Oak

The Greeks held the oak tree (Quercus robur) sacred and the Romans dedicated it to Jupiter. In the pre-Christian west, the oak was associated with thunder-gods such as Thor because of its low electrical resistance which caused it to be struck by lightening. Couples married under oak trees before the advent of Christianity, when preaching often took place under the shade of an oak - leading to 'gospel oak' place names.

The oak is the emblem of hospitality and strength. Its bark, leaves and acorns all have medicinal uses. The bark is used to tan leather and dye wool purple, while the acorns are used to feed swine.

The astringent effects of oak were well known in ancient times and Galen applied the bruised leaves to heal wounds. The decoction has been used as a gargle in chronic sore throat and the decoction of acorns and bark, made with milk, has been considered an antidote to poisonous herbs and medications.

It is the bark which is now mostly used in medicine - it is collected in the spring from young trees and dried in the sun. It can be taken as a substitute for quinine in intermittent fever, taken with chamomile flowers, and is useful in chronic diarrhoea and dysentery.

A bitter, strongly astringent, antiseptic herb which reduces inflammation and controls bleeding.


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:
'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)

Equinox

Welcome to the Autumn!

A time to relax and draw breath .. and enjoy the fruits of the earth. Lately I've been eating wonderful crispy jacket spuds and sweet local apples. And stewing lovely Bramley apples to mix with blackberries in crumbles and pies.


You can download this beautiful September calendar here

And you can read a little bit about the Autumn Equninox here

First Fruits

Its late summer and its lovely feeling the season slowly change. I'm looking forward to autumn - my favourite time of the year.

Honesty seedpods:




Looking forward to blackberrying:

Walk in the Woods

Hello again!
And many thanks for all the kind comments you've left for me over the last couple of weeks. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to join you all of late.

I had a wonderful trip out last week walking in woods not too far from where I live and wanted to share the experience with my Earth and Tree friends ..



It was so soothing to walk beneath the trees in the green, and breathe the soft air.

These photos were taken in woods at Trent Park, which were once part of the royal hunting estate of Enfield Chase, dating back to the fourteenth century. They show part of a rectangular moat which surrounded a medieval manor complex.

Green Metropolis

Apologies for my absence over the last week or two and for not being able to respond to comments as usual .. I'm hoping to be back to something approaching usual service soon!

Meanwhile, I thought others out there might be interested in Green Metropolis, which is a site I just started using for recycling my vast collection of paperbacks. Basically, you list your available paperbacks as available and if someone wants to buy one then they pay Green Metropolis £3.75. Of this, £3 goes to the seller (who then posts the book on to the customer) and a donation is made to the Woodland Trust. Sellers have the option of donating any money they make to the Trust as well, which is what I intend to do. Its a great way to buy paperbacks, too, because a new one is £6.99 or £7.99 in the shops so you can get a used one in excellent condition for half the price and save some trees!



I've been listing my first batch of books this week and found the site very easy to use - quick and helpful and efficient - you just type in an ISBN and the database does everything else for you. So if it sounds like it might be of interest, I'd recommend popping on over and having a look.

Chicory

Continuing the 'blue skies' theme, the first chicory flowers opened yesterday.. I haven't grown this herb before (you may remember I bought one from Herbal Haven at the Capel Manor show) so it was with great delight that I found it in all its glory.

Dave from Osage and Orange posted a beautiful piece in defense of chicory a while ago, in which he mentioned that the flowers only open for a day. So I grabbed the camera immediately! The plant has thrown up a very tall spike which has many many buds, so although the two blooms from yesterday may not last, I am hoping for more to come.