These photos are fresh. I have just been down to a local nature reserve, near where I live, to take them.  I have been following the progress of this glorious patch of Arctium lappa (Burdock) since the early spring.

     The signatures of Burdock are complex (From the Doctrine of Signatures, an old but presently applied belief system that states the Creator placed a signature or sign on plants to indicate their healing value).  I believe that signatures go beyond the physical attributes or specific resemblance to body parts and can also encompass smell, taste, sound and feel.

(part 3)

(27.4.19)

For me, the Elder in flower is the great harbinger of summer.

The distinct perfume of its flowers is everywhere and is the catalyst of warm summer days.

Where I lived in my little thatched cottage in Dorset, I have a snapshot memory of harvesting the creamy-white flowers on a glorious summer day and capturing the moment, and the warm energy of the flowers, inElderflower cordial and Elderflower wine.

As a medicine, Elderflower is warming, and so can beapplied to cold, congested and stagnant states,

(14.3.19)

     Many moons ago, when I wrote about the humble common spurge, I remarked about how some of the most unassuming and common plants can have such a positive impact on our health. When something is common it is often thought to be of less value. I do not agree with this. I believe its availability is a hint from the divine forces in the universe as to the extent it is needed, even if the need is not yet recognised.

     As I wrote in a previous blog, nettles and cleavers also grow in abundance.

‘Tis The Season….To Take Elecampane

(13.2.19)

     People going past the Apothecary will often stop and look in the window. Often their faces will light up with recognition of herb names or living plants that are presented there in various forms. However, after a brief glance, many will quickly move on because they are not familiar with the usage of the numerous herbs whose names they are confronted with.

     It is the goal of these new series of blogs to begin to bridge that gap in knowledge and bring you into an understanding of some of the herbs prescribed by herbalist, and in what conditions

On the back of my last blog “The Socialisation of Medicine”, which deals with bringing health issues out of institutions and back into the community, The Green Man Herbal Apothecary is now hosting as a Food Bank Collection Point for the Malvern Hills area.

There is too often a misconception as to the type of people needing to use a food bank. The truth of the matter is that such a need greatly reflects on the poor state of our society rather than on the individuals using the service.

In October of last year, one of the students I have been tutoring for a number of years graduated. This is a very proud moment for me that fills me with a massive amount of respect for that individual and their achievement. The demands of the course of study she has undertaken is not for the faint hearted.

When I think of all the students I have tutored over more than a decade, something stands out about each one of them. One of the things that grabbed my attention with respect to the recently graduated student was a question she answered in the first paper I marked for her.

My Blog

The Green Man: Posted on 12 August 2014 11:54 (The date the Blog was first posted).

While going through a patient's progress recently it reminded me of how many cases of menstrual complications I have come across over the years and how many have been resolved using a holistic approach.

The number of such cases is so wide spread in the west that it has become endemic to the point of being accepted as a normal part of life, and of being a woman.

     A professional colleague of mine recently posted that true healing takes courage. This is very true. That which, to a great degree, is peddled as healing by orthodox medicine is in fact nothing of the sort because it sets itself a goal to control symptoms rather than treat the underlying cause that is the very source of those symptoms. This usually condems the patient to an endless course of drugs and a downward spiral as their vitality wains. In the short term, the former is convenient but without end, the later being the only true way to resolve the disease.

The Green Man: Posted on 25 November 2013 23:17

 

I thought the season was right to re-post this.  Happy Festivities!    

     With the coming indulgences, for many, of the Christmas season, and the celebration of the New Year, I thought it appropriate to touch on Heart Burn and Indigestion.  By dealing with this subject now, it leaves you plenty of time to stock- up on this natural remedy.

Some of you may be aware that the Autumn equinox has recently come and gone. This date would have had much more cultural significance a few hundred years ago as harmony with the seasons decided if you lived or died. The mile stones of the year informed us when it was time to plant and when it was time to harvest.

To remind themselves of the significant times of year, little rhymes sprung up to help them keep these dates foremost in their consciousness.

When I lived on and managed our small holding in Austria, the first warm days of spring were the harbingers of talk about the Eis Heilige, each mention was usually followed by some rhyme or other to give it a degree of validation.