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Recent articles to be found below.  For older general articles, go to our archive.  For Herb of the Month (HOM) articles from July to October 2005, go to our HOM archive.

• Herb of The Month - August 2007:  Lemon Verbena
• Herb of The Month - May 2007:  Lily Of The Valley
• Herb of The Month - April 2007:  Sweet Woodruff
• Herb of The Month - March 2007: Lungwort
• Herb of The Month - February 2007: Echinacea
• Herb of The Month - November 2006: Yarrow
• Herb of The Month - October 2006:  Hawthorn
• Herb of The Month - September 2006: Blackberry

Herb of The Month - August 2007

As a herb or garden plant lemon verbena isn't as widely used in the kitchen or as part of home remedies as it should be.  Only 100 years ago, it was a common ornamental plant found in European gardens, but today it is rarely planted.  I was pleased on a recent trip to Erdigg, an 18th century country house in Wrexham, to see lemon verbena incorporated into their herb borders along side hyssop, tansy and soapwort.  The delights of lemon verbena in the kitchen have also fallen by the wayside; although to be fair, lemon verbena has never played an important part in European cookery.

History and Folklore

Lemon verbena is also known as Cedron, Lemon Beebrush, Lemon Luisa and Yerba Louisa.  The last two names are said to be because the plant was named after Marie Louisa, Princess of Parma (1748 - 1819), who later became Queen of Spain.  Whether this is true, I haven't been able to determine with any degree of certainty, but it was the Spanish who brought lemon verbena to Europe in the 18th century, where it was used in perfume and is still widely used in perfume blends today such as Givenchy's 'Very Irresistible'.  Speaking of perfumes, did you know that in 'Gone with the Wind', Scarlett O'Hara's mother Margaret Mitchell and Little House on the Prairie's Laura Ingalls both declared that lemon verbena was their favourite scent?

In folklore lemon verbena is linked with purification and love and was said to help attract a suitor. Made as a tea, lemon verbena is said to prevent a person from dreaming.

Description

Lemon verbena is a deciduous perennial shrub native to South America, but is now found in North America and Europe.  It is not a showy plant, but it does have attractive leaves and should always be included in herbs gardens designed for scent, pot pourri and culinary uses.  Its flowers are fairly unassuming, although more noticeable than flowers of say vervain.  The plant grows to a height of 2 metres and gives out a powerful lemony scent which intensifies when the leaves are rubbed or crushed.

Lemon Verbena Flowers		Lemon Verbena Leaves

Growing

Lemon verbena prefers full sun, a lot of water, and a rich, free-draining soil which retains some moisture but doesn't become soggy.  It is a tender deciduous shrub, although I've found that as we seem to be getting milder winters these days, my plants are surviving the winter with no protection and bouncing back, come the following spring to give another crop of wonderfully fragrant leaves.  The light green leaves are lancet shaped, and its tiny flowers bloom lavender or white in August or September.  Pinch out the tips of the stems to keep the plant bushy or else it will end up leggy and produce fewer leaves.

I have noticed that if you keep the plants in small pots then the plant and the leaf size is small.  Plant directly in the ground and the plant grows taller and the leaves are longer.  However the smaller leaves to me have the best fragrance.  I assume that, if the plant doesn't put all its energy into growing tall, it focuses instead on its fragrance.  Of course this could be coincidence and there may be other reasons, but I'd be interested to hear via the forum if anybody else has experienced similar results?

Lemon verbena is best propagated by cuttings taken in summer.  Place the cuttings in the shade and keep them well watered or they will wilt and die.

The plant suffers from few pests.  The most common are red spider mites and whitefly.  To help eradicate both of these, regularly mist and wash the leaves, especially their undersides.

You can harvest sprigs all summer, but leave your main harvest until midsummer when you can also prune and shape the plant and take it indoors or into a greenhouse before the frosts kill the plant off.

General Use

I don't understand why lemon verbena isn't used more.  Is it because it doesn't seem to feature in many recipes unlike herbs such as sage and time?  Or maybe its medicinal uses are limited?  By the time you've read this article, if you don't already grow and use lemon verbena, I hope that you'll have a go and try some of its many uses and experience the fragrance for yourself.  The leaves not only dry easily, but they hold their scent well.  Place them between linens to help keep them smelling sweet and add to homemade pot-pourri.

The oil has been used in cologne, toilet water, perfume, and soap.  A strong infusion can be made from the leaves and added to the bath.  Also, the leaves can be added to cider vinegar to make a fabulous skin tonic that helps to softens and freshen the skin.

A non edible use that should make lemon verbena popular in the summer months is that the growing plant repels midges, flies and other insects.  So grow it underneath windows and near doorways.

Culinary Use

Lemon verbena has the most intense, lemon-like scent of all the lemon scented herbs.  Use the leaves for making herbal vinegars, teas and to add a refreshing zing to homemade lemonade.  They also work well with vanilla and raspberries to make a delicious ice-cream.  Partnered with lemon thyme, lemon verbena makes delicious herb butter for drizzling over steak and corn on the cob for a summer barbecue.  The leaves add a lemony flavour to fish, poultry and white meat dishes, vegetable marinades, salad dressings, jams, jellies, puddings especially fruit salads and fruit based drinks.

Back in June I attended the Herb Society's President's Day.  The guest of honour was Sophie Grigson who became the first president of the Herb Society in 2006.  (See pictures of the event here.)  During a cookery demonstration, Sophie, confessed her love for lemon verbena and created the most delicious summertime recipe using strawberries, mascarpone cheese and lemon verbena.  This recipe, along with others such as sweet potato and bergamot bhaji's that Sophie demonstrated that day, were featured in the Herb Society's journal Herbs, volume number 32.3.  The recipes can also be found in Sophie's book 'Herbs' published by BBC Worldwide (ISBN 978-0563384427). Chatting to Sophie after the event she kindly gave her permission for me to include the the following recipe here.  Please do try it, it's simply heavenly!

Strawberry, Lemon Verbena and Mascarpone Fool

Serves 3- 4 A small handful of lemon verbena leaves 45g (1½oz) Sugar Cubes 340g (12oz) Ripe Strawberries (hulled) 250g (9oz) Mascarpone Cheese Few springs of lemon verbena for decoration. Method - Put the lemon verbena leaves into a mortar or strong bowl, with the sugar cubes. Pound with a pestle or the end of a rolling pin, until the sugar is crushed, and the lemon verbena leaves have disintegrated, colouring the sugar a beautiful green. Now crush the strawberries with a fork (a food processor is too harsh).  Gradually work the crushed strawberries into the mascarpone cheese, with enough of the verbena sugar to sweeten to taste.  Spoon into individual dishes or glasses and serve topped with a spring of lemon verbena and a strawberry fan.

A point worth noting if you make the above recipe, or use lemon verbena in any culinary dish, is that the leaf is rather coarse.  When I ground the herb with the sugar in the above recipe, it left little 'strands' of verbena but these can be removed before adding to your strawberry and mascarpone mixture.  It wouldn't be much of a bother if the strands are left in, but chopping the lemon verbena leaves before you grind them with the sugar helps to make the strands shorter and makes grinding them to nothing easier.

Medicinal Use

Tea made from dried lemon verbena can be mildly sedative if taken at night with a spoonful of honey added.  It's also good for congestion and can ease indigestion but long term use or high doses can irritate the stomach.  An infusion of the leaves can be added to your bath water to help calm and soothe the senses; the same infusion is also reputed to help clean the teeth.  A compress of the leaves can help to reduce puffiness around the eyes.  Lemon verbena oil makes a wonderful massage oil when diluted with suitable carrier oil; use to help ease cramps and indigestion.  It can also be used for anxiety, insomnia, nervous tension and stress.  Lemon verbena blends well with lavender, rosemary, palmarosa, orange and other citrus oils.  Lemon verbena has febrifuge, stomachic, antispasmodic and sedative properties, and can be used to treat dyspepsia, indigestion and flatulence.

Caution - Prolonged use or large internal doses can cause gastric irritation.  This is a photosensitising oil so do not use before going out into the sun.  It can also irritate sensitive skin.

© 2007 Debs Cook

Herb of The Month - May 2007

Lily Of The Valley

When Nanna died, we found a batch of letters she had sent to Grandad whilst he was away fighting in the war.  They were tied with a pretty ribbon, with a long faded and dried sprig of lily of the valley tucked underneath.  Were the flowers a gift from my Grandad or did Nanna put them there to remind her of a precious memory?  I guess I'll never know, but the lily of the valley was more than a 'lucky perfume' to her.

All this reminiscing is wonderful, but it occurred to me that, beyond the scent memories, lily of the valley was (and still is) used medicinally to treat heart conditions.   The action of lily of the valley is released slowly and steadily unlike digitalis which is released all at once, making it safer than digitalis.  But it is still a deadly and toxic plant if used incorrectly and so must be administered by a qualified herbal practitioner.

I thought it was time to learn more about this old herb and to share this with you.  It is grown as a spring bulb in most gardens today but is not recognised as a herb by most.

History & Folklore

Lily of the valley has been used since the middle ages when they were popular in bridal bouquets to symbolise purity and modesty.  It became a favourite flower of the Elizabethan's who use it in tussie mussies and nose gays to help perfume the air.  There is also mention in some texts of the flowers being used to make a drink that became known as 'Aqua Aurea' that was believed to help boost the memory as well as treat heart conditions.

Apollo is said to have given the lily of the valley as a gift to Aesculapius, the Greek god of healing.

During the First World War it was used to treat victims of mustard gas although I cannot find out why. However, one of the effects of mustard gas is to blister and burn the skin, and an ointment made from the roots of lily of the valley can be used to treat burns.   I'm therefore assuming it was used topically to treat burns.  If anybody knows exactly what it was used for, please let me know and we can edit this section to reflect the true use?

The Latin name for this pretty herb, convallaria majalis, derives from the Latin convallis 'valley' and majalis 'May-flowering'.  It is also known as May lily, Our Lady's Tears, Lily Constancy, Ladder To Heaven and Convall Lily.  It is a member of the family Ruscaceae along with Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum multiflorum) and Butcher's Broom (Ruscus aculeatus).

Lily of the valley has been associated with May for centuries.  In France, it has been used to bring good luck since the early renaissance and it is one of the flowers associated with the Pagan festival of Beltane which also occurs on May 1st.  Old folk tales claim that Lily of the valley protects your garden from evil spirits.  Carrying a posy of the flowers is said to improve your memory.  The flowers were said to cheer the heart and lift the spirits of all those in their vicinity.

While researching this article, I've found this herb associated with luck, happiness, protection, purity, modesty, humility and the 'return of happiness'.  This last point may have been why my Grandad's war letters contained preserved lily of the valley.

Description

Lily of the valley flowers are most commonly white, but there are also pink varieties and those with variegated leaves.  It is a British native, that can be found growing in woods as well as gardens across the UK, and can also be found in Asia and Europe.  Classed as a herbaceous perennial, lily of the valley forms 'colonies' as can be seen in the final photograph to be found at the end of this article.  They do this by means of underground stems called rhizomes or 'pips' which spread prolifically.  The rhizomes send up numerous stems each Spring.  Each stem grows to 15-30 cm tall, with two leaves 10-25 cm long, and a raceme of 5-15 flowers on the top of the stem.  The flowers are bell-shaped, 5-10 mm in diameter, and very sweetly scented.  Flowering is in late spring, most often May, but in mild winters they've been noted to flower as early as March!

They're more likely to be found featured in garden publications as a flower than a herb these days.  As they don't have many herbal uses by the lay person they seem to have fallen off the herb radar and been consigned to the garden plant catalogues.

One place that you can see them growing as a herb is at Hardwick Hall which, not surprisingly, is where the variety 'Hardwick Hall' comes from.  I contacted Ian Hunt, the Head Gardener at Hardwick, to enquire about the age of the variety and he sent me the following quote from the first edition of Gardens of the National Trust, by Graham Stuart Thomas, Hardwick's' first Gardens adviser:

'Nobody knows whence came 'Hardwick Hall' Lily of the valley; it is distinguished by it's large bells and broad foliage which has a markedly pale edge'.

So it's a bit of a mystery as nobody knows where it came from, but Ian has promised to dig around and let me know what he finds out.  It really is a delightful variety that smells heavenly.

Lily Of The Valley 'Hardwick Hall'		Lily Of The Valley 'Rosea'

Growing

Lily of the Valley is fairly easy to grow.  They'll adapt to almost any soil conditions but prefer the soil to be on the moist side but well-drained, sand rich and with lots of organic matter.

Plant the bulbs in the autumn, preferably in late September.  The rootlets are called "pips" for some reason and these can be planted either in the spring or autumn.

The can be divided in the autumn.  Plant the divisions about 15 - 25cm apart and about 7-10cm in depth in partial or full shade.  Make sure you firm the soil around them well after planting.

Lily of the valley can be slow to establish but once established they can take over the garden.  In my experience they take 3 - 5 years to come to their full glory depending on where they're planted and the soil conditions.  The joy of seeing your first lily flowers from the bulbs you planted is worth the wait as Sarah Head from the forum discovered.  I went to visit her garden and she took me to the spot where she was growing some and we spotted her first flowers of the year!

Medicinal Use

Lily of the valley is only used by qualified herbalists these days.  It is another of those herbs that is no longer considered safe to be self administered by the lay person.  In the 16th century, herbalist John Gerard, advocated the use of the herb for those who had "dumb palsie" (known as Bell's Palsy these days, a condition which affects the facial muscles giving them a 'drooping' look) and for those who "had fallen into apoplexy".  He also said it was good for gout and the heart.  The leaves and flowers contain cardiac glycosides, including convallatoxin, which have been used in medicine for centuries.  It also contains convallamarin, which has effects similar to digitalis, so medieval herbalists used it as a substitute for foxglove.

Caution: Lily of the valley should only be used under the supervision of a qualified herbalist.

Colonies of lily of the valley

© 2007 Debs Cook

Herb of The Month - April 2007

Sweet Woodruff

By Debs Cook

I'm writing this month about a herb that is more often associated with the beginning of May than April, for it is then that fresh sprigs are crushed and added to white wine in countries such as Germany to make wine cups for celebrating May Day or other May festivals such as Beltane.  I'm talking of course about sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum formerly Asperula Odorata).  This herb is fast growing, quick to establish, and has the most beautiful white spring flowers and attractive leaves that look like tiny windmills un-folding as you await the flowers.

Sweet Woodruff's dried foliage has a sweet scent that has been described by some as freshly mown hay and by others as a soft vanilla fragrance.  The fragrance is due to the coumarin present in Sweet Woodruff which increases when the plant wilts and intensifies when it is dried.  I get the scent of vanilla hay so I get the best of both worlds.

Folklore

In some descriptions of Sweet Woodruff, the writers claim that it went by the names woodrowel and woodrow.  In fact those names were the folk names of another of the woodruff family, Squinancy Woodruffe (Asperula cynanchica) which was also known as Quinsywort and Squinancywort.  These names indicate that Squinancywort was formerly used for treating quincy, a disease similar to tonsillitis.  Squinancywort is no longer used by herbalists because it became harder to source and is now a rare plant most of the British Isles.

Sweet Woodruff was also known as New Mowed Hay, Woodruff, Ladies in the Hay, Waldmeister (German for wood master), Woodward and Kiss Me Quick.  In the Middle Ages Sweet Woodruff was woven into wreaths and swags and hung and strewn in churches. It was said to represent humility.  Woodruff is carried to attract money and prosperity, to bring victory to athletes and warriors, and, when placed in a sachet of leather, it guards against all harm.

Description

Sweet woodruff is a pretty, herbaceous, moist-and-shade-loving perennial that is a native of Europe, North Africa and Asia.  It grows to a height of 30-50 cm.  Its leaves are 2-5 cm long, the individual leaflets are lanceolate shaped and occur in whorls of 6 to 9 around the stem.  These whorls are repeated all the way up to the flowers as can be seen in the photographs below. The flowers are small with a diameter of 4-7 mm, white in colour and are joined together at the base.

Sweet Woodruff Flower		Sweet Woodruff Leaf Whorl

Growing

Sweet woodruff is an ideal plant to use for under planting trees and shrubs.  It also makes a pretty foil for growing tulips and late spring/early summer bulbs.  It prefers a rich, moist, alkaline soil, but will happily grow in dry shade under trees and shrubs.

Sweet woodruff can spread very quickly using its underground runner style roots, much the same way that mint will spread.  So make sure that you thin it out regular to maintain control.  The roots are very brittle, so any you leave behind will most likely turn into new plants come the following spring.  To prevent this pretty herb taking over the beds and borders, you can also grow it in pots, which is how I grow mine and they thrive, as you can see from the above photographs.

Sweet woodruff can be grown from seed and propagated from root cuttings.  If growing from seed, sow in the autumn after you've stratified your seeds (pop in the fridge for about 4 weeks to simulate winter).  Root cuttings need to be evenly spaced on the surface of leafy, rich compost and covered with a thin layer of compost on the top.  Keep in a warm place until the plants grow, then harden off and plant out about 10cm apart.  During long dry summers make sure you keep your keep them well watered. 

General Use

Sweet Woodruff can be used as an insect repellent.  Place the leaves in sachets and put in drawers, wardrobes and the kitchen.

Another use for sweet woodruff is as a natural plant dye.  The leaves produce a light brown dye and the roots a light red when used with alum as a mordant.

To help bring restful sleep, you can make a pillow stuffed with sweet woodruff.  It can also be added to pot-pourri.  In the Middle Ages sweet woodruff was used as a strewing herb and as a stuffing for mattresses to sweeten the room.  It was also popular in Elizabethan England for use in tussie mussies, wreaths, garlands and sachets.

The flowers can be added to salads and summer drinks.  You can also make a refreshing summer punch as follows. Put a few flowers and crushed fresh sweet woodruff sprigs into a jug and add a bottle of white wine, a little strawberry liqueur (or sweet sherry if you can’t find strawberry liqueur), and  a tablespoon or two of castor sugar, depending how sweet you want the drink to be.  Finally add a handful of sliced strawberries and leave to chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Medicinal Use

Sweet woodruff contains coumarin glycosides, which ferment slightly as they dry and release coumarin, one of its medicinally active constituents.  Others include tannins, anthraquinones and iridoids.  These molecules act as anticoagulants, so woodruff can be used to counteract blood clotting.  Woodruff has been used internally as a tonic tea.  It has diuretic properties and topically it has been used as a compress for varicose veins and phlebitis (an inflammation of the veins, usually in the legs).

It has anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties, soothes intestinal discomfort, especially abdominal cramps, and can be used to treat headaches and migraine.  Sweet woodruff has also been given to children and adults to help with insomnia, and is also a good source of flavonoids, which are useful for their antioxidant properties, and for their ability to help keep small blood vessels toned and healthy.  It has also been valued as a treatment for liver disease and kidney stones and as a strengthener for the heart.

Culpeper cited Sweet Woodruff as being a restorative herb, good for people suffering from consumption.  He wrote that it was also good for opening obstructions in the liver and spleen and as a provocative to venery, which during Culpeper's time was the way of describing a herbs use as an aphrodisiac!

Caution: In large doses, sweet woodruff can cause internal bleeding.  Do not use it if you are pregnant or when taking conventional medication for circulatory problems.

© 2007 Debs Cook

Herb of The Month - March 2007

Lungwort

By Debs Cook

In my garden, I know that spring is well and truly on the way when I see the first leaves of the lungwort, which are followed, not long after, by a cheery bright splash of colour that brings the bumble bees out looking for nectar.  Once seen, I know that the sunshine and warmer days are not too far away.

Lungwort is one of those herbs that are grown by many people without them knowing it.  I don't mean that the plant is secretive or invisible but that is often grown just as a pretty spring perennial flower.  The plant is available in almost all garden centres and plant specialists, but it gets referred to simply by its Latin name of pulmonaria.  So general gardeners are seemingly unaware that pulmonaria is a herb and has uses beyond the decorative.

In (1493-1541) Paracelsus listed lungwort in his Doctrine of Signatures.  In much the same way as Goldenrod was said to cure jaundice due to its yellow colouring, lungwort was said to cure pulmonary disease because the spotted leaves resembled diseased lungs.  Lungwort became more widely used in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries for treating diseases of the breast and lungs.  In England in the 17th century lungwort became known as Jerusalem Cowslip and was held in high regard as a treatment for asthma and bronchial complaints.

Folklore

Lungwort in some regions was called "Herb of Mary", and was said to be used as proof for revealing if a person was a witch.  In the past, many wild flowers and herbs were associated with the Virgin Mary and St. Bridget, and all of them were worn or used as a protection against witches and evil spirits.

Lungwort has a variety of folk names, amongst them are Soldiers and Sailors, Lung Moss (not to be confused with actual lungmoss, see medicinal info below), Spotted Dog, Joseph and Mary, and Bethlehem Sage.  It is also called Mary's Tears because the white spots on the leaves resemble tear stains, and the changing colour of the flowers from pink to blue represent blue eyes becoming reddened from weeping.

Description

A member of the borage (boraginaceae) family, lungwort is one of the herbs that thrive in shady and damp parts of the garden and, indeed, prefers such conditions to dry and sunny ones.  It also loves chalky soil and makes a useful ground cover plant.

Depending on variety, Lungwort ranges in height from 15 - 40cm with a spread of 45 - 60cm.  It has five-petaled flowers that extend in clusters as short bells from the green, hairy bracts and stems.  Lungwort has creeping rhizome's that can help it to spread.  Their leaves, which are pointed ovals and in some cases thin (similar to the leaves of plantain), range in colour from plain green, through a whole host of greens with spots, blotches and smudges of white, cream and silvery grey.  The colours of the flowers range from pure white through to shades of red, pink, violet and a full range of blues

There are around 14 species and over 150 different cultivars of Pulmonaria to choose from.  Examples of a large number of these can be found in the National Collection of Pulmonaria at Stillingfleet Lodge Garden & Nurseries in York.

Pulmonaria's consist of several commonly grown species which include P. angustifolia, P. longifolia, P. rubra, P. saccharata, P. officinalis and P. vallarsae.

Pulmonaria officinalis 'Blue Mist'		Pulmonaria rubra 'Red Start'		Pulmonaria saccharata 'Lewis Palmer'

Growing

Lungwort can be grown in pots, as long as the pot is large enough to allow the creeping roots to spread and has sufficient space to prevent the plant from becoming pot bound too soon.  A wonderful hardy perennial, lungwort prefers a moist but well drained soil with a good amount of leaf mould added.  The flowers will cross pollinate, so if you have several varieties in your garden and you want to increase a particular plant, it is best to do so from root divisions and not from seed.

To keep plants healthy and full of vigor it's recommended that you lift, divide and replant lungwort every 4 to 5 years.  Lungwort self seeds freely and can quickly take over a garden if left unchecked.  Seeds can be sown directly into the ground from early spring or you can divide existing plants in the autumn.

Lungwort can be prone to powdery mildew in dry periods and when the leaves die back come autumn. The best way to treat this is to remove the diseased leaves and dispose of them, either by burning or throwing away.  Do not put the diseased leaves into your compost bin!

General Use

Lungwort is a good herb to grow in gardens that are plagued with slugs and snails.  Some say that these little molluscs don't like the hairy foliage, but it is more likely that they avoid the toxic alkaloids and saponins that are present in the plant.

The young leaves can be picked and used to make soups and salads.  In medieval times, lungwort was a popular pot herb for adding to stews and savoury dishes.

The flowers are good for spring floral arrangements and both the flowers and leaves can be dried for adding to pot-pourri.

Medicinal Use

Anybody reading Culpeper's Complete Herbal can be forgiven for being a little confused when they read his account of Lungwort, P. Officinalis:-

"Lungwort is a kind of moss that groweth on sundry sorts of trees, especially oaks and beeches, with broad, greyish, tough leaves diversely folded, crumpled, and gashed in on the edges, and some spotted also with many small spots on the upper side.  It was never seen to bear any stalk or flower at any time."

Although Culpeper does state that lungwort is useful for treating diseases of the lungs and for coughs and wheezing, I'd hazard a guess that he was referring to something more like the lungmoss (Lobaria pulmonaria), a lichen that also gets referred to as Lungwort in some publications, rather than P. officinalis.

Medicinally only the leaves are used.  They contain saponins, allantoins, silica, flavonoids, tannins, vitamin C and mucilage.  Lungwort has long been used as a herbal treatment for lung diseases, such as tuberculosis, asthma and coughs.  The success of lungwort in treating these conditions may be down to the fact that it contains antibiotics which act against bacteria.  The silica and allantoin content of lungwort may be the reason this herb is recommended for its wound healing properties and for use externally for treating eczema, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, wounds and burns.  The leaves are astringent and have been used to help staunch bleeding.  When made into a tea, the leaves are also used as an expectorant, to relieve congestion and ease a sore throat (often mixed with coltsfoot and cowslip flowers).

There is an excellent remedy for Thyme & Lungwort Syrup on page 84 of The Herb Society's Home Herbal by Penelope Ody MNIMH (ISBN 0-7513-0166-3). This syrup is brilliant for treating chesty coughs.  It is made with dried lungwort leaves, thyme, cowslip flowers and liquorice, amongst other ingredients.

Caution: It is now known that lungwort, like one of its sister plants in the borage family, comfrey (Symphytum officinale), contains toxic pyrrolizidin alkaloids, so its internal use without medical supervision is not recommended.  It is also not advised to take this herb over a long period of time or if you are pregnant or a nursing mother.

Lungwort - P. officinalis

© 2007 Debs Cook

Herb of The Month - March 2007

Echinacea

By Debs Cook

Winter is finally here, and if you haven't already been boosting your immune system, now is the time to do so!  There is an excellent herb that is perfect for doing just that very thing, so I thought that I'd write about it this month as it compliments Yarrow featured in my last Herb of The Month.

This month I'm looking at Echinacea, or the purple coneflower as some of you may know it.  Echinacea features in many winter remedy chests across Europe.

E. purpurea is the best known and researched herb for stimulating the immune system, and is the one grown on a commercial level for use in many herbal remedies and supplements.  It is sometimes combined with E. angustifolia.

One of my favourite places to see echinacea is the The Herb Garden in Hardstoft, Chesterfield, Derbyshire.  They have one of the national collections of echinacea which is well worth looking at in the late summer months.  The Herb Garden also gives a discount to Herb Society members on all plant sales, which is another wonderful reason for taking out your Herb Society membership if you haven't already done so!  I'm a regular at Hardstoft and many of the photographs in my articles have been taken there, including those in this article.

In 1870, Dr HCF Meyer rediscovered echinacea whilst working amongst the native Indians of Nebraska, and later introduced it to a doctor in Europe, who described echinacea as a herb that could be used for treating nearly every sickness known to man.  Echinacea was also found to be the secret ingredient in many tonics and blood purifiers of the era.

Historically, echinacea hasn't featured in that many cultures and, even in Chinese medicine, echinacea has only been used in their remedies over the past 20 to 30 years!

Folklore

Although echinacea has many folk names -  Purple Coneflower, Black Sampson, Sampson Root, Hedgehog, Red Sunflower, Snakeroot, Scurvy Root, Indian Head and Comb Flower -  there seems to be little folk lore surrounding the plant.  This, I think, is mainly due to the fact that Echinacea did not become widely known in Europe until around the 1930's, so myths and old wives tales have never really formed around this herb.  This may account for the ease that this herb found a use in the world of medicine!  The only mythical/folklore information that I could find is once again from the native Indians of the American Plains, who used it as an offering to the 'spirits'.

Description

A member of the aster or daisy family, Echinacea is a native of the prairies of North America but is also widely cultivated in Europe.  It is a perennial herb which grows up to a metre in height, depending on the variety.  Its three main varieties are E. angustifolia, which is now an endangered species in its natural habitat, E. pallida, which is not as medicinally useful as the other varieties, and E. purpurea, the variety most often used commercially.

Echinacea's have simple rough stems, which are hollow near the base and thicken slightly close to the flower head.  The leaves are elongated, slightly elliptical with entire margins and are covered with tiny coarse hairs.  The flowers central cone, from where the coneflower name derives, looks a little like a teasel, surrounded by rough hairy bracts, which are in actual fact hundreds of tiny individual flowers.

As well as the more common white, pink and purple colours, Echinacea now comes in beautiful orange hues.  One of the first released of these orange varieties and the easiest to find is 'Arts Pride'. It has beautiful orange flowers that are striking for the flower bed as well as the herb bed, growing up to 60cm in height.  This variety also has a delightfully sweet, orange blossom honey fragrance.

Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan' White Swan doesn't grow as tall as other echinacea varieties making it a good medium height plant for the border.		Echinacea 'Art's Pride' Arts Pride is a stunning hybrid which is derived from a yellow echinacea (E. paradoxa) and a pink Echinacea (E. purpurea), and has soft orange flowers with a red tint.		Echinacea pallida 'Coneflower' Not as effective medicinally as other Echinacea, but it makes a delightful specimen plant.

Growing

Echinacea prefers a sunny location with nice fertile soil.  If your soil isn't particularly fertile, work in a little compost and something like organic chicken manure.  Well-drained soil is a must.  If your soil is very moist you'll need to make sure the area you're planting in has good drainage, or better still, grow echinacea in a raised bed.  New plants and seedlings will need to be watered until they are established.  Echinacea plants are available in most herb nurseries and garden centres. In fact you're more likely to find them amongst the flowering perennials in garden centres than in the herb section!

Propagating echinacea is child's play; as it is easy to grow from seed.  Sow the seeds in spring, as soon as the soil can be worked, and when you still expect another frost or two.  Once the seedlings are 2.5cm high, thin the plants out so that they are 40 -50cm apart.  Alternatively, you can plant your seeds in the late summer/early autumn, as long as it's before the first frosts.  Planting before the frosts gives the plants enough time to become established, and although they won't come to bloom the first year when you plant them this late, they will give you a longer flowering period the following year.

Regular weeding is important because echinacea doesn't compete well with weeds, but other than that, the plants require very little in the way of maintenance.  The plants will flower from June until late October in most areas and will be one of the last plants in your garden to go die back in the winter. Plants can also be propagated through division, by taking cuttings of young shoots in spring.

General Use

The main use for echinacea is medicinal but it also makes a good cut flower and specimen plant for the garden.  The flowers can be cut and dried for use in dried flower arrangements and Echinacea is also a useful source of nectar for butterflies and bees.  The seed heads can be left to help feed the birds in winter.  You'll also find echinacea in most supermarkets in the herb tea section where it seems to be a popular choice for blending with fruits such as orange and raspberry to make refreshing herbal brews.

Medicinal Use

Echinacea contains volatile oil, alkamides, caffeic acid esters, echinolone and also copper, iron, tannins, protein, fatty acids and vitamins A, C, and E.  It is used to stimulate and strengthen the immune system and also has superb antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties and is used to treat colds and upper respiratory tract infections.

Research indicates that Echinacea taken during the winter months can reduce susceptibility to colds and reduce the length and severity of cold symptoms.  It should be taken at a relatively low dose on an ongoing basis to boost the immune system or at a higher dose at the first signs of a cold developing. As well as for treating colds, echinacea can be used to treat acne, cold sores, chilblains, earache, mild asthma and urinary and fungal infections.  In health food shops you can find echinacea in cream, capsule and liquid form.  The liquid form is invariably a tincture.  It can also be purchased in toothpaste.  Echinacea is often mixed with other beneficial herbs such as elderberry and golden seal.

Caution: Do not take during pregnancy or breast-feeding. Not suitable for children under the age of 6 years.

Echinacea is generally well-tolerated and any side effects are rare.

Echinacea 'Art's Pride' in close up

© 2007 Debs Cook

Herb of The Month - November 2006

Yarrow

By Debs Cook

There's a nip in the air that tells me it is time to stock up on my winter cold and flu remedies.  Yarrow features in several of them making it appropriate to write about yarrow this month.  This pretty and aromatic herb grows prolifically near to me providing a good supply to make tinctures, to dry ready for yarrow tea or to make a wonderful herbal inhalant, the recipe for which is given at the end of this article.

My Nanna used to warm some olive oil and add a few crushed yarrow flowers to it and leave it to 'steep' for a few minutes before popped some in my ear when I had earache.  It always helped to sooth the problem and also smelt nice.

My favourite use for yarrow is as a tea to help cure winter colds and flu.  Some claim that this tea can cure a cold inside 24 hours but I wouldn't be so bold.  However, I do find that it helps me to feel better.  I combine equal parts of dried yarrow, peppermint, echinacea and elderflowers in a large container (enough for my winter supplies) and infuse 1 teaspoon of it in a cup of hot water and drink it everyday to help stave off a cold.  Should I be unlucky enough to catch a cold, I make up a cup of this three times a day and to helps ease the symptoms.

In ancient China, yarrow stalks were used for divining, although they probably used Chinese yarrow (Achillea asiatica).  This method of divination was known as the I Ching or the Yarrow-Stalk Oracle and was done using 50 straight stalks of yarrow.  Some still use this method today although, now, the yarrow is usually replaced  by 3 coins.

In the middle ages, yarrow was one of the ingredients in Gruit, a selection of herbs that were used to make beer, before the widespread use of hops.  Other Gruit ingredients included sweet gale, mugwort and juniper.

Folklore

The Greeks dedicated the herb yarrow to the God Achilles, who was said to have cured the warriors using yarrow leaves during the battle at Troy.  This is probably why yarrow is sometimes called Soldier's Woundwort.  Yarrow is also known as Military Herb, Carpenters Weed, Milfoil, Old Mans Pepper, Thousand Leaf, Nosebleed, Seven Year's Love, Devil's Nettle and Devil's Plaything amongst other names.

Folk tales tell of how yarrow can prevent but not cure baldness.  It is said to attract friends and distant relations to you and, if used in the bridal bouquet, it is believed to ensure that love will last for at least seven years.  It was also believed that the yarrow could help you find your true love, either by sleeping with yarrow under your pillow to bring dreams of your true love or by cutting the stems across the middle, which would reveal the initials of your future spouse.  I think the weirdest suggestion I have come across is from Albertus Magnus in the15 Century who wrote in his 'Book of secrets'  that if the hands are smeared with yarrow juice and then plunged into a river they will act as magnets to fish.  Perhaps some anglers could try this and let me know if it works!

Description

Yarrow belongs to the Asteraceae (aster) family and there are over 100 varieties including Sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica L) and English mace (Achillea decolorans).  Common Yarrow is a perennial herb that often gets listed as a weed, wild flower or a perennial garden flower dependant on which publication you are reading.  It can be found in meadows, at the side of roads, in lawns and grassland and will self seed readily if allowed to in the garden.  The clustered flat heads of creamy white flowers are 3-10 cm across and sit atop a mass of delicate fine feathery leaves.

Common Yarrow Achillea millefolium		English Mace Achillea decolorans		Sneezewort Achillea ptarmica

Growing

Yarrow grows well in most conditions.  It is a prolific self seeder, so you'll need to keep a close eye on it if you don't want it to take over your garden.  It also has a creeping rootstock which helps it to spread.  It is a drought-loving plant making it ideal for seaside gardens or if you have have very dry soil.

To keep it happy and healthy follow these year round guidelines: in spring, divide and replant established clumps to keep the plants fresh; in summer cut back to prevent self seeding (unless you want it to self seed); in autumn raise new plants from seeds or cuttings as well as divide and replant clumps.

In the garden, yarrow is a useful plant to grow because it will help improve the health of surrounding plants due to the phosphorus, calcium and silica the plant contains.  It attracts hoverflies, ladybirds and predatory wasps to help with aphid control.  It can help to concentrate the scent and flavour of other herbs growing close by.

Yarrow isn't troubled by many pests or disease.  The only problem I've had with it occasionally is that it can suffer from mildew.

General Use

Dried yarrow flowers can be used for decoration and in pot-pourri mixes.  You can add leaves to your compost bin to help speed up the process.  An infusion of yarrow can also be made and added to the garden to boost copper levels.  Yarrow leaves have been used in snuff mixtures and a weak infusion of the flowers makes a good toner for greasy skin.

Medicinal Use

One of yarrows folk names is Nosebleed as it was traditionally used to stop nose bleeds by putting its leaves in the nostrils.   However, sneezewort can be used to start a nosebleed and was once used to relieve migraine and stuffy heads, another reason for adding it to the old snuff recipes.  Yarrow can help to reduce high blood pressure, stimulate the appetite, easing stomach cramps and menstrual pain.  It can be used to treat flatulence, gastritis, enteritis, gallbladder and liver problems, and internal hemorrhaging.

Yarrow contains flavonoids, alkaloids, volatile oils (one of them being camphor), phytosterols and tannins.  It also contains salicylic acid which is a component of aspirin, which may account for its use in treating fevers and reducing pain.  It has also been used as a quinine substitute.  Yarrow's key properties are antispasmodic, astringent, fever reducing, mildly diuretic and anti-inflammatory.  Its ability to increase sweating is what makes this herb a favourite addition to cold cures like the one below.

Culpeper recommended a decoction of yarrow boiled in white wine for restraining violent bleeding.  For treating piles, he recommended a strong tea made from the leaves and drunk plentifully.  He also recommended that equal parts of yarrow and toad flax be made in to a poultice and applied externally.  Matthew Robinson, in his Family Herbal, recommended making an ointment from yarrow which could be used to treat all 'green' wounds and other sores.  He recommended chewing the leaves to ease toothache and advocated sweetening yarrow tea with honey and adding a little cayenne pepper to the tea when suffering from a cold.

WARNING - Allergic rashes and skin sensitivity to sunlight may result with prolonged use of yarrow.  Avoid large doses in pregnancy because the herb is a uterine stimulant.

Culinary Use

Yarrow isn't one of the first herbs that spring to mind for use in the kitchen.  I occasionally add the leaves to salads and omelettes; used sparingly so as not to over power the dish.  Yarrow also makes a tasty addition to chicken soups and stews.  Yarrow flowers make an interesting aromatic wine which also has the benefit of being a digestive and thus an ideal aperitif.  The leaves of yarrow have been described by some as smelling like spring cabbage whereas others think it smells like sage.  I find it has a fruity, grassy scent.

Herb of The Month - October 2006

Hawthorn

By Debs Cook

I first thought about covering the hawthorn back in May when the trees in my local hedgerows were covered with pretty white blossoms but, as the blossom isn't the only useful part, I truly couldn't decide where to include the hawthorn in the grand scheme of things as far as the Herb of the Month is concerned.  Known in some parts as the May flower or May blossom due to the time of year it comes into flower, the hawthorn is also full of rich red berries in the autumn.  In the end I decided to write about the hawthorn now, just as the berries have ripened and they can be picked for use for wine, jams, jellies, tinctures and teas.

Hawthorn blossom has a distinctive fragrance that most find pleasant but in medieval time's hawthorn was said to carry the 'stench of death'.  This is due to the trimethylene that the flowers give off as they deteriorate, which is the same chemical smell that is given off when corpses decay.  Consequently it was taboo to bring hawthorn into the house in old England because it was feared it would bring death with it.  The exception to that rule was during May-Day celebrations when it was permitted to bring flowers into the house for decoration.

Folklore

Folk names for hawthorn vary around the world.  In some countries the berries are known as Pixie Pears, Cuckoo's Beads and Chucky Cheese, whilst the hawthorn itself has been known as the May, Mayblossom, Hagthorn, Mayflower, Ladies Meat, Bread and Cheese and Quickthorn.  The Hawthorn was considered sacred in early times and legend has it that Joseph of Aramathea came to England and planted his hawthorn staff in the soil at Glastonbury, creating what later became known as the Glastonbury Thorn.

In times gone by, May blossom signified new life and the word nuts in the traditional song 'Here we go gathering nuts in May' is actually a corruption of the words 'knots', the knots referred to were the pieces of hawthorn wood gathered for ceremonial use.  The maypole was originally constructed from hawthorn.  In parts of Europe, branches were cut from the hawthorn on May or Beltane eve and were used to decorate the doors of houses and the blossoms made into garlands for the maypole on May Day.

There's plenty of folklore about the hawthorn, hung over the doorway.  In the middle ages it was said to prevent evil spirits entering the home.  It has connections with faeries and the underworld in Celtic folklore.  Hawthorn was often referred to as the faerie bush and it was considered bad luck to cut it for fear of offending the faeries that inhabited it.

Description

Hawthorn is a thorny deciduous shrub or tree that grows up to fifteen metres high. There are more than 200 species of hawthorn that grow around the world. The two most common in the UK are Crataegus monogyna and the Midland hawthorn C. laevigata, although the Midland hawthorn isn't found often in the south west and the south of England in the wild. In May its flowers bloom, hence its name of May tree to some. The flowers grow in small clusters that are white, red, pink or combinations of those colours.  These flowers turn in to small red berries in the autumn, which are also known as haws.

Autumn Hawthorn Berries Crataegus monogyna		Midland Hawthorn 'Paul's Scarlet' Crataegus laevigata

Growing

Hawthorn can be grown from seed although it can take up to two years for the seed to germinate.  It can also be grown from either softwood or hardwood cuttings.  Once established your cutting will quickly grow into a tree or shrub, depending how you prune, and it will grow profusely for the first 15 years of its life.  Hawthorn is not fussy about soil conditions and will grow almost anywhere.  It's good for use as a hedge and, used at the roadside, it won't mind the fumes from cars.  Hawthorn will tolerate growing conditions from wind-swept, exposed sites to damp, shady sites and will also tolerate dry conditions.  Crataegus laevigata 'Paul's Scarlet' is an exception to the above and prefers to grow in heavy soil with light shade.

Maintaining hawthorn is easy: it requires nothing more than an occasional prune to remove crossing shoots and helping to keep the shrub/tree in shape.  Pruning is best done in the later part of winter or early spring.  The main pests and diseases that affect hawthorn are fire blight, aphids, gall midges, honey fungus, rust and powdery mildew.  Treatment of all the above is easily done with organic sprays and pruning.

General Use

The wood of the hawthorn allegedly makes one of the hottest fires known to man and is considered to be better than oak for burning in ovens.  Charcoal made from hawthorn is said to melt pig-iron without the aid of a blast furnace.  In times gone by the roots were used for making boxes and combs; having a fine grain the hawthorn stains and polishes beautifully making it decorative.  Hawthorn wood was also used for making printing blocks and the left-over trimmings were gathered into bundles and used as kindling to light fires.  Hawthorn is also one of the more common hedging plants in the UK.

Medicinal Use

Hawthorns main constituents include saponins, flavonoids, ascorbic acid and tannins.  The active constituents in hawthorn are noted for their antioxidant and astringent properties.  Celebrated medicinally as a tonic for the heart since the 1st century AD, hawthorn is also useful as a diuretic and for treating hypertension, insomnia and nervous conditions, and makes a useful decoction to help soothe a sore throat.  It can help lower blood pressure and has been shown to increase blood flow and improve the heart's metabolism.  Recent studies have shown that hawthorn berries are excellent for both prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease when used on a regular basis.

The berries, leaves, and flowers of the hawthorn plant are used medicinally, although the leaves and flowers are believed to contain more of the active compounds than the berries.  Hawthorns diuretic properties make it useful for treating dropsy and kidney trouble.  Dropsy was the old term for the swelling of soft tissues due to the build up of excess water, which is now more commonly known as edema.  Culpeper stated that the seeds of the hawthorn, when dried and beaten to a powder and mixed with wine, were good for treating gallstones and dropsy.  He also recommended the use of distilled hawthorn water for drawing out thorns and splinters. 

Note: if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, do not take hawthorn.

Culinary Use

The young leaves and berries of the Hawthorn used to be known as 'bread and cheese', the young leaves actually have a rather nutty taste, and can be harvested and added to salads in early spring.  Later than this and the leaves become bitter tasting and are not as tasty at all.  Leaves and flowers were used to make herbal tea long before china tea came to this country and are still used in herbal brews today.  The berries have a fresh but mealy taste and make a useful addition to hedgerow jams, as in the recipe below.  They're also used to make wine and liqueurs.

Recipe - Hawthorn Jelly The amount of hawthorn jelly you make from this recipe will depend on how 'juicy' the fruit is. When finished it makes a lovely red jelly perfect for serving with game. Ingredients 2½lb Ripe Hawthorn Berries. 2 Pints Water Granulated Sugar (see method for quantity required). Juice of a lemon.

Method

• Wash the hawthorn berries well and remove and stalks left on the berries discarding any damaged berries. 
• Put the berries in a pan with the water and simmer for about an hour until the berries are soft and have absorbed most of the water.
• Pour the liquid into container through a muslin cloth or suitable fine strainer and leave the juice to drip out slowly over night.  Don't be tempted to squeeze the bag because this forces impurities into your jelly and makes it go cloudy.
• Measure the juice into a pan and add 1lb of sugar to each pint of hawthorn juice.
• Place the pan containing the juice and sugar mixture back on the cooker, add the lemon juice and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
• Once dissolved, boil the jelly rapidly until it begins to set.
• Once ready pour the jelly into clean, sterilised jars that have been warmed, seal and label.

© 2006 Debs Cook

Herb of The Month - September 2006

Blackberry

By Debs Cook

The season of 'mists and mellow fruitfulness' is fast approaching, and one of the treasures of this time of year in my humble opinion is the blackberry.  This delightful berry, according to a recent discussion on the Herb Society forum, is number one on the top ten antioxidant-rich foods list.  The blackberry is a wonderfully useful plant that provides, fruit, leaves and blossoms to make a variety of herbal remedies, teas, wine and a wealth of sweet and savoury dishes.

History

The blackberry name derives from brambel, or brymbyl, which means prickly and is also known as the bramble, goutberry and scaldhead.

The name scaldhead is from the belief that children who ate too many blackberries, subsequently suffered with a disease of the scalp called scald head.  As an aside, did you know that the Anglo-Saxon name for the blackberry was the bramble-apple?

Blackberries have been part of the diet in England since early Neolithic times.  Seeds from the blackberry were found in the stomach contents of a Neolithic man dug up at Walton-on-the Naze in Essex in 1911.  The ancient significance of blackberries is also apparent from several myths that surround it.  It was believed that the blackberry bush helped protect the dead from the devil and they were often found planted on graves to protect the loved one from evil.

Folklore

There are many folk tales surrounding the blackberry, the most common one being a debate on the correct time to pick them.  According to biblical tales, when the devil was cast out from heaven he landed on a blackberry bush, afterwards he's said to have cursed the blackberry because of its thorns. So any blackberries picked after Michaelmas day (29th September) are said to have the devil's spittle on them.

Blackberries were considered to be sacred to the old Pagan deities and dishes made with blackberries were included on the feasting menus of the day.  In some folklore, blackberries symbolise generosity, whilst in others it symbolises grief.  Old wives used blackberries in charms to create wealth, and in days gone by in England, walking underneath blackberry runners was said to be a cure for many ailments including rheumatism and whooping cough, or chincough as my Nanna called it!

Description

Blackberry is one of the most easily identified wild herbs that grow in the UK; almost everyone is familiar with them, thanks to the tradition of blackberry picking, which is still practiced by 'townies' today.  The blackberry belongs to the genus Rubus and the Rosaceae family and has no fewer than 2,000 varieties.  It grows up to 3m and comprises a mass or prickly arched stems, which often grow down to the ground to root and form new plants.  The stems from spring to late autumn are covered in leaves that have three to five leaflets which have a white or grey downy underside.  The flowers have 5 petals and appear from late spring to early summer.  These can be white or pale to deep pink in colour and most forms of the flowers have a rather pleasant scent.  The flowers fade in late summer to produce fruits which are green at first, changing to red and being fully ripe when they turn deep purple to black.

The wild varieties are wonderful, but some people believe that cultivated varieties have a better flavour.  Personally, I don't think the flavour of wild berries picked by your own hand can be bettered.  The blackberry season begins at the start of July and continues up until early October if the weather isn't to cold and damp.  It's best to pick the berries little and often to encourage the formation of more fruit and the best time to pick them is when the weather is dry because wet blackberries won't keep longer than a day.  Note: It is not advisable to pick blackberries growing close to busy roads due to the toxins from the traffic fumes.

Growing

Blackberries are perennial plants that bear fruit on biennial canes.  The roots live on indefinitely, sending up new shoots each year that will produce fruit in their second season and then they die.   Blackberries grow well with absolutely no care in the wild, but you need to do some routine maintenance when cultivating blackberries to prevent your garden turning into a blackberry patch!

Choose a site that gets full sun.  Blackberries will tolerate some shade, but the more sun they have the more fruit they'll produce, especially in cold regions.  Prepare the planting area well and dig in plenty of compost to provide the right soil conditions.  The soils should be free draining but have the ability to retain moisture.  Buy healthy plants from a reputable source and plant them in early spring or in autumn.  Plant the blackberry plants in the ground at the same level they were in their pots, spacing them about four feet apart.  Cut back your blackberries to about six inches above the ground and then water well and apply a thick mulch to help retain the moisture in the soil, which is useful when the fruit is setting.  If the blackberry is starved of moisture the berries will not be plump and full.

Pests and disease can be a problem so keep an eye out for blackberry rust.  This disease shows itself as red spots on the top of the leaves, followed by yellow spots on the underside of the leaf which eventually turn black.  Aphids can be a problem, especially on new shoots in early spring,  so spray with an organic pest control such as a liquid soap spray.  Mildew can also be a problem as can botrytis which is a type of grey mould.  There isn't currently an effective organic control for mildew, but you could try treating with a sodium bicarbonate solution using 5 to10g per litre of water.  With mildew, prevention is better than cure so do not over water your plants in the winter, giving them adequate ventilation and do not letting them dry out in summer, .

Medicinal Use

Since the 1st century AD, blackberries have been used medicinally.  The Greek physician, pharmacologist and botanist Pedanius Dioscorides (c40 - 90 AD) advocated using the berries for treating sore throats when made in to a gargle and chewing the fresh raw leaves to stop gums bleeding.  The leaves have been used for cleaning wounds and for staunching blood flow.  Tthe leaves are also useful as a tonic and have astringent properties.  They have long been used to help cure dysentery, diarrhea and piles.  They are also a good source of tannin, flavonoids and gallic acid, whilst the berries are a rich source of vitamin C and contain pectin, making them an ideal choice for jam making.

Culpeper advocated the use of buds, leaves and branches of the blackberry for treating putrid sores in the mouth and throat.  Gerard recommended mixing blackberry leaves that had been first boiled in water with honey, alum and a little white wine to make a lotion for washing the face which is the same decoction he also recommended for 'fastening' the teeth.  In Robinson's 'New Family Herbal' the leaves when boiled in a lye solution are said to be good for washing the head that is itchy, although doing this tended to make the hair go black.

Blackberry extract is excellent for cleansing the body and removing toxins and impurities.  Add some blackberry extract or homemade blackberry cordial to peppermint or chamomile tea to give the body a boost.  A dash added to yarrow tea is useful for treating colds and flu, as is blackberry vinegar, which has long been a remedy for treating feverish colds.

Culinary Use

The juicy berries are traditionally made into jam, pies, crumbles, wine and vinegar.  The fruit should always be picked over and washed before eating or cooking.  When cooked, blackberries are often combined with apples as the two flavours compliment each other.  Another reason for adding apples to blackberry jam is they supply the acid and pectin necessary to help the jam set, without the need to add artificial pectin.  The berries and the young shoot tips make a good wine and the leaves and berries can also be dried and used as a tea.

Blackberries freeze well too.  Pack them in rigid containers and freeze for up to 1 year.  You can use the fruit from frozen for many hot puddings - just increase the cooking time by about 10 minutes.

Blackberries have another use in the kitchen but not in a culinary way.  The fruit when mordanted with alum gives a slate blue natural dye whilst the roots yield an orange colour that can be used as a dye for wool and cotton

Recipe - Blackberry Wine

I couldn't write about blackberries without adding a recipe for one of my favourite homemade blackberry products, wine!

Quantities 6lb Blackberries (wild from the hedgerows make best wine in my opinion.) 3¼ lb Sugar 7 Pints Water Yeast and Nutrient Pectic Enzyme Campden Tablet This will give a full bodied, sweet wine so decrease the amount of sugar if you prefer it drier.

Method

• Crush the fruit well by hand and pour on 2 pints of boiled and cooled water. Mix in well.
• Crush and dissolve a campden tablet in a little water and mix this in.
• Cover and leave for 12 hours, stirring well once during this period.
• Now strain through muslin, squeezing well, into a saucepan.
• Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
• In the meantime boil half of the sugar in two pints of water for a couple of minutes until fully dissolved.
• Pour this along with the fruit juice into a lidded bucket or suitable glass or plastic container.
• When it is cool add the pectic enzyme, cover and leave for 24 hours before adding the yeast and nutrient.
• Ferment for between 7 and 10 days.
• Now boil the other half of the sugar in another two pints of water until dissolved and when cool add to the mix.
• Cover and ferment for a further 4 days.
• After this siphon off the lees into a demijohn and top up to the neck with boiled and cooled water.
• Fit an airlock and ferment out.
• Rack once before bottling.

© 2006 Debs Cook

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