Witches @ Chelsea

We are going to Chelsea on Thurdsday to check out the garden we helped to design with some kids in Herefordshire---

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Gd7Lcxlnpws

http://www.homeless.org.uk/places-of-change/Chelsea-2010

Solomens Seal

What brilliant weather we are experiencing I have been out in my garden planting and playing with all my plants -one I have been given this year is Solomen's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum)and what a beauty he is.

My daughter Elektra has sat under the flowering leafy shoots introducing one flower head to another and chatting away there for ages. They look not dissimilar to bells or something musical to me.....

So why is it called after the seal of Solomen??? I think that is the Star of David or 6 pointed star.....

'' The origin of the common English name of the plant is variously given. Dr. Prior tells us it comes from 'the flat, round scars on the rootstocks, resembling the impressions of a seal and called Solomon's, because his seal occurs in Oriental tales.'

Another explanation is that these round depressions, or the characters which appear when the root is cut transversely, and which somewhat resemble Hebrew characters, gave rise to the notion that Solomon 'who knew the diversities of plants and the virtues of roots,' has set his seal upon them in testimony of its value to man as a medicinal root.

Gerard maintained that the name Sigillum Solomons was given to the root partly because it bears marks something like the stamp of a seal, but still more because of the virtue the root hath in sealing and healing up green wounds, broken bones and such like, being stamp't and laid thereon.' ''

taken from Mrs. Gieves.

I also found this really interesting site www.solomonsseal.net with loads of info on the lush plant -I cannot wait to start using it ...woohoo exciting found another friend.

The Dream

There is nothing I would like more than to live in a farm house, surrounded by fields of herbs n trees and have the locals come see me for remedies to all their ails. We would swap my medicines for food they've grown, music they make..... No more forms, no more supermarkets, no more capitalist rubbish.

I am feeling really peeved off this week that I am outlawed whatever I do, as a teenager I left home and went on the road -

I moved about in trucks, vans and caravans in Britain, France and Spain mainly. I met many folk who used herbs and didn't go to the Doctors and was inspired to use nature medicine myself. We had a strong sense of community and looked out for one another.The authorities hated travellers and made our lives incredibly hard. The media wrote rubbish about us and many people were frightened and treated us badly.

When I decided to study Herbal Medicine at University, I moved into a flat and got my head down to work hard for the 7 years it took me to get my degree in Complementary health Sciences. So I did it got a profession but now they say I cannot do this profession cause I need a license to sell the herbal creams, lotions and potions……. This license is £40,000 per product. This really pisses me off. The authorities hate witches and are making our lives really bloody difficult.

So back to the farm house –well I got a lush council house n all my friend n family do come round with all their ails……..

Little Lily Mae

I am buzzing, because I helped to deliver little Lily Mae born to Fi (t'other witch) n Benny on Saturday morning.

Fi had made herself a clary sage bath the night before and gone for a long walk to the local Curry House. Angela Travis from the Herb Society told me that she ate an avocado to bring on her son's birth 29 yr previously, she was recommended it by the GP who'd had his 4 kids born at home all of whom came after their mother ate avocadoes!!!

I was rung at 3am by Fi in labour, I was in Hertfordshire and she in Dorset, so I phone Uncle Pete n he whisked me down there. The whole birth was amazing and the herbs really helped Fi to stay focused and kept her energy levels up.

We make a mix we call 'Labour of Love' -out of the garden, tinctures of Motherwort, Skullcap, Raspberry leaf, Vervain, Peppermint & Nettle syrup and she took a few drops between contraction.

A massage oil made with Geranium, Grapefruit, Clary Sage essential oils and Lavender-infused Almond oil; which we call Bliss in a Bottle, I used it on her back, legs and feet.

She also drunk sips of raspberry leaf tea throughout.

After she birthed Lily Mae she drunk Ground Ivy that she had picked in the week to help to expell the placenta -something reccommended by Susan Weed.

How lovely to have Herbal Birth......

Herbal Health Power

The Currant situation with Herbal Medicine in this country and many other in this crazy western world is totally nutz in my opinion -I have just spent a while reading around the legal bla and what strikes me most is the joke stated everywhere that legislation and licensing regulations is all about protecting the public -protecting the public from what????

They say dangerous herbalists and dangerous herbs hehehe is what I say so I am definatley one of these dangerous herbalists who will not cow down to their bullshite oh and so is Fi and in fact a few others.....

We say educate yourselves, empower yourselves -to at least reckognis the plants in your local area -your gardens, parks and wild spaces -post us your pics of plants you don't know or ones you know and want to learn about.

Making simply home remedies and potions in the way to heal your selves and your families - stay away from the pharmacueticals if you can they are disgusting poluting our whole planet with numerous poisons, polluting our children, most kids have had at least 6 course of antibiotics before they are 3 yrs old what is wrong with garlic???? and loads of vaccines, old peoples -my grandad is on 8 different medications yuk

I see so many patients who are totally imbalanced because of the doctor drugs -numerous ailments are treated with drugs whos side effects mimic symtoms of the ailment they are treating???? So get them detoxing herbs that are prolific everywhere ie nettles, dandelions, red clover, cleavers, chickweed, dock and dry em put em in jars n drink them in place of fancy herbal teas bought in supermarkets....don't get me started on them!

Garlic Mustard aka Jack in da hedge (Alliaria petiolata)

I have notice the tiny delicate four petaled white flowers everywhere this last week, I love this delicious spring green vegtable, tasting like chives and garlic I made a pesto last night by putting lots into the blender with Olive oil, and brazil nuts mmm so nice on my toast this morning!!!

I am adding the flowers to my salad for lunch and have just been eating the heart shaped deeply cerated leaves all day, gonna chop a load up for the mushroom rizotto later. It is part of the wild cabbage or mustard / Brassica family and I am always cautious about this whole family - the garlic mustard has been shown to have measurable amounts of cyanide contained within its structure so I won't be carrying on this feasting just a like blast of it will do me! But saying that I believe it to really healthy and beneficial to me........

May Blossoms

This post is part of a party about herbs o Beltane hosted at http://greenmanramblings.blogspot.com/

Been out a wandering on this Beltane full moon in the fields of North Hertfordshire picking more ground ivy which brough forth much melodic singing from me - wish I could write music notes then I could exactely express the pretty song that the ground ivy evoked.

Then whislt munched on lots of Hawthorn leaves sometimes known as bread n cheese, and the tiny balled up soon to be flowers a really deep chant came outta me, I have heard a recording of the Dali Lama chanting and I felt a bit like that deep firey masculine with big bad balls hehe -

This firey tree rules by Mars is also known as May, because the hedgerows are turned creamy white as it blossoms in this month.

It is celebrated in as a heart herb both berries and blossoms are used to open the coronary arteries, improving blood supply to the heart muscle. This strengthens the heart and helps it to beat more forcefully and efficiently. As a result, the herb boosts the heart's blood-pumping force. We have also used in cases of broken hearts and heart ache from missing loved ones.

On May day it is traditional to make a head garland of May blossom n Elder flowers representing the Lord(Mars Hawthorn) n Lady (Venus Elder)as a fertility n love charm. So any of ya who want to re-produce tonights a good night!!!!

The flowers smell a bit like rotting meat explained by the chemical trimethylamine being present in hawthorn blossom which is one of the first chemicals formed in decaying animal tissue. This is one of the reasons it is thought unlucky to bring it into your homes.

Happy Beltane Moon I am off to have a fire.........

Lushous Lemon Balm aka Melissa officinalis

Been out harvesting my fruity lemon balm this morning and wondering at how differing each plant is some of them have really large generous vibrant green foliage whilst others are much smaller and darker, tougher I guess depending on how much sun/ shade, water etc they are getting but all have the amazingly uplifting scent of citrus.

I am collecting them for a new patient I had yesterday who has a over active thyroid gland and is also extremely stressed - and I know this herb in amongst others is really gonna help her.

Melissa the latin name for lemon balm is greek for "honey bee" and Melissa was also another name for Artemis the moon goddess the honeybee was considered to be a form the human soul took when descending from the Goddess Artemis herself-

My local beekeeper has told me he plants Lemon balm around the bee’s hives to keep them happy and more apt to stay at the hive and not swarm away

I see lemon balm as a having a water element and Culpepper classes it as a herb of Jupiter. In the body, this planet governs the liver and lungs.Jupiter lets us push far beyond our limits, to stretch and expand our horizons by doing something entirely different, insisting that we don't become rigid or stale.

Health Freedoms Write to the Health Minister RH MIKE o'Brian and the queen -

Fi n I have written to the powers that be to try and effect some kind of sanity up there -anyone who is interested in freedom of choice and health please have alook at the links below and print out the sample letters to send to the powerful.....

http://www.anhcampaign.org/campaigns/codex

http://www.consumersforhealthchoice.com/

Health Minister RH MIKE o'Brian
RICHMONDS HOUSE
79 WHITEHALL
LONDON
SW1A 2NS

Mimram erbs...

We've had a lovely morning out in the sun harvesting some delights for our tea blends. We went to the mimram river to a big patch of the potent ground ivy, nestling inbetween the nettles, thistles and burdock these beautiful tiny purple flowering, pungent delights were found also known as Ale Hoof it was used to clarify beer in the middle ages we also harvested a load of purple stingers.

We use the nettles in our ladies lovelies drops which combine nettles with raspberry leaf and lady's mantle.

They are really balancing, nurturing and protective for any menstrual or ladies problems, centering us and connecting us with the womb.

Lady’s mantle, coming up in so many of our gardens now with its pale shelf like leaves collecting the morning dew is revered for its mystical qualities, has been associated with the wisdom female power. It is ruled by Venus and is used for many imbalances affecting the womb. Science owes its womb toning, astringent properties to the tannin content of the herb. It helps movement out of stuck situations and away from the past.

Raspberry leaf is again toning to the womb and is used successfully during pregnancy to aid in birth. It is extremely protective nourishing.

Nettle is used as a cleansing herb to support the kidneys. Ruled by Mars it empowers the fire element in a person, breaking up excessive or waterlogged emotions.

We went on an self-care abdominal massage course this weekend where we were recommended to massage our tummys every evening before bed to improve circulation to the area. It helps to keep our wombs in place, take a few minutes out each day for us and improve menstrual and digestive symptoms. It's the perfect thing to do whilst taking ladies lovelies drops.

www.sensorysolutions.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=33

Enjoy your spring forays...

Wicked Weather

Well what a lovely weekend!

I have been so very productive and happy in my garden, diggin and harvesting got loads of fragrant, lemon balm, sticky, cleavers and pungent, sage today and lots of thorns in my hands and feet from the pruned hawthorn hedge!!The thorns are really nasty so I have dropped lavender on em all to try and prevent infection.

Cleared a space under my south facing window for some cucumbers and soft fruits I had to dig out a bit st.johns wort, a creeping jasmine -I was amazed at how far this plant had travelled with it long thin green stems rerooting and speardin as they hit the ground- and an elder that self seeded from the composting old berries that we had boiled for the Venus Rob(elderberry syrup)how resilient it that -infact I felt a wee bit guilty for digging her up but she chose my front wondow to grow infront of and would soon block out all my light-her roots were truely awesome hugh creeping right up to my front door....I had a fire and burnt her with alot of love and a few wishes of protection.

The Oat Seeds have spourted and are looking healthy and vibrant mmm my own porridge oats one day.

Made up a few bags of Anti-infective tea with Myrtle leaves from the New Forest - and berries from the bush by my gate-this one was a cutting from my Grans bush one that she secretely purloined from Buckingham Place where she was attending a Garden Party - apparentely the bush there was grown from Queen Victoria's wedding boquet(oooer misses)lavender flowers from the front garden ,st.john's wort from an old railway line in Welwyn and thyme from the garden mm delicious
So I have been dosing myself up with about 5 cups of this mix to shift my chest infection and its working a treat.

Spring in dorset...

While Karina is up in herts planning the film I've chipped off down to dorset to check out spring and prepare for the new baba...due canny soon. The film project is really exciting, i'll be doing a bit of potential recruiting down here and we'll see what we can put together.
Spring around the Cerne valley and dorchester comprises of daffodils, which the bulbs have been used for alzheimers and medical research done into it. If anyones has any herbal experience of daffodils use I'd love to here.

There is pilewort (lesser celendine) everywhere...is it trying to tell us something, or is a sign of what might be in order post birth!