Farewell Winter ~ Hello Spring ~ and....

.....words about some of my experience with herbs ~

Starlings have flown off ~ with our Winter 

and Spring has arrived in our garden

 Rowan  ~ a little sapling I planted last year. It brings to our home

protection against enchantment, protection of ley-lines, highest pure

magic, healing and success.

Incenses made from the ground-up leaves and berries help to dispel

negative energies. I shall be trying that this year. The smoke from its fire

was used by the Druids to call up spirit guides and magical spirits.

Its bark and berries give a black dye

and

most important of all

song birds adore its fruit.

Blackthorn blossom in the hedge at the bottom of our garden

~ where the faeries live.

As well as providing berries for making sloe vodka or gin, it

brings to our home a powerful means of cleansing and the purification

of any negative attitudes we may carry within us, working deeply

on the psyche and allowing us to be free to create.

(It grows just a few steps from the doors of my studio,

so I'm relying on it to live up to its promise).

Birch ~ a little sapling I planted two years ago.

She is slowly gaining in strength and height.

She brings to our home a means of purification, cleansing

old stagnant habits and allowing a flow of new ideas.

I love that here in Wales, it was customary for a young 

man to present a birch garland to the womon he loved,

and she would give him one in return if she felt the same way.

The young leaves are effective in healing any urinary complaints, 

and giving relief from rheumatism and gout.

The bark of the birch is so beautiful, though our little one has

many years to go before we may use hers. It is like paper, and

its magical parchment was used to write on from ancient times.

Always ask permission whenever you wish to use any part of

 a tree (or any plant); and show respect to all trees, as

this 'Lady of the Woods' gets very angry if they are abused

and may whip you with her slender branches! 

Rosemary blossom ~ just outside our front door. 

 Its symbolism brings to our home love and loyalty, friendship and

remembrance. It is well known for its ability to strengthen the memory,

and is considered a wonderful tonic for the heart, brain and nervous

system as well as being useful in strengthening the immune system.

I have used it in its essential oil form for many years to help clients

with sore, tense muscles, arthritis and rheumatism, though never on

someone with high blood pressure (hypertension) due to its hypertensive

actions. Conversely, the herb as an infusion, is used to control a

headache brought on by....hypertension! The essential oil of any plant is 

a powerful powerhouse in a bottle and much more concentrated than the 

fresh or dried herb.

Recently, builders were working on the outside of our house and they

were not careful with our rosemary bush, breaking off several branches.

Of course I was upset that people are so uncaring and disrespectful of

growing things...in fact I growled...I'm good at growling, but the damage

was done, so I added sprigs of sage and made smudge bundles from them.

The smoke has cleansed and warmed us through the cold month of

February and continues to uplift and cheer as the warmer weather

comes to visit.

Lesser Celendine leaves (not in our garden ~ yet)

This is the very first herb I wildcrafted, way back when I was nine or ten

years old. There is a story attached to it -

A wise farmer's wife who lived near where I grew up was visited by

a Romany lady selling pegs and lace. Mrs T. had no need of these

items, but wondered if the lady knew of any herbs that would get rid

of haemorrhoids. The lady duly went off, and came back with a

clump of roots that had a little of the shape of haemorrhoids to them 

(think Doctrine of Signatures here). Mrs T. was instructed to wash

the roots, and eat them raw in a sandwich once a day.

When the lady had been thanked and paid and gone on her way,

Mrs T. thought she would like to know for herself where this plant

had been found. She walked in the direction she had seen the lady

go and kept looking for disturbed earth. On finding it, she identified

the Lesser Celendine (Ranunculus ficaria) for future use, in case of

haemorrhoids.....which came in useful for my father when he suffered

this painful condition. He knew I was familiar with the wild plants that

grew in our fields and the bordering woods, so I visited with Mrs T.

for her to show me what to pick, and from then on, every Spring, I

would go and dig roots of this plant for my father to put in a sandwich.

Years on, I found out that it is not recommended to eat the roots raw!!

It has never harmed my father, who is still fit and well at, soon to be 79

but I would not recommend anyone to take them without first checking with

a qualified medicinal herbalist.

Reference source for trees: 'A Tree In Your Pocket' by Jacqueline Memory Paterson

I love this little book. It isn't one I would use to identify trees....there are plenty of others for that....but not so many that delve into the folklore, magic and pure joy of these rooted friends.