in Touch with Nature
Herbal Healing - Hand Harvested
My foraging love uncovered!
I love nature! Always have. Animals, Trees, Flowers, "Weeds", the lot! So when I had the chance to start spending time in the beautiful Forest of Dean a few years ago, the pull of the Hedgerows and Trees was immense. It was early Spring and my first discovery was the wild Garlic that seems to grow everywhere. From then I began to notice an amazing variety of plants I'd previously overlooked in my former very urban life and I wanted to know about every one that caught my eye.
Finding out the identity of these plants, then led to the discovery of the folktales linked to them and their historical use as medicines. I became fascinated with the findings of Nicholas Culpeper, the 17th Century herbalist who supplied plant medicines at very low cost to the poor and often taught them to find the plants themselves, much to the outrage of the expensive and exotic apothecaries of the time.
I found through his works, that some of the most overlooked "weeds" are still some of the best medicinal cures for ailments both mild and serious. It seemed as if every plant I came across had some history of use, good or bad!
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I began to photograph, research and profile all of the plants I found, starting with Culpeper and then trying to find updated studies to back up the findings and convince the naysayers. Despite his writings being over 350 years old, Culpeper was and is amazingly accurate.
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I am now lucky enough to live in the heart of the Forest and have a dedicated cottage garden full of beautiful herbs. I collect and wild harvest the gifts that are given by nature for my own use and that of friends and family.
I want to use this site to share the information I have gathered and I hope you find it useful!
Samantha
Nicholas Culpeper
This amazing botanist and physician set up a pharmacy in London and obtained his supplies from the local Countryside at a time when most apothecaries were obtaining exotic herbs and charging a fortune. Culpeper treated the poor, often free of charge, believing that medicine was a public asset and incurred the wrath of the Society of Apothecaries and the College of Physicians who among other acts, attempted to accuse him of witchcraft.
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Culpeper published his book, The Complete Herbal, in English rather than the usual Latin of the time specifically so that it would be easily read by the common folk and educated people about their health and the herbs they could gather to help themselves. This of course, further incensed the Physicians and Apothecaries.
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Unfortunately, Culpeper died at just 37, but his legacy has lived on through the continued publication of his work and use by herbalists.
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My favourite quote from Culpeper relates to Shepherd's Purse:-
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"Providence has made the most useful things most common and for that reason we neglect them; few plants
possess greater virtues than this, and yet it is utterly disregarded"
Digestion
Thanks to herbs like Dandelion, Plantain and Meadowsweet, we can assist all manner of digestive issues with the plants around us, such as:-
Heartburn, Gastritis, Indigestion, bloating and flatulence, IBS, Diarrhoea, Constipation, food intolerances and disorders of the digestive tract.
Fatigue
Whether through illness or just the simple stressors of every day life, fatigue can affect you both mentally and physically. With herbs such as Nettle Seeds, St John's Wort, Cleavers and Oatstraw we can support, detoxify and and re-balance the system, meaning that fatigue can be eased and overcome.
Detoxification
Alterative herbs such as Dandelion and Red Clover will help the body reach its own optimal peak of health and vitality by enhancing the metabolic and eliminatory processes of the body and improve it at a cellular level.
Women's Health
The Herbal Nervines and Adaptogens such as Oats and Nettle Seed as well as Cramp Bark, Wild Rose and Burdock Root are all used to great effect in easing and alleviating Issues such as UTI's, PMS, Menopause, Hormonal Imbalances and Endometriosis.
Insomnia
Herbs such as Hops, Wild Chamomile and Mugwort are well placed to help insomnia whether it be a few nights of difficulties due to worries or a
longstanding, chronic condition.
Stress
Nearly every person who visits a herbalist for help, experiences stressors daily and these accumulate causing our body to react on a physical level. Luckily, there are many different herbs such as Betony, Lemon Balm and Mugwort that can help!