The Way-Side Apothecary.

An Apothecary on your doorstep...........Carpets of Comfrey and Celandine, constellations of Chickweed, visions of Violets, swathes and cascades of Cleavers and Nettles....fields of dizzying displays of mandala's of Dandelions.

Celandine

Chickweed
Chickweed is a wonderful cooling herb for the skin and the lungs and kidneys, clearing any hot infections, any day now her little white star flowers, which give her her latin name, Stellaria, will be carpeting fields and paths and parks. Eat freely in salads, very high in vitamin c, and make into oinments for skin rashes.

Comfrey
Comfrey leaf is a wonderful wound healer and can be used as a poultice or made into ointment,drinking the tea speeds up would healing and is also high in iron.

Violet Leaf

The beautiful little Violet flower and her heart shaped dark green leaves, which gives her her other name, Heartsease. Both can be eaten freely, decorate salads and cakes and jellys with the lovely flowers, or make a Violet syrup by steeping the flowers in hot water, strain after a while and then steep more fresh flowers in the same liquid until you get a rich purple colour, then sweeten with honey and use as a soothing cough syrup. And also to bring relief from heart ache.

The leaves are a wonderful poultice for breast lumps and cysts.

Violet Flowers

Ladies Mantle
Or Alchemellia, is her latin name, used for excessive bleeding, but what I love most about this plant is the way the leaves catch the morning dew in little droplets, which then shimmer and shine like jewels.

Dandelion

The Dandelion is one of my favourite herbs, if I had a family crest,it would be my featured plant. As Buddhist philosopher and peace activist, Daisaku Ikeda says, 'Why doesn't constant trampling defeat the Dandelion? The key to it's strength is in it's long and sturdy root, which extends deep into the earth.' I just love it's resilience, growing through cracks in walls and up through concrete pavements and then bursting forth it's sunny mandala like flower in utter radiance, as if to say "Here I am!" It's leave's, flowers and root are a digestive tonic and smooth the flow of the liver and norish the blood, while also strengthening the kidneys. And it dosn't stop there, then we get the delight of the spherical seed clock, an even more mesmerising display of nature's art.

So with the EU trying to put a ban on natural medicines and herbs it's time for us ladies to dig deep into our celluar memories and go tracking for our very own inner medicine woman, I'm sure we all have one, if each of us were to search back far enough into the reaches of our ancestral heritage then we would find our very own family witch and with her all the herbal knowledge which is centuries old.

I have been using herbs for over 20 years to nourish and heal my family and friends, making brews and poitions and ointments is a daily feature in our household.

Fun with Violets! Medicine for an aching heart! Violet flowers- tenderly picked and kissed by Bees. Rose Water, Whispers of love, A Silver needle and a Golden Thread for mending wounds. Morning hedgerow birdsong filled with delight, Dew collected from the leaves of Alchemellia.

And once youve unleashed your inner witch, your Ladies Medicine Cabinet will look more like this.....................................