- March 15, 2024

Violets in the Spring

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 ...
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- February 19, 2024
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Radiant Rowan

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 ...
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A Hawthorn herbal rabbit hole: discovering herbal actions and rediscovering herbal gifts

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 ...
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- June 4, 2020
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All about Sweet Cicely

Written by Julia Russell - Herb Society member and practising herbalist (AMH member)   Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata) is currently flowering along hedgerows, byways, field margins and on river banks in the Northern British Isles.   A word of caution if foraging for this plant, as it is a member of the carrot family (Apiaceae); a family including ...
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- December 23, 2019
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“Garlick maketh a man wynke, drynke, and stynke”

Traditionally and historically garlic is best known for its use in cooking for flavouring many dishes including stews, pasta sauces, casseroles and curries.   Eaten raw this herb strengthens the immune system, but some might say “at a price!”  One such person was Thomas Nash, who once said, “Garlick maketh a man wynke, drynke, and ...
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