find a sheltered place out of the wind, a sharp stick or chopstick to poke inside the large pod and a bowl to pour the seeds into. The seeds are both nutritional and medicinal. They are best ground daily if you’re intending to eat them or used whole  in a decoction which can be divided in three parts and drunk during the day.

Burdock, like nettles, is a blood cleanser. It can be used for eczema, psoriasis, gout, liver and kidney support etc. The root is the only part not bitter, but it is diuretic. If you chew a piece of root, be prepared to find a toilet within twenty minutes. The root is also helpful in exciting a lethargic appetite, especially one dulled by a long-lasting virus. Chop the clean root into small pieces, possibly inside a muslin bag and cook it as part of a stock, soup or stew. Remove before serving.

My next planned harvest will be nettle roots. I don’t gather the golden goodness very often, but searching the larder shelves this week for another bottle of tincture to add to my husband’s daily tonic proved fruitless, so this month I shall be attacking several clumps with a garden fork. The roots are stunning. I would never have guessed their colour. It glows in autumn sunlight, providing another aspect to nettle’s cornucopia.

I learned from a former apprentice about nettle root as a powder providing extra nutritional oomph to a diet. I’ve always used it to support the prostate gland. There have been studies undertaken which show that nettle root can keep the prostate stable for many years. It seems a useful ally for all men, especially those in middle age.

Prostate cancer is as widespread as lung and breast, so every man and women who care for them need to be alert for any danger signals and seek medical advice as soon as possible.

My other root harvests are from my garden rather than the field or hedgerow. Elecampane flowers are long gone, their long stalks brown and brittle, the huge green leaves mere husks of their former green profusion. I removed all the aerial parts yesterday to fill my green bin but their roots are safe for the moment. I still have large amounts of infused honey and tincture from last year and I suspect, if I search, there will be another full jar of dried root slices to add to cough elixirs or syrups.

The honey can be given to children over two years as a prophylactic to prevent constant winter coughing. The root smells and tastes of commercial scent but it is one of the most effective cough remedy. Like mullein leaf, it drags up debris from the depths, resolving deep rooted lung infections.

Although the frost whispered on the fringes of the lawn last week, there has been nothing to prompt me to dig up the ashwagandha roots. I’m still holding on to a vain hope there may be ripe cherries in the future but I’m not holding my breath.

Roots mean hard work scrubbing with lots of water changes. I never powder them until the time that powder is needed. Powders go off quicker than anything else but properly dried and sliced roots will last for more than two years if stored in a dark place.

Although I grow marshmallow, I don’t harvest the root. The leaves are sufficient for my needs and I value my plants. The downy stems are almost bare now so I may cut them down before the solstice, rather than afterwards.

There is one root I buy. Astralagus (astralagus membranaceous) has been on my list of immune-enhancing herbs for a very long time but I’ve only been working with it for the past five or so years. It’s a native of Mongolia and China and has been used in Chinese Traditional Medicine for centuries. I’ve never seen a plant growing so I guess it may be on my list to try one of these years.

The commercial packs are full of tiny discs with an earthy smell which is not endearing but the taste doesn’t adversely affect anything to which it is added. The roots are well known immune enhancers, antiviral and antibacterial. They can be used prophylactically against colds and upper respiratory infections.

For the past few winters, I have been adding a tablespoon of it to all my stocks, soups and stews along with homemade green powder to bring our immune systems to the maximum efficiency. Along with other herbal roots, astralagus roots need to be removed before serving as they don’t break down and can’t be chewed as part of the meal. I usually place them inside a large muslin teabag which is easy take out of the liquid.

My friend, Lynne Tynan Cashmore gave me a recipe for immune-enhancing tea which is very pleasant.

1tsp dried haws

1tsp dried hips

1-2tsps dried astralagus root

Infuse for 15-20 minutes then drink.

Lynne recommends drinking a mugful of tea every day during the winter to ward off the lurgies. If you were using fresh hips and haws then you would need 1 tablespoons of each, so it is probably more efficient to dry them before use as tea, depending on how much you have been able to forage and store. 

January reflections

January is a time of reflection, as signified in this month’s header picture. Sunlight is low and when seen casts a golden glow across the land. The shortest day has passed along with the celebrations of light to ward off the darkness.

Now we face the beginning of a new year, the challenges of snow, frost and continuing cold. The need to stay indoors, to isolate ourselves from those we love and care for whilst worrying about our own health and wellbeing in the increasing web of concern for our wider communities.

How do we cope when the world is plagued by uncertainty and change? By concentrating on the shortest time, the simplest thing, each one building a jigsaw to take us forward into a more positive future.

What are we doing to help ourselves stay safe and well?

Every morning we take a shot glass of herbal tonic. We use tinctures/elixirs because it’s easy to administer.

Mine contains: Solomon seal, agrimony (joint pain) bugle (joint & digestive), St John’s wort and lemon balm (nervine plus SAD), hawthorn and motherwort (heart), dandelion bitter (liver) plus elderberry elixir. This may sound a lot, but when mixed together, it’s only a couple of tsps. topped up with water.

Chris has: dandelion (liver), hawthorn (heart) saw palmetto (prostate) plus elderberry elixir.

Chris spends most winters lurching from one cold to another. This year the elderberry has reduced most infections to one or two days of incessant sneezing and nose blowing with only the odd day feeling under the weather. Once he starts sneezing he takes fire cider vinegar and honey. If you have never made any, this is my version of the recipe.

Fire Cider Vinegar

Equal portions of horseradish and ginger root – grate or whizz in a coffee grinder. (It is your choice whether you peel the roots or not.)

1 head of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 good handful of rosehips (fresh or dried)

6 cloves

2 tsps paprika

2 tsps turmeric

2 tsps cayenne pepper

(If you have access to fresh chilli peppers, you can add these as well, leaving the seeds in to give extra “fire”!)

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large glass jar so it is filled about half full, then add cider vinegar stirring well to remove air bubbles until the jar is full. Place cling film over the top of the jar before sealing with screw top lid. Label and date. Place jar in warm, dark place for 3 weeks. Strain and use.

The drink we make with fire cider is 2tsps infused vinegar with 2tsps runny honey in a mugful of boiling water, stir and sip. Usual dose is 3 mugs a day. If you want to add potency, then you can use an infused honey, such as sage, elecampane or horseradish but the drink is less pleasant using the latter.

When I don’t drink enough, my kidney complains and I end up with back pain. This is dealt with using fresh nettle seed and cramp bark tinctures (1tsp each 3x day) and extra fluids. Yesterday I resorted to a nettle chai which is an easy warm, comforting drink.

Nettle Chai

2 handfuls of dried nettle leaves

1 inch of chopped root ginger

Spices (cinnamon/nutmeg/1 clove)

Orange or lemon peel

Place all the ingredients in a 2mug/4cup cafatiere (French coffee press) and cover with just boiled water. Infuse for ten minutes, strain and drink.

Another warming drink which helps the immune system is made from astralagus root.

Immune support tea

1tblsp chopped dried astralagus root

1inch root ginger

Small handful of dried rosehips and haws

Warming spices (cinnamon/nutmeg/clove/cardamom)

Citrus juice and peel (orange/lemon/lime/grapefruit)

You could make this as a decoction in a covered saucepan (Cover with 1pint water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins, then strain and drink) but it works just as well as a tea made in a cafetière.

 We’re also spending a lot of time in front of computer screens which often means my eyes become either sore or puffy. Putting a square of material or kitchen towel soaked in an infusion of eyebright and goldenrod tea (1tsp of each of the dried herbs) over my eyes for ten minutes during my afternoon nap (yes I am that old!) works wonders.

 There is no escaping the fact that life is currently very stressful for most people.

 Here are some soothing teas to help

 IDGAS tea

1tsp each of dried chamomile, lemon balm and vervain in a single mug cafetière. Add just boiled water and steep for ten minutes strain and drink.

 Ashwagandha evening soother

2 tsps dried ashwagandha roots

1tsp dried rose petals

1/2 pint milk (dairy or nut)

Heat the roots and petals in the milk in a covered saucepan. Simmer for 15 minutes. Strain and drink. Add honey if required.

Keep a dropper bottle of rose elixir and skullcap tincture within easy reach throughout the day and night. Rose will lift your spirits when everything seems too much or when you’ve had bad news about something. Skullcap stops the mice running around in your head when you can’t sleep.

Skullcap is safe for older children and very young children can be sent to bed after a bath to which a strong tea of lavender, lemon balm and catnip has been added. (Bath, bed, story, sleep in strict order, no play fights or running around in between!).

We know these are difficult times. To experience difficult times in winter when energy levels are naturally low is even more challenging but the wheel of the year is always turning and things will change.

  

Managing abdominal surgery

The story

We are exceptionally fortunate in the UK to have the NHS. After my in-patient stay last year with cholecystitis, the powers that be decided the time had come to remove my gallbladder with its thickened walls and undisclosed number of gallstones. The optimum time for removal is usually three months, allowing time for the inflammation to die down.

Unfortunately for me, administrative gremlins struck which resulted in my 6-week follow-up appointment not happening until 19 weeks after discharge in late February. Then an appointments clerk rang me the day after my mother died to ask if I was attending a pre-operative assessment in three days’ time when I'd not received any notification, let alone agreed to have a procedure which had not yet been discussed!

The consultation with the new surgeon (someone completely different from the person who had reviewed me in hospital, who I had expected to follow me up) took place in my local hospital the day after my mother’s funeral. Despite being the first appointment, I was still kept waiting for half an hour while he read my notes. The conversation about surgery was very brief. It had to be done. He liked all his patients to go on a diet to shrink their liver and he allowed his patients to drive four days after surgery. We exchanged a few pleasantries and I returned home to await the next communication.

I was somewhat surprised to read his letter to the GP which referred to a “full and frank discussion”. I wondered if I’d been asleep while it occurred.

At the beginning of May, as I was packing the caravan for one of our many weekends away with the kite team, I received a phone call asking if I would like to have my operation in the local private hospital in the next few weeks as they had some free time. We’d just booked a week away with our son and his family so I didn’t want to miss that, so agreed to June 15^th. I returned home to find this date had been cancelled because the surgeon didn’t have enough people to operate on. An alternative date would have meant cancelling my writing retreat with a substantial loss of money, so I negotiated to go in a week later.

I was sent the pre-admission details including the week-long 800 calorie diet. I had expected something miraculous if it was going to shrink my liver, instead I was expected to replace two meals with purchased diet products and, if I were lucky, my evening meal could be a protein source plus vegetables from a list which was referred to but not supplied.

I have a moral objection to spending money (which is limited in my household) on processed food so I made out a shopping list for lots of low calorie vegetables, fruit and organ meat. I already had the vitamin tablets to hand and there were vegetables available in the garden.

The real food 800 calorie diet

On waking: Cup of tea with semi skimmed milk

Breakfast: Small glass of orange juice and half a red/pink grapefruit plus a cup of tea with milk

Mid-morning: Cup of herb/fruit tea

Lunch: 2 bowls of soup prepared from homemade chicken stock with a) celery, kale, cabbage, carrot half an onion plus half a red pepper flavoured with holy basil and mint or b) mushrooms, courgettes, an onion, carrot, celery flavoured with herbs.

Or a salad comprised of lettuce, celery, spinach, grated carrot, grated courgette, red pepper, hard-boiled egg dressed with lemon juice plus water to drink

Mid- afternoon: herb/fruit tea

Evening meal: Ratatouille made from 1 tin of tomatoes, 4 courgettes, 1 aubergine, ½ an onion and ½ a red pepper flavoured with holy basil and mint. Served with steam roasted chicken or liver casserole made with aubergine, carrots, cabbage, flavoured with rosemary, or steam roasted chicken served with carrots, broad beans, peas and boiled courgette or stir-fry kidneys with celery, carrot, courgette, onion.

Evening drinks: herb/fruit tea

I wasn’t hungry and I lost seven pounds during the week. When I finally went for my pre-op assessment, my operation had been cancelled again because the theatre floors needed to be re-sealed which meant cancelling the entire weekend operating lists thus causing a knock-on effect further down the week. I didn’t have a revised date because my consultant was too busy doing bariatric surgery to fit me in and a new consultant had to be found. I was not a happy bunny and the nurse carrying out the assessment was worried about me staying on the diet for too long.

Other preparations

Meals for the freezer – this meant Chris didn’t have to do large amounts of cooking during the first week while he was looking after me.

Overnight bag – although I was booked as a day case, I still needed a nightdress, dressing gown, slippers and something to keep me occupied whilst waiting for the operation. I took some knitting and a Cadfael omnibus. The simple dishcloth knitting was wonderful for keeping me calm during the three and a half hour wait.

Herbal medicine – I put together a bottle of combined tinctures with the dosage clearly labelled in an accessible place so Chris would know exactly what to give me and when.

Energetic cleansing of the theatre and support for the operating team – I wasn’t in a fit state to do this myself so left it to those who were providing distant healing support for me, both my healing group and my Druid Grove. This is the chant I have used in the past when undertaking something similar for others.

Before an operation

Come cleansing silver rain

Descend upon this sterile space

Deposing fear and sorrow

Anger and sense of loss

Leaving all fresh and clean

Then light the violet flame

Burning brightly

Burnishing instruments

Rejuvenating equipment

Leaving all in perfect order

For what is to come.

Come now, Raphael,

Bring your hosts

To guard and watch this space

Spread your glittering wings

To comfort all in need

To heal all that is needful

To shine the light of peace and hope within

Call now the healers

Call them close

To watch and guide

To lend assistance to the operating team

That all may be done to the highest good

Of all concerned

Then, in recovery,

Let there be true care and compassion

Let the healers remain

To work on flesh and bone

On blood and organs too

Until all is as it should

As it can be

Let healing light shine forth

To hold each moment

To soothe, to comfort

To surround with love

Let all be done for the highest good

Of body and soul

To aid in life’s rich journey

And beyond

The Operation

We arrived at the hospital at 7am. The new surgeon bounced into my room at 7.30am, announced, "It's going to be horrible in there. If I have to open you up, you'll be here for five days or more." and bounced out again. He seemed to imply the difficulties had been caused by the number of antibiotics given to me during my previous admission but it could have been the length of time (over three years) I had been suffering with the condition.

The operating list started at 8am and I was second on the list. At 11am I was still sitting in my room knitting but luckily the sister/ward manager came in to check I was ok and gave me some more water. Apparently policies have changed and instead of nil by mouth they like you to drink an hour beforehand.

The surgeon did manage to remove eighty per cent of my gallbladder by keyhole surgery. (Chris said he used an old fashioned skeleton key as the major incision was two inches across!) and I came out of the theatre with five holes instead of three including a drain. He had removed three gallstones the size of musket balls. He said it was too dangerous to remove everything as the anterior wall was stuck to other organs. (It was quite sobering to subsequently read his discharge letter to my GP which described the operation as “very difficult”!)

In-patient medication
The anaesthetic cocktail plus liquid morphine and a heavy duty antibiotic (probably Augmentin which necessitated two blood tests the following morning to check liver and kidney function). After the morphine wore off I was given paracetamol and then codeine phosphate at four hourly intervals.

Post-operative issues
Pain – from coughing, movement and internal muscle spasms plus bruising from the anaesthetic venflon in the back of my hand.
Throat – the anaesthetist warned of a sore throat but didn’t mention the post-nasal drip, thick mucus which had to be removed by coughing and “semi-detached” skin flakes on the back of my tongue, plus dehydrated lung tissue arising from the anaesthetic.
Nausea – presumably a reaction to either the anaesthetic, morphine or both. I refused any anti-emetics because they made me feel “spaced out” for several hours when I was given them before.
Internal muscle and other tissue damage from the surgery
The abdominal drain- which prevented me sleeping in any position other than flat on my back and meant I must be aware of the position of the drain bag at all times.
Liver support – necessary because the liver processes all the toxins/medications pumped into me
Bowel regulation – both morphine and codeine derivatives cause acute constipation. Straining to pass “movements” can cause piles and damage newly healed internal organs, so is not advised. I was discharged with senacot tablets but didn’t take any. I had been warned before the operation about possible effects of “bile dumping” by herbalists if I ate fats but this wasn’t mentioned by the surgeon. Only the nurse who cared for me post- surgery and prior to discharge, whose wife had had the same operation, told me I might experience something similar to diarrhoea the day after eating fats.
De-hydration – caused by pre-op nil by mouth, only small amounts of water and two bouts of vomiting over a 36 hour period.

Issue Management Strategies
Although leaving hospital is scary, being in your own, quiet and comfortable home does improve the healing process. The regime of tinctures I’d blended included

Dandelion and burdock for liver support
Plantain – for tissue regeneration, healing dry membranes in lungs and anti-inflammatory
Yarrow – anti-inflammatory and bruising

To this I added
Crampbark - to deal with the internal muscle spasms I’d not anticipated
Fire cider vinegar and honey – I only needed one drink of this to sort out the mucous on the second day when it was becoming intolerable. If I’d thought about it beforehand, I might have made up a respiratory cider vinegar with rosemary, sage and marshmallow but I probably needed the garlic, chillies and other spices as it worked so quickly.
Natural yoghurt and homemade raspberry puree – taken soon after returning home to coat my stomach lining following the bouts of nausea and provide some sustenance after my fast. I had three small amounts at hourly intervals and was then able to face other small meals with no ill effects.

Pain control and bowel regulation - The first few days were not fun; you never realise how many things involve your abdominal muscles until they’ve been damaged! I was also determined to use the minimum of pain killers so I wouldn't have to use a laxative. I managed on three doses of soluble aspirin throughout the day for three days then Chris said those ought to stop, so from day 4 I had one last dose in the morning before travelling to the acute hospital to have the 9" of drain pulled out of my stomach and didn't take any more. It was amazing how much better I felt after this procedure. After half an hour’s rest I was able to walk outside into the garden and stand and pick my St John’s Wort flowers for the next hour!
The first bowel movements on day three were difficult but eased by day four. I tried to drink as much as possible and was eating lots of fruit and vegetables including fats.

Recovery
Every day I improved. For a whole week I did nothing but rest with the minimum of movement. On the Sunday evening I began to feel a little like myself. I was able to teach a few piano pupils in week 2 and a herb workshop at the farm on the Thursday. I had another workshop at the end of the third week, then we went off to Cornwall for two weeks to meet up with friends. I found I was able to drive and go for walks. I still get tired but I'm able to do most things. I have to remember not to carry anything heavy until three months are up at the end of October.

I am now able to eat anything, which isn't a very good thing as I've put back most of the weight I lost prior to the operation and I'd like the scales to go down instead of up! Still, there won't be any more scones, cream and jam for another year! I'm not in any pain apart from the gall bladder area still feeling raw sometimes. My bowels are working well and have had limited problems, for which I am extremely grateful.

I'm sure my quick recovery has a lot to do with the herbs I’ve taken and all the healing energy I've been sent from many different sources. Back in the 1980s, research was carried out which confirmed that people undergoing surgery who were prayed for recovered more quickly than those who weren’t, whether or not the patient knew about the prayers. I’m very grateful to everyone who has taken time to send positive thoughts in my direction.

Although this is a very personal story of abdominal surgery, I hope others will be able to take something away to help with their own circumstances.

Autumn Recipes

As days become shorter and rain keeps falling during the night, it seems a good time to review some seasonal recipes. I had to smile last week when chef, Nigel Slater, went to his local green grocer to buy blackberries as part of his “Simple Cookery” series.  I don’t understand people who are fit and healthy buying blackberries from a shop when they are freely available from hedgerows. Even in the largest city, no-one is too far away from a canal or other open space where such fruit should abound.

Over the past month we’ve spent many hours picking blackberries and last weekend even the rosehips were finally ripe. I’ve discovered that blackberries cooked with sugar and cinnamon with a little water make the most wonderful sauce to add to natural yoghurt or eaten with other fruit and covered in cream. I’ve also made a hedgerow jelly using mainly blackberries.

Friary Jelly

Put whatever hedgerow fruits you have gathered and washed  into a large saucepan and just cover with water. (I had picked elderberries, blackberries, apples  and sloes. I chopped the apples into quarters/small chunks leaving the peel and pips.) Add a couple of sticks of cinnamon or cassia bark broken up or 2 tsps powdered cinnamon plus half a grated nutmeg.

Bring the fruit to the boil and simmer for half an hour until everything is very soft. Mash everything with a potato masher, then pour everything into a muslin strainer or jelly bag and leave to strain overnight. If you want a really clear jelly, don’t squeeze the bag but if you’re not bothered about having something cloudy (and because the jelly is going to be purple anyway), then squeeze the last drops of juice out and measure the volume.

Wash the saucepan and return the liquid into the pan. For every pint of liquid add 1lb sugar. Heat the mixture slowly until the sugar dissolves then bring it to a rolling boil for ten minutes or until the jelly has set. (Drop a tablespoon of hot jelly onto a pyrex saucer and put it in the freezer. Take another sample after 5 more minutes. If the first sample has a skin on it when you press the back of your forefinger nail through it, it has set. If it hasn’t, keep repeating every five minutes until it does.)

I had 2pints of liquid and it made 6 1/2lb jars of very tasty jelly.

I’ve also been adding blackberries to elderberry syrup and was interested to learn that one of the US Herb suppliers adds fresh blackberries to their St John’s wort tinctures macerated in grain alcohol and water to improve flavour and increase anti-oxidant levels.

One of my apprentices recently sent me some autumn recipes which I shall be trying out soon. I may use some of the elderberries frozen from last year to make this recipe for Elderberry Balsamic Vinegar from Eat Weeds. If you don’t already know the Eat Weeds website, it has some very interesting recipes including one for hawthorn jelly. I also like the sound of the BoxingDay chutney recipe which is available on Kirstie’s Homemade Christmas site from Chanel 4.

After our busy weekend at the farm, the last four days have been spent processing all the herbs I picked or dug. Solomons Seal Root is macerating in a jar of Overproof Rum (£24 from Tesco’s, ouch!). Dandelion roots are either tincturing or making Jim Macdonald’s bitter with cardamom and orange peel while the remainder dry in the cupboard.  Photos from the weekend can be found on Facebook 

All the aerial plant parts (marshmallow, ashwagandha, white horehound, New England Aster, chamomile and Calendula) are drying, along with some rosehips. The wild bergamot went into a tincture. This morning it was the turn of the ashwagandha roots to be vigorously scrubbed and are now air drying on the patio table in the warm wind and sunshine. The large bag of nettle roots, horseradish and the single Himalayan poke root are still waiting their turn which will probably come tomorrow.

I’ve also discovered another favourite soup recipe I thought I would share – very simple, hearty and frugal. es, it can take 2 days to cook, but it costs very little and tastes wonderful!

Pea and Ham Soup (for vegetarian and vegans, omit the ham)

1 pkt of green or yellow split peas

2 bay leaves

2 onions

2 carrots

2 sticks of celery

(Or 1 carrot, 2 parsnips and half a celeriac root)

4 ozs of chopped ham

Tip the packet of split peas into a large bowl and cover with lots of water.  (I usually fill a mixing bowl to the brim.) Leave to soak overnight. The next day, peel and chop the onions and sauté in a large saucepan (at least 5 pints) until soft. Peel and chop all the vegetables and add to the onions along with the bay leaves and strained split peas. Cover with around 3-4 pints of cold water. Season. Bring to the boil and either simmer for about 1hr until the split peas are soft or pour contents of saucepan into a cookpot and cook on high for one hour or so then on low for several hours until peas are soft. (Don’t remove lid from cookpot/slow cooker during cooking or you will increase the time by an hour or so.) Remove bay leaves. Return soup to the large saucepan and whizz using your favourite utensil until smooth. Add your diced ham and bring back to the boil. Serve with fresh bread. (Feeds 8-10 people).

The original recipe for this soup comes from the Good Housekeeping Cookbook. They use a smoked ham bone to make stock before you add the vegetables, but I haven’t been able to obtain a ham bone yet and if you did this, you couldn’t offer it to any non-carnivores.

Autumn is a busy time, but I’m looking forward to snuggling up with my many potions when winter comes.