Elderflowers relieve a fever. Cleavers drain the lymph system and dandelions flush out the kidneys.
I did not know this until I joined Jonny Herbalist’s walk and talk in a park in the north of England. We were in an unkempt area of the park, full of wild flowers (weeds) and trees which just happen to include nature’s most precious treasure: herbal medicine.
My daughter, Caroline, invited me to stay at her house for Easter this year. A rare treat as she’s normally busy working. A doctor herself, trained in western medicine, she is particularly knowledgeable in pharmaceutical drugs and treatments. She had booked us both onto this walk as a birthday gift to me because she knows I have a holistic approach to life – and she thought it would be fun.
Jonny encouraged us to taste the leaves he identified and to try the tinctures he brought with him. He was open, funny and full of stories. He told us how herbalists in ancient times learned their craft by withdrawing to the wilderness, surviving on large quantities of herbs and logging the effects they had on health. Nowadays, there are herbal medicine degrees at respectable universities, one of which Jonny H had attended. However, in spite of having studied the subject formally, he shared how he had, at one time, become ‘emotionally involved’ with a Hawthorn tree – possibly brought on by over-consumption of hawthorn leaves!
It was fascinating to learn about different remedies; which plants can be eaten, made into teas or applied topically. Lots of questions were asked by our small group of mixed ages and ethinicities.
Towards the end of the 2 hour ramble around the sunny park, complete with tips and tastings, Jonny Herbalist said:
“If there were any doctors here today, they would most likely disagree with what I’m saying and recommend using chemical medicines for most illnesses.”
Caroline did not mention she was a doctor. Instead, she asked if he could recommend a herbal remedy for her boyfriend’s hayfever*.
I love her for that.
It was a gentle reminder that when we remain open and embrace the interconnectedness of individual situations, it can lead to the least likely, most fulfilling outcomes.
* Ps: The cure for hayfever is: ‘nettles’ and we even learned how to pick them without getting stung. At the end of the session, we were given sweet treats made of seeds, honey and nettles. Delicious!