24 March. Introduction to Herbs
Cristina
I attended this workshop and these are my notes
We noticed that things had suddenly started growing, or producing shoots or flower buds. Cristina
noted that plants and birds behaviour is triggered by daylight length, and we have just experienced an
equinox. For people too, springtime is when the thyroid jumps up a gear, we might have difficulty
sleeping, and want to do spring cleaning. This is how we experience being tuned in to nature. Spring
is a good time to try to lose weight.
How to make a Spring Tonic.
This is made from two plants that are growing well at this time of year.
These plants are cleavers and nettles
Cleavers are high in vitamin C and they clear the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is where the
body fluids are cleaned and drained. The glands are where the lymph is ‘sieved’. This can sometimes
lead to swollen glands, or small lumps of matter.
The doctrine of signatures is the way that the structure of a plant tells us something about how it can be
used. For instance cleavers looks like a bottle brush, something that clears out tubes.
Nettles
Culpeper noted in eh 19th century that nettles were quite rare. They are now quite common. The nettle
likes a lot of nitrogen in the soil. The root of the nettle is very useful in treating enlarged prostrate
gland. Nettle seeds are useful to purify and strengthen the blood. Nettles leaves clear the lymphatic
system and also contain a lot of vitamin c. Nettle contains a lot of silica which is one of the building
blocks of cells. The sting of the nettle is caused by little hairs that have acid inside. The hair is made
of a vegetable form of glass. A nettle sting brings heat and
warmth to an area, and helps the blood come to the area to
clean away impurities. A nettle sting is very good for
rheumatic pain or cold and stuck pain.
The sting of a nettle fades away, but recurs at sunset. This
may be due to our hormone system, it is not really known
why that is. The nettle sting can be different at different
times of year. Nettles can be made into tea, or into soup with
tomatoes.
Once the nettle has come into flower, it is not good to eat any
more, as there is a lot of calcium carbonate in the leaves.
So for the tonic, the nettle clears the blood and the cleavers clear what has been cleaned out of the
blood. To make a spring tonic, the two plants can be picked in any proportion. The juices need to run
out of the plant, so slice the leaves and put them in water. Cover this mixture and leave it somewhere
cool overnight. In the morning you will have a clear green fluid that smells like springtime. This can
be taken as a daily tonic, or for a ‘spring clean’ you could do a 10 day detox, using the tonic daily, and
having a 24 hour fast in the middle of the 10 days.
Both plants are strong diuretics, so impurities are extracted from the body in urine.
Nettle fibre can be used to make linen.
Nettle can be a good counter-irritant for instance for nerve pain such as neuralgia.
To counteract a nettle sting. Use any plant that is soft and slimy, such as plantain or mallow. We have
got used to using Dock, but other plants can be just as effective.
We gathered some cleavers and nettles and then talked about other herbs.
Lean times and fat times
In modern life we have lost track of lean times and fat times. In midwinter we have preserved and
dried food available to us, and in autumn we have an abundance of harvest, but in spring there is very
little harvest, so the spring tonic is one that can be used during a lean time. One can have a detox
programme with a 24 hour fast, and take the spring tonic during that time, to help rid the body of
impurities.
Feverfew
This can alleviate or cause a headache, according to the dose. It is aromatic and bitter. Bitter
substances stimulate the liver, thus an appetizer may be
olives or campari.
Aromatic bitters travel upwards in the body into the
head. Feverfew is good for hangover or poor digestion.
Feverfew can be used for a fever where you want
someone to purge (throw up)
Emotions are held in different parts of the body
Melancholia, sorrow and bitterness are held in the liver
Love and grief are held in the heart.
A lot was written about this by Stephen Harrod-Buhner
‘the secret teachings of plants’. The thesis of this is that
the heart is an organ of perception, responding to what is happening around it. The range of the
electricity of the heart is quite wide, and we can affect each other. Premature babies in an incubator
seemed to have a heartbeat associated with the electric frequency of the machinery. All of our cells
have faro-electricity. Arthroscleroses may be due to electrical disruption. Everything we do is
generated by electrical impulses.
When harvesting a plant, it is important to thank the plant.
How to make an ointment
This would be for wound-healing or tissue-healing.
Use a double boiler with water in the bottom. The medicine is prepared in the top part of the double
boiler. You could use a bowl over a pan of boiling water.
The base is an oil or wax, however consider these factors: olive oil is heavy, grapeseed oil can be a
little greasy, some
people are allergic to
nuts, which should be
considered if using
nut oil such as almond
oil, beeswax would
not be good for
vegans or people with
nut allergies. There is
no point in using cold
pressed oil, as the oil
will be heated.
To obtain the active ingredients from a plant you combine a marc (this is the plant substance) with a
menstruum which is a fluid or solvent
The ointment is made with dried herbs
We used
3 oz comfrey root,
3 oz St Johns wort leaves, flowers and buds
1 or 2 oz marigold flowers
Put these herbs in the top of the double boiler and cover
with menstruum
Stir with chopstick and wear a pinafore which will
protect both you and protect the medicine. It also helps
you focus
This can all be left on a low heat, for several hours. It
is important to make sure that the water does not boil dry.
After it has infused, the oil will have gone a lovely golden colour.
Wax is added to this later, to solidify it. Strain through a sieve lined with cotton such as muslin or
cheesecloth. To make this oil into an ointment, add one part of wax to 10 parts of oil. The
consistency is tested in a similar way to testing for set in jam, i.e. a drop is put on a cool saucer. There
is no need to stir after adding the wax. This ointment should not be used as an antibacterial, as the wax
will hold bacteria. It is not good for hot of inflamed conditions as the oil holds heat. If a scented
ointment is preferred, a few drops of essential oil can be added after the mixture is poured into jars and
has cooled down a bit. Fill the jars to nine tenths and then let them cool. Then add the last tenth,
which will leave a flat surface.
To make a lotion
The solid matter can be put in water and boiled hard for 10 minutes or so. After this is strained, it will
make a lotion. The oil should rise and sit on the surface, making an airtight seal so it keeps. This
lotion is good to put in the bath for instance for aches and pains after you have been gardening.
However the lotion will leave the bath dirty, so you will have to use your back muscles again to clean
it.
To make a poultice of face pack
The solid matter that is strained out of the lotion can be used
as a face pack or poultice. It needs to be used fairly soon, as
it will not keep
Comfrey
There has been a lot of controversy about Comfrey. It
contains alkaloids which are toxic to the liver in large amounts comfrey is useful for short term use as
an acute medicine. Herbalists do not give the root as an internal medicine, due to these concerns, but
may give the leaves, which have a smaller quantity of the alkaloids.
Simple remedies
Simple remedies can be made by mixing Aloe Vera gel
with any plant-based fluid.
We made an anti-infective gel with aloe Vera and
tincture of thyme. This can be used on cuts, bruises
and broken skin. When mixed together, the aloe Vera
picks up and holds the fluid. This will keep well, as
the tincture is made with alcohol. If alcohol is not to
be used, a tea of thyme could be mixed with the aloe
Vera.
We made yarrow tea, and tried using our intuition to
work out its qualities, first we smelt the tea, and thought of what it reminded us of, then we took a sip
and worked out its qualities, - astringent, volatile, etc.
Storing herbs
Herbs should be dried slowly, on paper that is turned regularly in a cool room. Volatile substances are
lost if dried too quickly. Herbs should not be kept in airtight containers, but should be kept in paper
bags.