January

Well here we are in January!

The cold snap has brought some wonderful bright sunny frosty mornings to enjoy in my part of London and beautiful peach and lilac sunsets illuminating stark dark tree silhouettes.

Time to hibernate in the warm and try to avoid all the coughs and colds lurking about - the elderflowers that I dried last autumn are standing by (but I hope I shan't be needing them!)



Here's the link to last year's post, in case anyone needs it:
Making Elderflower Tea

Buds

There's a lot of budding going on in the Hedgewitch herb garden right now! And as we go from May to June (and from Spring-ish to Summer-ish) it feels as though we are also changing colours: in May the garden hosted purple blooms, the sage flowers and chives, then more white appearing with the elderflowers and valerian. The thyme is currently in flower with pretty pinky-white blooms and the yarrow is fit to burst, too.





Now, as the daylight hours approach their maximum the yellow flowers are opening to greet the sun: the calendula blooms are opening, the rue buds are turning from green to yellow, and it won't be long before the St John's wort flowers to mark the longest day.

Elderflower Cordial

Just wanted to share this link to an Elderflower Cordial recipe which I was very kindly sent by Naturewitch... I know some of you out there will like to see it too.

I now have my very own elder in my herb garden, a young tree which obligingly self-seeded itself into a tub.. you can imagine how thrilled I am! It is small enough that I think it has a good few years before it becomes too large for the roof garden, and it is covered with little flowerbuds. Many of the local elder trees are already in bloom, so I'm looking forward to seeing the first blossom on the Hedgewitch tree sometime soon.

Elder

The Elder (Sambucus niger) has been referred to as ‘the medicine chest of the people’ and revered down the ages for its healing abilities. Superstitions around placating the Elder Mother, such as asking her permission before cutting a branch, and against removing Elder trees may very well stem from this usefulness. The Latin name is from the Greek ‘sambuke’ meaning ‘musical pipe’, as the shoots were traditionally hollowed out to be used in this fashion.

There is so much folk-lore surrounding the elder that it would be difficult to even summarise it here, but here is a late 17th century example. Elder leaves were gathered on the last day of April and affixed to doors and windows. This is very interesting as elder leaves are insecticidal .. so buried in the folk belief that the plant would deter ‘evil spirits’ is a practical measure to prevent insects and the bacteria they carry entering the home.

This insecticidal property can be utilised by gardeners: a decoction of young leaves sprinkled over delicate plants and flower buds is supposed to keep off aphids and caterpillars. An infusion of the leaves can also be used as an insect-repellent by dabbing it about the person to prevent being bitten by midges and the like.

All parts of the elder have medicinal properties, though the flowers are favoured nowadays. The flowers and fruits are used internally for colds, catarrh, flu and fever and the bark for constipation and arthritis. Externally, the leaves or bark will help minor burns and chilblains, while the flowers treat inflamed skin, mouth ulcers and minor injuries.

The are many ways in which elder can be used in the domestic setting: a small muslin bag of elderflowers in the bath is suggested for irritability of the skin and nerves and the ointment (traditionally made from equal parts of elderflowers and lard) is an old remedy for chapped hands and chilblains. Elderflower tea is considered ‘spring medicine’ and is taken every morning before breakfast for some weeks as a blood purifier. It also effective if taken at the onset of flu, especially if combined with yarrow and peppermint.

A bitter, pungent, cooling herb which lowers fever, reduces inflammation, soothes irritation and has diuretic and anti-catarrhal effects. The leaves are insecticidal, antiseptic and healing.


Flowers June to July

Pick the leaves in the summer and use fresh. Strip the bark in late winter (before new leaves appear) and dry for decoctions. Collect fully open flowerheads and dry whole, then strip the flowers.



CAUTION: The leaves and berries are harmful if eaten.

PLEASE NOTE: These notes on the history and use of herbs have been compiled for general interest and are not intended as medical advice, for which you should consult a professional herbalist.

BIBLIOGRAPY:
‘Herbs and Healing Plants of Britain and Europe’ Dieter Podlech (1987)
'A Modern Herbal' Mrs M. Grieve FRHS ed. Mrs C. F. Leyel (1973)
'The Herb Society's Complete Medicinal Herbal' Penelope Ody MNIMH (1993)
'RHS Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses' Deni Brown (2002)

Making Elderflower Tea

Well, if you catch your cold during the peak cold season in January and February, its too late to go gather your own elderflowers and you have two options: you can buy loose dried herbs from a good supplier, such as Neal's Yard or Napiers (who do internet and mail order, see 'Interesting Links') or you can buy readymade organic elderflower tea bags.

To make the tea, use 1 heaped teaspoon of dried flowers or 1-2 teabags per cup. Leave your tea to brew for 5- 10 minutes, and drink it hot if you are taking it for a cold.

Note: The important thing about making a medicinal tea is to cover it while it brews. If you don't want to use a teapot, then placing a saucer on top of your mug is just as good .. you can get those little metal strainer-balls to place the herbs in. I use a lovely pottery cup which has its own lid and a little tray to hold the herbs. Its worth it if you make a lot of herbal tea.

As a regular drink, you can take 3-4 cups a day although the book I use suggests you can have 6-8 cups a day (for a FEW days only!) when you have a cold or flu.

If you are interested in collecting your own elderflowers, then the optimum time to do this is in May or June, just before they are in full blossom. Collect whole flowerheads and spread out to dry on trays in a warm place out of direct sunlight. When dry, the flowers can be easily rubbed from their stems. Store the dried elderflowers in airtight glass jars in a dark place. Dried herbs should be discarded after a year and replaced.


References:
'Natural Taste (Herbal Teas: A guide for home use)' Andrew Chevallier MNIMH (1994)
'Healing Plants' L. Opletal and J. Volak (1999)

Elderflower and Garlic

It never ceases to amaze me how simple herbal remedies can bring such relief!

Having succumbed to a cold this week, I reached for something to ease the misery - two mugs of elderflower tea completely stopped the drip-drip-dripping (ew!) and cleared my airways so I could breathe. Plus as soon as I realised I had symptoms, I took a garlic capsule each day and I'm recovering with amazing speed.

The Elder has long had the reputation as a 'healer-of-all-ills' as all parts of the plant have medicinal uses, which have been recognised from ancient times onward. Its one of my favourite herbs, especially as it can be easily collected.

Even better, garlic and elderflower can both be used in pregnancy (acc. to all the sources I've consulted) .. good news for mums-to-be.

----> GET INVOLVED: It would be great to collect together tried-and-tested remedies for everyone to share ... what is your favourite remedy, piece of advice or healing tip?