Wassail

I’ve been wassailing today, I’ve danced with my clog side, the local morris team danced and we wassailed the trees, finished off with a Mumming play.

Sound the trumpet!

 We started off with dancing and singing Wassailing songs and then walked with lanterns to the orchard.

 In the orchard we lit a fire, sang another song and then wassailed the trees. Everyone made as much noise as possible with rattles, shakers and party poppers and beat the trees (gently!) with sticks. Cider was poured over the trees and toast soaked in cider was stuck onto the branches. All evil spirits should have been scared out of the trees and a good crop of apples (and plums) ensured for this year – job done!

Toast on a tree

 The Mummers did a traditional play with St George and the Turkish knight having a battle.

A pharoe supervises the battle

Although I’ve done this before I’d never noticed some of the words in the wassailing songs, I suppose it’s only when something’s on your mind that you see it. Two of the three wassailing songs mention my herbal aly; elder, but I don't know the significance.

Here We Come A Wassailing

1.       Here we come a Wassailing among the leaves so green

Here we come a wassailing so as to be seen

Chorus:

Love and joy come to you, and to your wassail too

And God bless you and send you a happy New Year

And God send you a Happy New Year

2.       Our wassail it is made from the elderberry tree

Our ale it is made from the best barley

Wassail

Wassail, wassail all over the town

Our cup it is white and our ale it is brown

Our cup is made from the elderberry tree

And so my good neighbours we’ll drink to thee

Drink to thee, drink to thee

And so good neighbours we’ll drink to thee

Wassail everyone!

Using Elder Bark To Make A Salve For Bruises

For the first year of my herb apprenticeship I never had a blog, I kept everything in diary format in a folder on my computer. I have tried to e-mail some pictures to my fellow apprentices today but not everyone can open them so I've decided to post my first thoughts on elder and my first practical task. I had to map the elder and hawthorn trees within a mile radius of my house, take bark rubbings and make a salve from the elder bark for bruises.

 At first I was anxious about identifying trees without any foliage, flowers or berries but soon worked it out and now I can spot a hawthorn or elder a mile away!

 As elder is my herbal aly this year it was good to visit this work again.

My thoughts on Elder Dec 09

 Memories of the elder go back to my childhood, it was a tree I could recognise but I don’t remember being taught. Elder was found around the school playing field where we played in summer and in the woods at the back of our house.

 I have heard the tree has links to the fairy realm which makes it even more interesting and exciting.

 This Autumn Sarah showed us the wood and explained how it was pithy inside, lending itself for use in flutes or beads, more uses than flowers and berries then.

 Although I feel familiar with this tree, that it has been around me for most of my life, I don’t “know” it. I want to learn how to use it medicinally and to carefully enter its energetic realm.

31 December 2009

I have been up on the hills as part of my task to locate elder in my locality. I found several small trees; they are difficult to access as they are in a hedge of holly with brambles in front of them. I took a few twigs for my salve. The branches had small red buds on them.

Elder amongst holly

On the opposite side of the hill I found a larger tree that I could get to and harvested a few more twigs. I managed to get a bark rubbing of larger and smaller branches. The younger branches appear speckled; they branch off in pairs on each side of the stem. The pale elder branches contrasted with the dark holly around them.

Younger, straight elder branches

Circling the hills and approaching where I had started I found a large tree growing alone. This tree was easy to get to so I did another rubbing & took a few twigs, the shape of the tree was now apparent.

Elder tree

I took my twigs home and stripped off the bark. Most twigs were green under the bark; some were drier and had more tissue papery bark which peeled off. When stripping bark, especially the green bark, I could smell an elderberry aroma.  I then made a double infused oil with sunflower oil which is also said to be good for bruises. I have pale green oil which I shall use to make my bruise salve.

Branches gathered for bark

Bark was stripped off with a pen knife

I made a double infused oil

Completed oil and salve

I don't know if there is a right or wrong way to collect your bark but this worked for me. A few weeks after I made this a friend's husband fell down some metal steps and badly bruised his legs; I gave him some salve and he thought it was great and was very thankful. I made some more salve with essential oils added to give an analgesic effect as well.

Different Types of Wild Rose Hips and My Garden Rose Hips

Find and map all of the wild rose bushes in a one mile radius from where you live. Identify whether the rose bush is a dog rose, briar rose or Rosa Rugusa.

 I went walking on the 4^th as I knew there were wild roses on the other side of the hills. I never got as far as I would have liked as the weather turned stormy. I found plenty of stems that look like rose but there was no fruit and I found a bush with blackened and damaged hips.

 When I got home, there on my front garden I came face to face with a miniature rose which was a gift that I planted outside and it had rose hips, could I use these?

 I have had to research the difference with the varieties Sarah asked us to identify as I wasn’t sure what the differences were.

Dog Rose (Rosa Canina)

 This rose has small backward facing thorns help it to climb through hedgerows. Hips are described as "flask shaped", they are oval and longer than they are wide. The hips are rich in vitamin C and can be made into a pleasant tasting syrup or honey. The hips are orange to bright red in colour. The flowers bloom in June and July are usually white or pale pink and have 5 petals. The leaves are compound with 5-7 alternate leaflets which are hairless and lighter underneath.

Wild Rose

Briar Rose or Sweet Briar or Eglantine (Rosa Rubiginosa)

  This rose also has flat backward facing thorns. Its smooth, leathery red hips are egg shaped and about 2cm long. Briar Rose’s flowers and foliage are fragrant; the blooms are up to 5cm across, a bit smaller than the dog rose’s and soft pink. The leaves are compound with 5-7 leaflets in opposite pairs. Rubiginosa means rusty in Latin and refers to the brownish-red tint often seen on the leaves and stems.

Japanese Rose (Rosa Rugosa)

 The thorns of the Japanese rose are different to the dog rose and the briar rose in that they are finer and more numerous making it good for protective hedging. The hips are noticeably different as they are large, about 2-4cm across and wider than they are long. This makes the rose hips less fiddly to prepare and remove the seeds. The flowers can be pink, purple or white and 6-7cm wide. Rosa Rugosa’s leaves are dark green and wrinkled looking on top and downy underneath.

Being winter the only identification aids I could use were the stems, thorns and any remaining fruit or hips.

 The first lot of stems I think are dog roses as they have the backward facing thorns but no rusty coloured tinge. The second type of bush I found had numerous fine thorns so I presume this was a Japanese rose, there were remains of hips; only one was red but it was damaged, it looked as if it had been quite wide.

Found on my rose hunt

Remains of a rose hip on a bush with finer thorns

Most rose hips had gone black

 I have asked my fellow apprentices about using domestic garden hips instead of wild hips and it seems that some of the nourishment may have been given up in the name of beauty and they don’t contain much flesh. Sarah of course says to try using them and see for myself. I have had a quick search on the internet and it seems that a lot of garden roses don’t have any significant hips and those that do don’t taste as good as the wild ones. Of course I decided to follow Sarah’s advice and try my garden rose hips.

Garden rose hips

 I gathered the hips this morning, some were very soft. When I cut them in half there was not much flesh, mainly seeds. I tried to deseed one and was left with hardly anything so the whole lot went into the jar.

Chopped rose hips

 Then I do confess Sarah I went a little wrong and made an elixir with honey and brandy. When I read the instructions afterwards it said to make a tincture and to put some sloes and sugar in with them. I must start reading instructions before I start! Unfortunately sloes are less common than rose hips around here at the moment but I do have some sloe gin on the go. Perhaps if I can find some more rosehips I could put them in some sloe gin?

Oops an elixir not a tincture!

Latin Names for this Years Herbs

An extra task from Sarah:

I'd like you all to go through your lists and double them so you have the common name on the
left hand side and the Latin name on the right.

Family	Common Name	Latin Name
ADOXACEAE	Elderberry	Sambuscus Nigra
	Guelder Rose	Viburnum Opulus
ASPERAGACEAE	Solomon’s Seal	Polygonatum Multiflorum
ASTERACEAE	Calendula	Calendula Officinalis
	Roman Chamomile	Anthemis Nobilis
	Dandelion	Taraxacum Officinale
	Mugwort	Artemisia Vulgaris
	Yarrow	Achillea Millefolium
BORAGINACEAE	Comfrey	Symphytum Officinale
ERICACEAE	Bilberry	Vaccinium Myrtillus
HYPERACEA	St John’s Wort	Hypericum Perforatum
LAMIACEAE	Lemon Balm	Melissa Officinalis
	Motherwort	Leonurus Cardica
	Scullcap	Scutellaria Barbata
MALVACEAE	Marsh Mallow	Malvaceae
PLANTAGINACEAE	Plantain	Plantago Major
ROSACEAE	Blackberry	Rubus Fruticasus
	Hawthorn	Cratag Monogyna
	Meadowsweet	Filipendula Ulmaria
SCROPHULARIACEAE	Mullein	Verbascum Thapsus
URTICACEAE	Nettle	Urtica Diaca
VALERIA	Valerian	Valeriana Officinalis

There are a couple I’m not sure about:

1.       I will be using local bilberries which grow on the hills at the end of my back garden, the name of the common bilberry in Latin is Vaccinium Myrtillus but I have read that Cannock Chase is one of the few places in the world where a cross breed grows Vaccinium intermedium Rultie which is sometimes known as the Cannock Chase Berry so I need to investigate further to see which one I have.

Bilberry in flower

2.       Hawthorn, there I the Common hawthorn, Crataegus Monogyna, and a Midlands hawthorn, Crataegus Laevigata, I don’t know which I am using so will have to check this as well. The hawthorn berries by my allotment are larger and brighter red than those on the hills at home so maybe I have been using  both.

I have listed the family names as I thought it was interesting to see which plants were from the same families. Some of the Latin names give you a big clue as to the uses, Leonurus Cardica most obviously sticking out like a sore thumb as a cardiac herb when I have only really considered it as a ladies herb.

Blackberries for Viruses

A week after looking at herbs for viruses it seems that I have the chance to test my remedies, I have a sore throat, runny  stuffy nose and lots of aches and pains. I’ve got one dose of elderberry cordial left and I’m making my way through my elderberry elixir as elderberries are antiviral.

Elderberries

As we are approaching the solstice I joined a celebration of Alban Arthan and ended up sitting on a damp log in an open wooden yurt on Cannock Chase and although I was with lovely people I got cold and longed for my cosy bed.  My friends were lovely and suggested cures. I was given a ginger chew (available in Holland & Barrett) which was very warming and helped me to get my voice back. One gentleman recommended blackberries; he said to crush them, put them in the microwave to get the juices to come out and add vodka to the juice. He wasn’t sure how it worked but surmised that if you drank enough you’d forget about your cold anyway! Friendship and good company definately helps you feel better as well.

Blackberries

 Blackberries are one of my herbs to study but I haven’t done anything with berries yet and I decided to look up whether or not they would help a cold and it seems they would. First of all they contain vitamin C which is supposed to help prevent colds and aid us to get over them quicker. Susan Lark points out that blackberries contain bioflavonoids which are powerful antioxidants that help to protect cells against damage by free radicals. Bioflavonoids such as quercetin have antiviral properties that protect us from infections.

These little dears will make good blackberry pickers!

 It’s too late to collect blackberries this year but next year I will include them in my cold remedies. I have come across some free recipes and if anyone has any little helpers to take blackberry picking there are activity sheets to make it more exciting and a certificate to reward their efforts. They are here from the Woodland Trust.

Deer on Cannock Chase

Nutmeg, How Much Is Safe To Use?

At Sarah’s herb workshop last week we made remedies for coughs and colds and used some warming spices in our mixtures including nutmeg. My first ever memory of nutmeg is in this nursery rhyme:

I had a little nut tree,
Nothing would it bear,
But a silver nutmeg,
And a golden pear.

The King of Spain's daughter
Came to visit me,
And all for the sake
Of my little nut tree.

I skipped over water,
I danced over sea,
And all the birds in the air,
Couldn't catch me.

I had eaten it without any concerns until one day a friend told me that too much nutmeg was hallucinogenic, he could not say what amount induced this state. I’ve since heard lots of tales about nutmeg since; ranging from being an aphrodisiac to deadly, and being a mixture of prize coward and ignorant I’ve limited my intake since. So, when Sarah asked Maria & I to grate a whole nutmeg into our pan of elderberry cordial my yellow streak reared up. Add a whole one? How much is hallucinogenic? How much is deadly?

 According to everything I’ve read on the subject, the dose of nutmeg in usual or generous culinary use is perfectly safe.

Nutmeg (picture from Wikipedia)

Medicinal Uses of Nutmeg

 The nutmeg tree is of the species Myristica fragrans, an evergreen tree indigenous to the Banda Islands in the Spice Islands of Indonesia. Nutmeg is the seed of the fruit and has a red, webbed covering which is the spice mace. Nutmeg was a prized spice in Medieval times and was believed to ward off the plague in Elizabethan times which escalated the price although there is no evidence that it was effective.

 Nutmeg has been used in medicine since at least the seventh century. In the 19th century it was used as an abortifacient, which led to numerous recorded cases of nutmeg poisoning. One study has shown that the compound macelignan isolated from Myristica fragrans (Myristicaceae) may exert antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus mutans which is found in the mouth and contributes to tooth decay. Medicinal properties of nutmeg are found here and include:

·         A brain booster by improving circulation and therefore the blood supply to the brain.

·         Bringing benefits to the cardiovascular system (oil), thus, protecting you from cardiovascular diseases and improving the function of the heart.

·         Detoxifying the liver and kidneys, a regular dose of nutmeg can help in the cleansing process. Nutmeg oil is particularly effective as a liver tonic. Nutmeg also prevents stones from forming in your kidneys.

·         Aiding insomnia, which in turn promotes relaxation. Julie Bruton Seal (2010) has found it effective for the type of insomnia where you wake in the night but are unable to get back to sleep. It takes about 4 hours to start working but will then last another 8 hours. So if you plan to go to bed at 10pm you need to take the remedy at 6pm. A lower dose can be used during the day for anxiety. Myristicin, a constituent of nutmeg, has been shown to increase the levels of serotonin in rats brains (Battaglia, 2003).

·         Because of its antibacterial properties, nutmeg is also beneficial if you are suffering from halitosis or bad breath and can help prevent tooth decay.

·         Helping problems in the digestive system, such as bloating, indigestion, constipation, diarrhoea, problems from nervous indigestion, hiccups and wind. Traditionally it is used in India with coconut water for dehydration caused by vomiting and diarrhoea. It is anti-inflammatory and antiseptic for Chron’s disease, colitis, infections, dysentery, gastroenteritis and vomiting (McIntyre, 2010). Ancient Wisdom say that recent research shows that nutmeg may inhibit the growth of the rota-viruses associated with diarrhoea in children.

·         Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, nutmeg is also known as an effective pain reliever. To help conditions such as chronic pain, rheumatic fever or muscle sprain, then incorporating nutmeg into your diet can help. Nutmeg oil is usually applied to the body to sooth aching joints and muscles, it can be infused into an oil or essential oil can be used. Nutmeg’s anti-inflammatory action is attributed to eugenol, the greatest effect was observed in tests after 4 hours and was comparable to phenylbutazone and indomethacin (Buckle, 2006).

·         Treating male sexual dysfunction. Nutmeg has been highly prized by Chinese women to help seduce their male lovers. In Mace and Nutmeg for Magical Lovemaking it says “The main component that makes this wonder spice, well, such a wonder, is myristicin, the base of the "love drug" MDA, otherwise known as "Ecstasy". It's no wonder why this spice has been used in so many love potions and magic spells! It's one of the ingredients of a magical perfume described in the most famous of all the grimoires, or black books of the sorcerers, The Key of Solomon the King”

·         Helping to prevent coughs and colds and relieve congestion.

Nutmeg Magic

A couple of years ago I was sold a nutmeg as a cure for my husband’s bad back, I can’t say how it worked as Mr Moon Gazing Hare could not be persuaded to carry it around in his pocket. According to Anna Franklin and Susan Lavender carrying the nut wards off rheumatism and increases clairvoyant powers. They also say its planetary ruler is Jupiter and it can be added to Jupiter planetary incense and burned during rituals where divination plays a part.

Psychoactive and Toxic Effects of Nutmeg

 Taking large amounts of nutmeg has unwanted side effects including disorientation, double vision, hallucination and convulsions (Mabey,1988). The first recorded hallucinogenic effect was by Lobelius in 1576. In 1829 the physiologist JE Purkinje ate 3 nutmegs and described the effects as similar to cannabis intoxication (Battaglia, 2003). From searching the internet it seems that some people have taken high doses for the psychoactive effects, there was a fad in the 1960s and it has been known more recently by the curious and people who have had their drug supply limited by being imprisoned. One grated nutmeg gives 2-3 teaspoons of ground spice, it seems that at least a tablespoon is required to be ingested to achieve any sort of high or altered consciousness. Freshly grated nutmeg seems to produce the most profound intoxication. Nutmeg contains myristicin, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor and psychoactive substance. Myristicin poisoning can induce convulsions, palpitations, nausea, eventual dehydration, and generalized body pain. Another constituent, elimicin, is also believed to lead to psychotropic effects. Myristicin and elimicin are metabolised to TMA and MMDA which are both hallucinogenic substances. Battaglia shows that only taking the whole nutmeg gives psychotropic effects so other constituents in nutmeg must be involved.

Component	Psychotropic Effect
Whole nutmeg	Highly active
Whole nutmeg less the essential oil	No activity
Nutmeg oil	Weakly active
Myristicin on its own	No activity

  The amount of nutmeg required to get a high will also induce nausea and appears to take about 4 days for all the effects to disappear. Nutmeg can also be toxic to your pets, one internet site warns “do not share your egg nog with your dog”! Taking high doses of nutmeg can be fatal to both humans and pets.

Nutmeg Essential Oil

The essential oil is produced by steam distillation of dried nutmegs. It can be applied topically (diluted) in a massage, compress, bath or ointment or inhaled. The oil is non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitising. Indications are:

·         Digestion – stimulates appetite, can help flatulence, nausea, chronic vomiting and diarrhoea.

·         Musculoskeletal system – warming for aches and pains and rheumatism, suitable for the elderly (Price & Price, 2007).

·         Nervous system – a tonic and stimulant and an aid to general fatigue.

Well it would seem that I am safe to continue with nutmeg on my rice pudding and that sharing a whole nutmeg between a room full of people to take in divided doses will not hurt at all and of course, I do trust my mentor, Sarah, not to send us on an unexpected trip! It seems that the benefits of nutmeg take about four hours to take effect so one needs to plan ahead sometimes, such as in the case of using it for insomnia.

References

Battaglia, S. (2003) The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy (2^nd Edition), The International Centre of Holistic Aromatherapy, Brisbane

Bruton-Seal, J. and Seal, M. (2010) Kitchen Medicine, Merlin Unwin Books, Ludlow

Buckle,J. (2003) Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Practice (2^nd Edition), Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh

Mabey,R. (1988) The New Age Herbalist, Gaia, London

McIntyre, Anne (2010) The Complete Herbal Tutor, Gaia, London

Price,S. and Price,L. (2007) Aromatherapy For Health Professionals (3^rd Edition), Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh

White Horehound and Bitters

This is an article I wrote before I started my apprenticeship, it was for a blog party and as I never had a blog at the time Sarah put it on hers, now I have taken white horehound off my list of herbs for 2012 it was useful to look back and read it again.

White Horehound

 Prior to attending Sarah Head’s workshops last year I had never thought there might be any reason why I should need to eat anything bitter, and as lots of other foods tasted better I didn’t bother to very often, grapefruits and rocket were probably it.

 During the first workshop I attended at The Sanctuary, Sarah gave us dandelion root to try which I didn’t find a pleasant experience. A month later when we strained our dandelion vinegar we discovered that dandelion roots taste better pickled and had some in a forager’s salad, which was quite enjoyable. Since then I’ve learnt bitters are important for our digestive systems and have started to enjoy them more knowing they will do me good.

 I have now started an apprenticeship with Sarah and our next task is about bitters. I was looking at my herb list for something bitter to research and remembered what our white hoarhound cough syrup tasted like. I found Richard Mabey’s bitter definition, which made me realise there might be more to bitters than digestion and I started to understand white hoarhound’s actions.

 “Bitters Herbs containing a range of chemicals that have a bitter taste. Some are useful as appetite stimulants, others as anti-inflammatories, still others as relaxants.”

 Mabey identifies hoarhound is one of the 5 bitter herbs to be eaten by Jews at the Passover supper. He says “The plant’s bitter principle, along with its expectorant properties, is responsible in part for the major medical use of white horehound for respiratory disorders.” This surprised me as I had only related bitters to digestion but he does go on to say a cold infusion is a bitter tonic for the digestive system. There is evidence to show that as marrubiin, the plant’s bitter principle, breaks down in the body it strongly stimulates bile production. The plant has been traditionally used as a reliable liver and digestive remedy.

 Matthew Wood says that as a bitter, hoarhound promotes expulsion of thick secretions, allowing new mucous and new immune cells to be secreted. This allows the herb to work not by killing germs but by changing the environment so as to enable the body to kill the germs. This theory makes sense to me and has made me think differently about how herbs work.

 The CU (Champaign-Urbana) herb society says that the bitter principle, marrubiim, does not exist in the living plant, but is formed during the extraction process. They also say that the bitter action of hoarhound stimulates the secretion of bile from the gall bladder, aiding digestion. In large quantities it could act as a laxative and cause an irregular heartbeat. Matthew Wood cautions that large doses of hoarhound are emetic and laxative and can cause arrhythmias.

 I came to the conclusion that white hoarhound stimulates the gall bladder and aids digestion and also relaxes the smooth muscles of the bronchus while stimulating mucous production; this tallies with Richard Mabey’s definition of bitters including relaxants. I then started to worry I had put two and two together and made five but was directed by my mentor, Sarah, to Jim MacDonald’s web site where there is a lot of information explaining how bitters work to aid digestion but he also sees bitters as grounding and says they can release emotional energy from organs particularly anger and frustration linked to stagnant liver energy.

 Jim MacDonald refers to a past blog entry of Sarah Head in 2008 where she suggests that bitters promote release. Sarah says different herbs have affinities with different parts of the body so will promote the release of different secretions or emotions from those areas. I now realise there are energetic as well as physical attributes to bitters, the major benefit is to the digestive system but there could be others as well.

White Horehound flowers

References

Campaign-Urbana Herb Society (2004) Herb of the Month: Horehound (marrubium vulgare) www.cuherbsociety.org

Head, Sarah (2008) Bitters: Herbs which promote release? http://kitchenherbwifeblogspot.com accessed 27.1.2010

Mabey, R. (1988) The New Age Herbalist Simon & Schuster: New York

MacDonald, J. (2009) Blessed Bitters http://www.herbcraft.org/bitters.pdf accessed 27.1.2010

Wood, M. (2008) The Earthwise Herbal: A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants North Atlantic Books: Berkeley