LIVING MEDICINE
- using plants for health and wellbeing
NATURAL REMEDIES for HEALTH and WELLBEING
Spring - Week 4 – More Wonderful Weeds
Mid-late Spring ... and beyond
Burdock (Arctium lappa)
Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
White deadnettle (Lamium album)
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)
Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
More recipes and images etc at:
www.edible-plants.com
www.eatweeds.co.uk
www.selfsufficientish.com
www.ediblebritain.co.uk
www.downsizer.net
White deadnettle (Lamium album)
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Easy to grow, but needs light
Useful for persistent thrush
Vaginal discharge, prostatitis [compress]
Infections of female reproductive tract
Kidney/bladder complaints
Tea: 1-2 cups per day; tincture: 2ml in a little water 2-3 x per day
Age 11-16: 1/2 adult dose
RECIPE: Deadnettle frittata
- Handful white deadnettle leaves(+flowers)
- 1 finely chopped shallot (or small onion/leek) + 1-2 cloves garlic (optional)
- half dozen leftover roast or boiled potatoes
- 4 eggs
- Handful grated cheese – cheddar, parmesan – or crumbled feta
- salt/pepper; grated nutmeg or pinch caraway seed [optional]
Lightly saute shallot, add chopped deadnettle, and when wilted
add potatoes. Tip into beaten eggs and pour everything back into
omelette pan. Season and sprinkle with cheese. Allow to cook
through gently & brown under grill if needed. (Adapted from
www.eatweeds.co.uk)
Burdock (Arctium lappa)
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Widespread in Scotland, thistle-like, biennial
Open spaces or dappled shade, often beside fields
Herb med: root + rhizome used (W and Chinese med):
“blood cleanser” for skin problems; often combined with
dandelion, red clover, cleavers
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Also digestive + kidney “detox” herb, appetite enhancer
As poultice externally – wounds, eczema, burns (A. minus)
Harvest young roots (not 2nd year) – spade needed!
Young shoots, leaves and stems can also be cooked
Recipe: wash & peel burdock roots and equal amount of
carrots, cut into matchsticks, simmer gently 10-15 mins in a little
soy sauce (+ sprinkling of sugar and mirin or apple cyder
vinegar). Allow to boil dry and caramelise. Toss through a little
sesame oil and enjoy as side dish or salad.
Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
• Used internally for skin disorders
• Gentle blood cleanser, detoxifier
• Esp. useful in eczema, psoriasis, acne
• Also helpful for menopausal symptoms
• Combine with liver herb (e.g. Dandelion root) for max benefit
• Tea: 2-3 x daily; tincture (1:2 1-2 ml diluted in water, 1-3 x
daily)
• Safe for children (low dose: ¼ - ½ adult dose); reduce dose
also in pregnancy or if seeking to become pregnant.
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria)
 Common wild plant in Scotland / UK, esp. riverbanks & near
boggy areas
 Harvest aerial parts when flowering (June, July, into August),
or young leaves & shoots from spring
 Anti-inflammatory, soothing, relieves pain and cramping
 Esp. useful for acid reflux,
stomach ulcers, hiatus
hernia or after heavy
meals (or overindulgence!)
 also for diarrhoea
(children too)
Gorse (Ulex europaeus)
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AKA whin, furze; Pea family, native Scot & Eur
Flowers all year – proverb
Useful: past fodder; barrier - thorns; soil stabilizer, N-fixing;
nesting /shelter wildlife, dye
Folk med: regional v varied: emmenagogue (proverb!), seed
for diarrhoea, flea repellent (borne out by chemistry:
http://sun.ars-grin.gov:8080/npgspub/xsql/duke/pl_act.xsql?taxon=1277;
fls ointment for sores, chapped hands
Gorse flower cordial
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4 handfuls gorse flowers
600ml cold water
250g caster sugar
Zest of 1 orange (no pith), juice of 1 lemon
Floramedica Herbal Medicine
www.floramedica.org
mail@floramedica.org
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Bring the water and sugar mix to a rapid boil, keep boiling 10 mins. Remove from heat.
Add the lemon juice, orange zest and Gorse flowers to the sugar water (syrup). Stir well
and leave until cooled or overnight. Strain through muslin or jelly bag into clean container /
jug. You should have about 500ml of liquid. Bottle (sterilize!), cap and store. Refrigerate
once opened. (From www.eatweeds.co.uk) (Idea: try this recipe with honeysuckle flowers!)
Broom (Cytisus scoparius / Sarothamnus scoparius)
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Also native to Scotland/Eur, same habitat
V. similar to Gorse, but no thorns!
Flowers can be used in salads
Broom flower wine - trad
BUT also toxic !!!
Herb med heart tonic –
Slows heart, regulates electrical impulses
So caution – small handful of flowers ok
Don’t use to self-medicate
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
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Collect wild in UK or grow (fast!);
often found near water, waysides,
field margins; perennial. Flowers
cream or purplish-pink.
• Garden: liquid fertilizer, compost
activator
• Med: topical use only - root and
leaf, Soothing, anti-irritant,
protectant, promotes skin healing – contains allantoin –
well researched, used in many commercial skin
preparations
Also useful for bruising, muscle and bone healing – old name “knitbone”
Leaves may be used directly on skin as compress, or as infused oil, ointment,
cream
Excellent infused oil (see recipe) – base for balms, ointments, etc.
ID: Flowers: curled sprays, hanging downward. Stem: hairy, winged. Leaves:
coarsely hairy, fleshy, tips projecting, prominent veins. Leaf base flows into winged
stem. Plant height 2-3 feet
NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH:
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
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Floramedica Herbal Medicine
All parts toxic
Biennial (fls 2nd year)
Leaves spirally arranged, simple, 10-35 cm long and 5-12
cm broad, grey-green, downy, with finely toothed margin;
leaves form tight rosette at ground level in 1st year
Heart remedy - pharmaceutical (NOT herbal!) - Digoxin
www.floramedica.org
mail@floramedica.org
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Wild harvesting – golden rules:
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Uprooting any wild plant without permission is Illegal (UK) – but fruit, flowers, leaves ok unless protected species
IIlegal to take any part of (or even disturb) protected plant species. For advice: local
ranger service or government website (in notes)
Plants are “owned” by land owner – seek permission (trespass laws – other part of UK)
Take only what you need. Leave enough for the plant to thrive
Awareness of plant’s environment – minimize disturbance, especially breeding season
Always ensure correct identification of a plant before using
Herb tasting: Mid-late spring herbs:
- infusions: Red clover, Meadowsweet
- tincture: Burdock
Practical
Balm/salve - with oil, beeswax, shea butter, essential oils
Making ointments, balms, creams and lotions – the basics
Plain or infused oils form the basis for many ointments (= salve, unguent) and balms,
creams and lotions.
Good base oils include sunflower (high vitamin E content is beneficial and acts as
preservative) or olive (also good for skin and keeps well – light olive oil has milder smell,
better for adding essential oils); sweet almond oil and soya oil are also good, but caution is
needed for people with allergies or eczema. Apricot kernel oil is light and satiny, also great
for balms etc. You will find that your skin (and even different parts of your body) will absorb
some oils better than others, and this may also change with the seasons and with age.
Ointments and balms are oil / wax based (80-100%). The basic difference between an
ointment and a balm is its consistency: an ointment will be more liquid than a balm
because less beeswax or other “stiffening” agent (e.g. plant butter or wax) is used.
Ointments and balms are applied externally to the skin or mucous membranes to soften,
moisturize or protect, or as a way of delivering active medicinal ingredients via these
tissues.
Lotions and creams are different from ointments in that they blend oil(s) with water-based
ingredients. To do this, an “emulsifier” must be added – otherwise the ingredients would
separate out again. A lotion simply has a higher water content than a cream. Tinctures or
other alcohol-based extracts may also be included in creams and lotions.
Basic ointment/salve
Ingredients:
• 10 parts oil (this can be plain sunflower or olive oil, or infused
oil e.g. calendula, comfrey)
• 1 part beeswax (or Candelilla wax)
• (+ optional – 1 part shea or cocoa butter)
Floramedica Herbal Medicine
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mail@floramedica.org
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Example: (makes one 30 g pot)
25 ml infused oil
2.5 g beeswax (approx 1 tsp)
(2.5 g shea butter or other)
Antifungal ointment
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Using bain-marie (pyrex jug or bowl placed in pan of
gently simmering water on stove), melt ingredients
together without boiling; remove from heat; add any e.o.
desired (see opposite), stir and pour immediately into
clean dark glass jar and seal. Keeps 18 months without
refrigeration.
50 g Calendula ointment (made
according to basic recipe)
• 10 drops Thyme essential oil
• 10 drops Tea tree essential oil
Mix well and transfer to a dark
glass jar. Keeps 18 months.
Apply to affected area 2-3 x daily
for at least 4 weeks
From Anna Newton – see book list
at www.floramedica.org
Fail-safe balm recipe
Ingredients:
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6 parts plain or infused oil
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1 part beeswax (or Candelilla wax)
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1 part shea or cocoa butter (or similar)
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(or 2 parts beeswax/plant wax)
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(optional) a few drops honey or glycerine
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(optional) essential oil(s)
Example: (makes four 15 ml pots)
30 ml infused oil
5 g beeswax (approx 1 heaped tsp)
5 g shea butter (or other)
8-10 drops essential oil (total)
Using bain-marie (pyrex jug or bowl placed in pan of hot
water on stove), gently melt ingredients together without
boiling; remove from heat; add any e.o. desired (see
opposite), stir and pour immediately into clean glass jars
and seal. Keeps 18 months without refrigeration.
Floramedica Herbal Medicine
www.floramedica.org
Melissa balm for cold sores:
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30 ml comfrey, marigold or
lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)
infused oil
5 g beeswax
5 g shea butter or similar
5 drops Melissa (true) eo
5 drops Lemongrass or Lemonscented eucalyptus eo
optional: 5 drops Peppermint
eo
Follow method described opposite.
Apply to affected area several
times daily as needed.
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