Field Remedies

One of the things I love most about travelling is finding out about local plants and spotting ones I recognise.

I found lots of a fragrant wild thyme. Discovered what a carob tree looks like, and admired a beautiful ancient olive tree.

I was looking out for some Greek Mountain tea, as there's quite a bit of research on it's anti-inflammatory properties and high polyphenol content. But I could only find it in the shops!

Wild raspberries! I found a little treat on my run today. You'd have to eat quite a few wild ones to fill you up (see the second picture to compare them with a cultivated one and the third picture to see a wild vs cultivated strawberry).

The wild ones definitely have a much more intense flavour, so I guess the cultivated ones just have more sugar and water in.
Either way, any red, blue or purple fruit or veg is good for you. The colour comes from plant chemicals called anthocyanins. They help the body make collagen, so are great for blood vessel health and keeping skin elastic.

Went for a run to clear my head and had to keep stopping to look at the herbs! 🌿

Some yellow agrimony in the front of the first picture. Loads of pink rosebay willowherb or fireweed. I've never used it medicinally, but it was once used as a substitute for tea. Both agrimony and fireweed can be used for upset tummy and diarrhoea.

Then some majestic, magical mugwort. Also helpful for an upset stomach, but more often used as a menstrual regulator.

Electric daisies! I've got a bit of a sore throat and I'm definitely fighting something off. So I've been nibbling these little flowers from my garden.

Spilanthes oleracea/Acmella oleracea have the same tongue-tingling, immune system-supporting alkamides as Echinacea. I've never managed to get Echinacea to take in my garden, but these beauties are happy, despite being native in South East Brazil. I bought some seeds from

A few days ago, I presented at the Integrative and Personalised Medicine Congress in London. I was introducing a campaign we're running at Pukka to encourage people to add more herbs and spices to their food. I have been working on a review looking at the health benefits of culinary doses of herbs and spices to support the campaign.

Herbs and spices are packed full of powerful bioactive plant nutrients that can help prevent chronic disease. You don't need special extracts or fancy supplements. Just adding a few pinches to your food from what you have in your spice rack can help. You'll also improve flavour!

You can even grow some of them yourself. I've got self-seeded oregano, as well as some happy thyme and rosemary plants in my garden.

For anyone interested in learning more about herbal medicine and what it can offer, there is a webinar this evening (4th October) with herbalist Megan Rhodes.

Introduction to herbal medicine - Herbal Alliance Webinar by Meghan Rhodes
https://introductiontoherbalmedicine.eventbrite.com

This is part of a series of webinars organised by the Herbal Alliance. A community of herbal organisations and herbalists dedicated to supporting and promoting herbal medicine and herbalists. Please see the website https://www.herbalalliance.uk/ for more information and a free copy of the Herbal Eye magazine.

The Herbal Alliance - A Community Of Professional Herbalists The Herbal Alliance is a community of herbal organisations and herbalists with a shared aim of promoting and supporting herbal medicine.

Hi, my website is down at the moment. But if you want to purchase Field Remedies face creams, I have some in stock and can post them out. Just contact me on here and we can sort it out!

Pharmacological properties of Salvia officinalis and its components Salvia officinalis (Sage) is a plant in the family of Labiatae/Lamiaceae. It is native to Middle East and Mediterranean areas, but today has been naturalized throughout the world. In folk medicine, S. officinalis has been used for the treatment ...