Herbal Health Information on Pellitory of the Wall (Parietaria Diffusa)

I found this on a walk in Pevensey Castle growing on the walls.

Pellitory of the Wall, Pevensey

Pellitory is rich in Sulphur, Calcium, Potassium, and other trace minerals.

It has a soothing diuretic action on the urinary system but the clever bit is it is also a stone solvent.

A few years ago I had a patient come to me with her kidney X-rays and pointed out a stone she had in her Kidney. She did not want to have an operation immediately, but wanted to try Herbal Medicine to dissolve the stone.

I saw her over a period of six months, over which time I gave her a mixture of herbs in tincture form, two of which were Pellitory and Stone Root (Collinsonia Canadensis).

I was expecting her to complain bitterly as passing gravel from dissolving stones is apparently very painful and can cause damage to the tubes of the urinary system when it is passing through.

She never complained about pain on passing urine but said she steadily felt better with an improved urine flow over the months she was taking the herbal tincture.

At the end of the six months she had another Kidney X-ray, which showed the stone had completely dissolved and been passed out of the system.

We were both very happy people!!

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist Dip. Phyt.

Herbal Health Information on Oak (Quercus Rubus)

If someone said to you “name an English tree” the Oak would be the first one you would think of. It is so beautiful with large spreading branches and pretty wavy edged leaves. The fruit is the Acorn and it is this, as well as the bark that is used medicinally.

These parts of the oak are very high in tannins (same as in tea). Tannins are astringent, meaning they tone up membranes. The oak also has antiseptic and anti inflammatory properties.

It makes an excellent mouthwash and is used to tone up the gut in cases of chronic diarrhoea and colitis.

Acorns can be dried and roasted then ground up to make a coffee. They are bitter, though, so are an acquired taste but I do know they were used extensively during the war as a coffee substitute, or to make coffee go further.

An example can be seen in the Herstmonceux video click here

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist

Horsechestnut (Aesculus Hippocastnum)

Another very English tree loved by all conker playing experts.

The nut and bark are the parts used medicinally. They contain hippoaesculin and other saponins. Saponins produce a soap like frothing effect when shaken with water.

I am never without the tincture on my shelves as it is one of very few herbs that tones and protects blood vessels. So it goes in all Varicose Vein and Haemorrhoid mixtures and creams that I make up.

An example can be seen in the Herstmonceaux video click here

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist

Herbal Health Information on Hops

SOME INTERESTING FACTS:

• MALE AND FEMALE FLOWERS ON SEPARATE PLANTS

• THE ROMANS ATE THE YOUNG SHOOTS AS AN ASPARAGUS LIKE VEGETABLE.

• FERMENTED MALT HONEY AND OTHER HERBS (GROUND IVY/MARJORAM/HEATHER/YARROW) WERE THE ORIGINAL BEER MADE BY THE SAXONS AND DANES CALLED OL /ALE

• DUTCH FIRST STARTED USING HOPS TO MAKE BEER IN 14TH C AND THEY WEREN’T USED IN ENGLAND TO UNTIL THE 16TH C

• AS THEY WERE SO BITTER HENRY THE V1 BANNED THE PLANTING OF THEM AND HENRY V111 FORBADE BREWERS TO PUT IT INTO ALE, PARLIAMENT HAVING BEEN PETITIONED AGAINST HOPS AS A WICKED WEED THAT WOULD SPOIL THE TASTE OF THE DRINK AND ENDANGER THE PEOPLE.

• IT WAS EDWARD V1 WHO EVENTUALLY GRANTED HOP GROWERS PRIVELEGES AND THE REST IS HISTORY!!

• KENT SURREY HAMPSHIRE AND SUSSEX WERE THE BIG HOP GROWING AREAS IN THE U.K.AND HOP PICKING IN KENT WAS TRADITIONALLY DONE BY WHOLE FAMILIES FROM LONDON GOING TO PICK HOPS FOR THE SEASON.

• MEDICINALLY HOPS HAVE BITTER PROPERTIES SO ARE EXCELLENT FOR DIGESTION.

• THEY ARE ALSO SEDATIVE NERVE TONICS.

• I USE THEM IN MIXES TO HELP PEOPLE RELAX AND SLEEP.

• SLEEP PILLOWS OFTEN HAVE HOPS IN THEM.

• THEY ARE ALSO STRONGLY DIURETIC SO IT MAY NOT BE THE QUANTITY OF THE BEER BUT THE QUALITY MAKING PEOPLE RUN TO THE LOO!

Linda Bostock
Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Herbal Health Information on Moss

In ancient times on bloody battlefields common moss was used as a wound dressing to staunch the flow of blood and help sterilise the wound.

The common moss we see in shady slightly damp places is now little used in herbal medicine, although I have read the spores of the plant were used as a diuretic and to ease stomach aches as well as an application to wounds.

However Irish moss, Carageenan, is still extensively used, especially in the food industry. As a medicine it has nutritive and restorative properties and is soothing for the lungs and bladder.

If you look at the ingredients of foods, many times it will be Carageenan, an extract of Irish moss that is used as the thickener.

Linda Bostock

Medical  Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Herbal Health Information on Horse Radish (Amoracia Rusticana)

HEDGEROW NEAR BEACH AT SOVEREIGN HARBOUR

You will see Horse radish growing wild all over the countryside.

When we were visiting our son in Maidenhead, at Easter, we took the dogs, ours and two daughters, for a walk across the road in Braywick nature reserve and saw lots of clumps of Horse radish growing around and about.

My Husband tells me it was his job as a boy to go and dig up the Horse radish root every Sunday, from the garden, to make the sauce for the Roast beef. I don’t think he can have had to do it that often as Horse radish root is gigantic and a little bit goes a long way.

Of course you all know about the condiment, but it is not just a condiment! There is method in the things humans eat together and meat with Horse radish is an excellent combination because meat, being a high protein food is difficult to digest and Horse radish root is a digestive stimulant, increasing the output of digestive enzymes to improve the breakdown of foods in the gut. This is true of most herbs and sauces we put with meats such as sage and thyme and parsley.

The other major benefit Horse radish has is to stimulate the circulation and therefore have a warming effect on the body.

Either You can use one teaspoon of the freshly grated root in a cup of boiling water to make a tea. Same directions as before:-

Steep for 5-10 minutes, strain, cool slightly, and sip slowly. It’s strong so one cup a day is enough.

Or you can make a vinegar by putting 1 oz of fresh grated root into a pint of cider vinegar and leaving this to stand for about 3 weeks and then taking a teaspoon in water three times a day. This is really the home equivalent of a tincture which can be stored easily.

NEVER take any medicine for any length of time. If symptoms persist then you will need help from a professional. Also I would like you to be aware that Horse radish is very strong so must be used in small amounts.  It also has anti thyroid properties so that if you suffer from under active thyroid you should not use Horse radish at all. Actually this also applies to all plants from the “mustard” family, such as cabbage, radish and mustard itself. It sounds all doom and gloom but it isn’t. If you are not knowledgeable enough to use a particular plant then there is nothing stopping you looking at it on your walks and learning about its actions.

GREAT FUN!

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Herbal Health Information on Kelp/Bladderwrack

I use this such a lot, but the smell still makes me shudder. It is a sea weed which is quite distinctive to look at being long and flat shiny and leathery to touch. Air vesicles in the plant look like nodules and sometimes it has little waves in it as if someone has taken curling tongs to it.

Kelp was used as manure and in fact I saw a man collecting large bags of it on the beach today which I assumed he was going to use as a fertiliser.

Kelp is high in iodine and other minerals, so is used to treat under active thyroid and boost the metabolism.

I use it  as a tincture in all mixtures to boost metabolism and just as a general tonic because it also has alterative properties (returning to normal).

Normally I tell people to put their dose of tincture in a little water and swallow it down quickly, but because of the taste and smell I do allow people to put kelp into some apple juice if they really don’t like the taste.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Herbal Health Information on White Dead Nettle

We stayed with my Uncle in Arundel over the weekend and went for a glorious walk on Sunday morning around the Arun valley. The autumn colours were spectacular, all red, gold, orange and yellow.

There were quite a lot of plants still flowering, the nicest of which was the White Dead Nettle.

It looks like a nettle but has a white flower a bit like an antirrhinum but it doesn’t sting if you touch it.

The flowering tops of the plant are used medicinally which contain saponins and tannins.

It is an astringent (toning) plant due to the tannin content, with anti inflammatory, healing, antispasmodic and menstrual regulating properties.

It is used internally in tincture form for painful periods, cystitis, diarrhoea and irritable bowel. Externally it may be used as a douche (wash) for vaginal discharge.

2 oz of fresh herb is steeped in 2 pints of boiling water until the water is cool. This is then strained and the liquid used as a vaginal douche.

If you have never used a douche before please do your research to find the correct way to use a douche so that you do not hurt yourself.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Herbal Health Information on Mullein (Verbascum Thapsus)

Seen at the Shingle Beach Eastbourne July 2011

Wow this puts on a spectacular display, about chest height (girly chest) downy large leaves with spikes of beautiful yellow flowers from about late June. It contains volatile oils (antibacterial), saponins and rutin.

Mullein - great for Cough Syrup

It is a soothing demulcent for the respiratory system. ‘Demulcent’ means an herb rich in mucilage that is soothing.

When you feel the leaves of Mullein they feel wonderfully soft and silky which is a sure sign that the leaves contain mucilage. Mucilage, although it sounds disgusting, is great stuff as it coats and protects mucous membranes lining the gut and respiratory system.

Mullein is used as a cough remedy for irritating dry coughs. See video on how to make Mullein Cough Syrup.

As I explained on the video, how to make Mullein Cough Syrup, it is easy to make a cough syrup from it.

  • Wash, dry and sterilise a jam jar. The best way to do this is to put the clean jam jar into a cold oven and turn the oven on to 200C and leave it in there for about 15 minutes until the oven is hot. Turn the oven off and leave the jar in there until it is cold. (Don’t try and take it out and burn your fingers and don’t pour cold liquid in there otherwise it will crack).
  • Pick as many mullein flowers as you can.
  • Layer these in the COLD jam jar with granulated sugar, about 3 cms at a time. I hope you are proud of me being metric! Store it with the lid on, on a sunny window ledge.

As this compresses down over the next few days you can keep

Topping up the jar, but pick fresh flowers every time.

  • When the jar is full just leave it in sunlight for at least three weeks. At the end of this time you will have some very sorry looking flowers but a beautiful deep yellow/brown syrup.
  • Strain the syrup through a piece of clean cloth into another clean jam jar and keep it somewhere dark (cupboard) and cool until you need it in the winter for a cough.

I teaspoon three or four times a day will soothe the cough.

Don’t forget if the cough is persistent, to go and see your doctor.

If you are on any other medications or suffer from allergies please do not self medicate, but go and see a qualified herbal practitioner, click here for my clinic details or your doctor.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist/Herbal Health Information

Herbal Health Information on Fumitory (Fumaria Officianalis)

This was our bonus plant we spotted on the Long Man walk.

It was right at the end of the walk when the dog had run into the field adjacent to the path.

The fumitory was growing in the unploughed edge of the field alongside other “weeds”.

I do not use fumitory in my clinic but it is one of the plants I get very excited to see because it is so pretty. It has feathery little leaves and tiny trumpet like purple flowers. Its French name translates as Earth Smoke

It is used as a gentle diuretic and has antispasmodic properties so is an excellent herb for cystitis as it washes the kidneys and bladder out at the same time as relaxing the muscle walls of the bladder which go into spasm if you have cystitis which causes people to have a feeling of being constantly desperate to wee even if they have just been to the toilet.

Fumitory has other properties and the books say it is used as a spring tonic and as a cleanser for eczema.

As I said I do not use it as I have other herbs such as red clover and heartsease which I prefer to use, but I do love to see it growing in the wild.

Linda Bostock

Medical Herbalist