Harvest of riches

Apologies for having been 'off air' for so long, it's been a busy time.

I want to mark the Autumn Equinox by sharing some of what I have been harvesting and making over the last couple of months from my visits to Springfield Herb Sanctuary and from the herb beds in my allotment.   This post will feature flowers & leaves, posts later in the Autumn will feature fruit & seeds.

Herbs harvested at Springfield Herb Sanctuary

 Calendula, Hyssop & Evening Primrose flowers

Basket of herbs gathered at the allotment

Marshmallow & Calendula flowers

Marshmallow

Is a mucilaginous herb, which helps to lubricate and soothe tissues.  It is soothing & healing for the respiratory & digestive systems.  Its energetic effects seem to be in line with its physical properties as it is said to be helpful with interpersonal relationships, it can help smooth communication, helping us to be open & warm towards others.  At the August workshop at Springfield Herb Sanctuary I made Marshmallow flower essence.  I picked a few flower heads and put them in a jar of spring water to infuse for several hours in the sun.  The flowers were then removed with a stalk and the water was poured to half fill a jar, the rest was then filled with brandy to preserve the flower essence.  The essence can be taken a few drops at a time when desired.  

I took some leaves home which were used to make a double-infused oil.  The oil can be used for boils, bruises, sprains, muscle aches & pains, scalds & burns, insect bites & stings.  Fresh leaves could also be used in poultice for these.  Marshmallow infused oil can be used in an intimate lubricant with St John's Wort oil which is anti-bacterial and Calendula which is also soothing, with beeswax to 1:10 of the volume of oil, to make a soft salve, make in small batches.

Marshmallow

Making Marshmallow flower essence

Marshmallow flower essence

Marshmallow leaves

Making Marshmallow infused oil

Bergamot/Beebalm

This is an anti-viral herb.   It is a hot plant so is good for sore throats, colds & coughs, taken in tea or in honey or syrup.  It can also be helpful for tinnitus caused by inner ear congestion.  It promotes local circulation which helps recovery.    It can help relieve stomach ache & flatulence.  I used Bergamot flowers to make a burns honey with Rose petals and Evening Primrose flowers.   Caution - should be avoided in pregnancy & breast-feeding. 

Bergamot

Bergamot, Rose petal & Evening Primrose burns honey

Yarrow

It will stop bleeding from wounds & nosebleeds.  Taken internally it relaxes muscles surrounding blood vessels and relieves congested blood flow so is good for period pain, high blood pressure, varicose veins & fevers.  We made Yarrow double-infused oil during the August workshop at Springfield Herb Sanctuary for use on old wounds such as surgical scars and skin rashes.  I made a tincture with some of Yarrow I picked and kept some for use in infusions, which help to induce sweating to cool fever in colds & flu.  It has diuretic & anti-bacterial properties so Yarrow tea is also useful in the treatment of cystitis.  Cautions - do not use in pregnancy.  It may cause skin irritation in people who are sensitive to the daisy family.  It is advisable to consult a trained medical herbalist if using Yarrow for treatment of high blood pressure.

Yarrow

Making Yarrow infused oil

Yarrow oil

Yarrow tincture

Echinacea/Purple Coneflower

There are several species of Echinacea, they can all be used medicinally.  All parts of the plant can be used.  They can be used in teas, tinctures, powders & compresses.  I made tincture with some of the flower heads, to use when developing an infection such as a cold or flu.  Research shows that it enhances the mobility & effectiveness of white blood cells, so helps the body fight infection.  It is also useful internally & externally for small wounds, sprains, abrasions, bruises & stings.  In the US it is used for poisonous stings & bites, used in large frequent doses of up to 60ml of tincture at 10-30 minute intervals & also applied externally, reduce the dose & frequency when the swelling subsides, in addition to seeking medical attention.  Echinacea remedies are generally most effective if taken in small amounts frequently eg 3-10 drops every 10-30 minutes when needed for an acute problem.  Caution - be careful with Echinacea if you have an auto-immune disease such as Ulcerative Colitis as it could cause a flare-up of symptoms.  It can also cause an allergic reaction in some people.

Echinacea

Echinacea tincture

Agrimony

It was a significant herb in the European tradition in the past but is underused in modern western herbalism, though it is still an important herb in Chinese medicine. It is an astringent herb that is very effective in stopping bleeding & relieving pain, so it was a traditional wound herb, known as a healing plant to the Anglo-Saxons.   It is also helpful for burns, used as a tincture both externally & internally, cool the burn first under running water then wet a cotton ball with tincture and hold in place until the burn stops hurting, the tincture can be put directly onto the burn if needed and can also be taken internally, until the pain subsides.  

It is one of the Bach flower essences, for people who hide inner turmoil & avoid dealing with difficult issues.  The American herbalist Matthew Wood recommends Agrimony for mental & physical tension & work-related stress and for pain that makes the person hold their breath.  He has found that Agrimony works on a magical level as well as a physical level, particularly with issues in people's work environments, just having a leaf of the plant present in the workplace can change the energetic situation.

It is a bitter herb that increases bile flow, so is useful in treating gallstones and for bowel health generally, especially for conditions which have alternating constipation & diarrhoea as it helps to release tension & balance the digestive.  It contains tannins which are astringent, which reduces swelling & inflammation in the bowel wall and can help normalise gut bacteria, so is helpful for irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease.  The whole flowering plant is used.   It is also helpful for the urinary tract and helps to ease the pain of kidney stones, irritable bladder & chronic cystitis.  It can safely be given to children for bed-wetting & to the elderly for incontinence.  Dried Agrimony can be used in tea or infused in water & added to a bath or footbath.  I made a tincture with the fresh herb, 3-5 drops to be taken in a little water 3 times a day for tension or cystitis, half a teaspoon 3 times daily for diarrhoea. 

Agrimony

Agrimony tincture

Hyssop

Leaves, shoot tips & flowers can be used fresh in salads, it has an aromatic flavour.  It has a long history of medicinal use.  It is an aromatic, warming, anti-inflammatory member of the Mint family.  It is classed as a calming tonic herb.  It helps inflamed tissues heal as it strengthens capillaries & increases peripheral blood supply.  It helps slow viral replication, particularly in the lungs.  It encourages sweating & is a diuretic.  It makes an excellent gargle for sore throats.  It is best known for use with respiratory infections, especially with excessive production of mucous.  It is particularly helpful during the recovery phase of 'flus and fevers.  Tea made with the dried herb can also be used for flatulence and other digestive problems.    It is also helpful for urinary tract infections.  Caution - do not use during pregnancy as large doses can induce miscarriage.  For more information about Hyssop see http://www.naturalmedicinalherbs.net/include/searchherb.php?herbsearch=Hyssop&x=0&y=0

Hyssop

Dried Hyssop

Anise Hyssop

The flowers & leaves are edible and can be used as a garnish on salads & fruit salads or as an accompaniment to savoury dishes or as a flavouring in bread.  Tea made with Anise Hyssop can be used as a remedy for wounds, fevers, diarrhoea & coughs.  It is a cardiac tonic and induces sweating.  Fresh herb can be used in a poultice for burns.  For more information on Anise Hyssop see http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_anise_hyssop.htm

Anise Hyssop

Dried Anise Hyssop

Calendula

I had already made Calendula infused oil and tincture earlier in the summer.  The plants have kept flowering so I have picked flowers for drying.  These can be used for intestinal or bladder problems, menstrual cramps & to help knit broken bones.  Fresh petals can be used as a garnish with salads & drinks.  Dried petals can be added to soups, baked foods & rice.  Strong Calendula tea can be used as a rinse to give a golden tint to blond hair, pour the strained cold tea over the hair over a bowl, repeat at least 15 times then let the hair dry with the tea in it.

Calendula flower

Dried Calendula petals

Willowherb

Small flowered Willowherbs are a specific remedy for prostate problems, particularly benign prostate enlargement, they help shrink the tissues & normalise urinary function.  This was popularised by the Austrian herbalist Maria Treben.  They are also effective for other bladder & urinary problems with astringent & diuretic action toning & detoxifying the urinary tract.   The dried herb can be used in tea, 2-3 cups a day.

Willowherb

Dried Willowherb

Holy Basil

Earlier in the year we planted out lots of Holy Basil plants in the herb beds at Springfield Herb Sanctuary.  We harvested it during the Herb Festival in September.  It is an adaptogen which is good for stress, it can be used in food.  It is an annual so I will be saving some seed to try planting next year to grow.

Holy Basil

References

'Hedgerow Medicine' Julie Bruton-Seal & Matthew Seal.

'Letting in the Wild Edges' Glennie Kindred.
'Practical Herbs' & 'Practical Herbs 2' Henriette Kress. 
'The Book of Herbal Wisdom' Matthew Wood.
'The Herbalist's Bible' Julie Bruton-Seal & Matthew Seal.

'Wild Drugs' Zoe Hawes.

Harvesting flowers at the Herb Sanctuary

Last Saturday I spent the day at Springfield Herb Sanctuary in the Cotswolds at one of my herbwife mentor Sarah's monthly workshops.  She showed us round the herb beds which are now full of plants in flower.  We picked Calendula flowers to make a double-infused oil to take home with us.  We were each invited to see which flower we felt drawn to and to make a flower essence with it.  In the afternoon we harvested lots of the flowering herbs for drying and making remedies with.  For details of the workshops at the Herb Sanctuary see http://kitchenherbwife.blogspot.co.uk/p/springfield-sanctuary-workshop-dates.html 

 Chamomile, Calendula & Lavender in flower

Calendula

 Meadowsweet in flower

 Motherwort & St John's Wort

St John's Wort

Wormwood & Catmint

Wood Betony flowers

Shakespeare's Rose

 Harvest of flowers

I was drawn to the beautiful Apothecary's Rose which was in full bloom next to the summer house and picked a few petals to make a flower essence with spring water from the natural spring at the Sanctuary.  The jar of water & petals was left next to the Rose bush in the sun to infuse for a few hours, then the petals were removed and the water decanted to half fill a clean jar, then the other half was filled with brandy to preserve the essence.  This is the mother essence, to be used diluted 9:1 in small doses for subtle energetic effects to uplift and renew interest in life when feeling stressed and bogged down.  Rose petals are calming & uplifting, they help with anger & frustration & give courage to defend your boundaries.

 

 Apothecary's Rose 

Making Rose flower essence

 Rose flower essence

We picked all the Calendula flowers and used these to make double-infused oil.  This was made by dividing the flowers into two lots and putting the first lot in a bowl with sunflower oil which was then put in a slow cooker filled with water up to the level of the oil to infuse for 2 hours.  The oil was strained and the first lot of flowers was discarded then the second lot of flowers was put in the bowl with the oil and infused for another 2 hours.  The oil was strained then carefully poured into jars, taking care to leave the cloudy aqueous layer at the bottom of the jug as this could make the oil go bad. 

Used externally Calendula speeds the healing of wounds, it is also useful for minor burns, eczema and psoriasis.  It stops bleeding so can be applied as a styptic.  Deep wounds should be left to heal before using Calendula as the outer skin healing before the deeper layers could seal in infection.  It is good for bruises & sprains as it enhances local blood circulation.

I also picked the Calendula flowers from my small patch in the allotment and used these to make a tincture with vodka, which will be left to macerate for a few weeks then strained, dosage 5-30 drops 1-4 times a day.  Taken internally it treats a variety of problems with mucous membranes such as intestinal or bladder problems.  It also helps broken bones heal faster.  It helps regulate menstruation and prevent menstrual cramps.  

 Picked Calendula flowers 

Making double-infused Calendula oil

 Calendula oil

Calendula flower tincture

The St John's Wort flowers were painstakingly all picked from the large patch at the Herb Sanctuary.  These were divided between us to put in jars and fill with oil, to be left on the windowsill in the sun for a few weeks.  I have covered mine with muslin to protect it whilst letting water vapour evaporate.  I also picked the few St John's Wort flowers on the small patch in my allotment to make a small jar of tincture with vodka, to be left in a dark cupboard for a month then strained and bottled.  This can then be taken in doses of 1-4ml three times a day.

St John's Wort is the herb of Midsummer, it begins flowering on or around the Summer Solstice.  The flowers should be picked on a sunny day around midday, this is when the active constituents are at their strongest.  It traditionally has powers of protection against evil and unseen forces.  

St John's Wort oil is excellent for the skin, particularly burns and hot infected eczema.  It is a natural mild sunscreen & is helpful for sunburn.  It has anti-bacterial & anti-viral properties.  It also relieves pain, particularly nerve pain such as that caused by shingles and can be combined with other pain-relieving oils such as Meadowsweet & Agrimony to make a healing & pain-relieving salve.  It can be taken internally as a tincture at the same time.  St John's Wort helps with digestive problems such as difficulties absorbing nutrients, ulcers, heartburn & bloating.  It has a decongesting & strengthening effect on the liver & gallbladder.  St John's Wort has become well known in recent decades as a natural treatment for depression, particularly Seasonal Affective Disorder.  It is officially recognised as a treatment for mild to moderate depression in Germany.  Taken as a tincture or flower essence it will help improve sleep quality.  
 
Caution - if taking anti-depressant medication or any other medication including the contraceptive pill or you are pregnant St John's Wort should not be taken internally without supervision of a qualified herbalist or medical practitioner as it can lower the level of some medication in the body due to it's action in helping the liver break down & eliminate toxins.  Another caution is that St John's Wort can increase the photosensitivity of the skin and increase risk of burning particularly for fair skinned people, so it should be avoided if you burn easily or are out in the sun a lot.

St John's Wort oil

St John's Wort tincture

I took a couple of cloth bags of Rose petals from the Apothecary's Rose and the Shakespeare's Rose home to make into various remedies.  These are two traditional Rose varieties used in herbalism.  I made a double-infused oil, using the same method as for the Calendula oil using a small pan inside a slightly larger pan with water simmering on a low heat.   I put Rose petals to steep in vodka to make a tincture.  This will be strained in about a month's time and combined with the Rose oil with beeswax to make a moisturising, soothing skin cream.  I made Rosewater by simmering a pan of Rose petals in water for 20 minutes.   This was then left overnight then strained.  The strained water was measured and 1/3 of the volume added as vodka to preserve it.  This can be used as a cooling astringent on the skin.  The remaining Rose petals were put in a jar with brandy to make Rose petal brandy. 

Making double-infused Rose oil

 Rose petal oil

Making Rose water

Rose water after straining

Rosewater

Rose petal tincture

 

Rose petal brandy

I picked some Meadowsweet flower heads in the allotment.  Some of these were cut up with scissors and put in a jar which was filled up with 60% vegetable glycerine and 40% water to make glycerite for internal use, 1 teaspoon three times a day when needed.  The rest was used to make a double-infused oil for external use for muscle aches & pains, backache, sciatica, painful joints & arthritis.   

Meadowsweet was a sacred herb of the druids and was used in the past to treat malaria & fevers.  Meadowsweet contains salicylic acid which is the active ingredient in aspirin so it is very helpful for aches and pains used externally in oil or salve.  Taken internally it is helpful for pain, particularly due to arthritis and rheumatism.  It is also excellent for stomach problems such as indigestion, heartburn, gastritis & hiatus hernia and does not damage the stomach in the way aspirin does.  It is soothing for stomach upsets including children's diarrhoea.  It is also helpful for cystitis & urethritis, kidney stones & gravel.  It helps to eliminate toxins & urea.  Caution - if you are allergic to aspirin you may also react to Meadowsweet.

 Meadowsweet Glycerite

Meadowsweet oil

I took home a large bunch of Catmint, otherwise known as Catnip.  Some of the Catnip was put in a jar with honey to make Catnip honey.   Some of it is being dried to use for tea. The rest of the Catnip leaves & flowers were put in a jar with vodka to make Catnip tincture, dosage 10-60 drops 1-3 times a day or 1-3 drops as needed, such as before meals or before bed.    

Catnip has a pleasant mild minty flavour.  It is a gentle nervine, good for relieving the effects of stress and anxiety, insomnia & restlessness.  It is also useful for stress-related stomach upsets, headaches & irritability.  It is helpful for toothache, including for teething infants, who can be given a cloth dipped in cooled catnip tea and frozen to chew on.  It is also useful for colds and fevers.  It is also helpful for mild gut or menstrual cramps.  Caution - it can cause heavier menstrual flow.  It is slightly bitter so helps promote digestion.  It has a gentle action and is suitable for infants, it has calming effect and promotes sleep and relives colic & diarrhoea. 

 

 Catnip tincture

Catnip in honey

I took some Wood Betony flowers home to make into tincture with vodka to be used in doses of 5-10 drops three times a day as a treatment or a teaspoon three times a day as a tonic.  I have also dried some for use in teas & infusions.  Wood Betony was highly regarded in ancient times and was regarded as having powers of protection against evil.  In modern times it has been recognised as a nerve tonic, it helps to calm & relax, to relieve stress on the mind & body.   It is an excellent remedy for insomnia caused by nervous tension.  A cup of tea or a few drops of tincture in the evening are useful for this.

It is helpful for headaches including tension, migraine & liver headaches.  It also helps to improve concentration and memory, so is helpful for exams and similar situations.  Betony acts on the solar plexus and is helpful for a range of digestive problems as it harmonises the actions of the whole digestive system.  It stimulates the appetite & improves weak digestion but also soothes & calms the digestion and is helpful for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, gastritis & colitis.  It is an excellent tonic herb for older people and people recovering from long-term illness or people who just feel run-down generally.  Caution - do not take during pregnancy.

Wood Betony tincture

Dried Wood Betony
 

I picked a small amount of Chamomile flowers, leaves & stalks, these were chopped up and put in a jar with vodka to make a tincture, dosage 15-30 drops three times a day.  The tincture is calming and helps sleep.   It calms the stomach and is helpful for mild gut cramps & digestive upsets, including for colic in infants.  

 

Chamomile tincture

 For more photographs of the Herb Sanctuary in flower see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153492879852938.1073741901.657002937&type=1&l=5fcb7d0885

References

'Hedgerow Medicine' Julie Bruton-Seal & Matthew Seal.

'Practical Herbs 1 & 2' Henriette Kress.

'Wild Drugs' Zoe Hawes.