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East End Herbalist

Medical herbalist

10/02/2024

🌴This majestic tropical palm tree is called Livistona chinensis, also known as Pu kui or Chinese fan palm. Yet another plant named by/after European colonialists, it belongs to the Arecaceae (palm) family and can grow up to 15m tall. Native to tropical East Asia, its beauty has led to naturalization in other parts of the tropics. Like most palm trees, the Chinese fan palm is evergreen, serving as a food oasis and shelter for insects seeking relief from the sun. Its costapalmate leaves have bifid tips, and the inflorescence consists of pale yellow perfect (hermaphrodite) flowers turning into delicious blueberry-colored drupe fruits, somewhat reminiscent of açai "berry" 😋.

🫐 The mildly astringent fruits have traditionally been used to cook pork soup, alleviating hepatitis and liver cancer. Their anti-tumor properties (anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic) have incorporated the Chinese fan palm into anti-cancer TCM formulas. Fruits & seeds contain saponins, tannins, anthraquinones, alkaloids, flavonoids, and phenols. Furthermore, the leaves' antioxidant content, including isoorientin and vitexin, has shown strong cardioprotective properties🫀

18/07/2023

This is my garden rn evoking and rewarding all 5 basic senses 🤩
Summer has been meh so far but fortunately at this time of the year, all our attention and dedication is repaid.

👁️ Sight: Colours, textures, patterns, heights, etc, have a stimulating yet calming effect.
👃Smell: Most people have heard of the health benefits of aromatherapy - thanks to the volatile compounds (essential oils) emitted by the plants in order to defend themselves against predators or to attract pollinators. The inhalation of these compounds can affect brain wave activities, autonomic nervous system responses and even mood states.
👂Sound: Wind rustling through the leaves, the buzzing of insects, birds singing, etc. All of these sounds are a true call to the wild, inviting us to slow down, to take it easy...
🫳 Touch: From the fluffiness of marshmallow leaves to the jagged prickles of a rose, there are infinite textures to engage our sense of touch. But don't do it like me: do not let nettles grow near your raspberry bramble 😅
👅 Taste: They can be sweet, salty and/or sour. Quite often bitter. Sometimes toxic. Rarely deadly poisonous. In each case your taste buds are always in for a surprise. Just make sure you know what you put in your mouth and don't die 😆. Remember that plants don't wanna be eaten and will produce secondary metabolites to protect themselves.

13/07/2023

Describe what it is like to date a herbalist/botanist: "Liverworts! Stop the car!"

Following my previous post on Vitex agnus-castus AKA Chaste tree, here is a photo of me next to this beautiful specimen I spotted in the streets of Bari in Italy.

Locals were walking past and looking at me with a face of "why is this weird tourist taking photos of some random plant?". Little do they know how special and powerful this gorgeous shrub is.
For us herbalists, seeing these plants is almost like running into a dear colleague 😆 I just can't describe the excitement.

If you ever go on a holiday or walk with a herbalist and/or a botanist be warned: a 1 hour walk or hike will easily turn into a 5 hour expedition and lots of photos 😂

13/07/2023

🌿 Many people will be familiar with the name of this perennial shrub: Vitex agnus-castus AKA chaste tree or chaste berry or monk's pepper. There seems to be ~250 species of Vitex worldwide. In Ayurveda and TCM, different species are used such as V. negundo and V. trifoliata.
Vitex agnus-castus is native to the Mediterranean area, belongs to the Verbenaceae (vervain) family and can grow up to ~4 metres. The leaves are palmately compound and with 5 to 7 aromatic lanceolate leaflets. The lilac flowers grow in panicles.

🏛️Despite its common names suggesting a libido-suppressing action, Vitex can also increase fertility (its actions are dose dependent). It is said that Greek women would line their beds with the leaves and flowers - Dioscorides wrote in his De Materia Medica that the smell of Vitex was so pungent that no man would be willing to sleep in such a bed. That is probably where the anaphrodisiac story came from. Hippocrates, Pliny the elder, etc, have written about Vitex's virtues. It was also featured in 'The Iliad'. In Brazil, Vitex is called liamba and is used in Candomblé and Umbanda rituals.

⚕️Vitex is aromatic, bitter/sweet, warming and somewhat drying. The hormonally modulating effect of the fruit on the female reproductive system is undeniable. They act as prolactin inhibitor, dopaminergic agonist, indirectly progesteronic, galactagogue, etc. Vitex can be used for an array of hormonal/gynecological issues including PMS, mastalgia, menstrual disorders, too much prolactin, erratic ovulation, acne (also for males), oestrogen excess, PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis, post-natal depression, etc. Sometimes the benefits can be seen right away, sometimes it might take up to 3 menstrual cycles, other times it just may not work (remember no herb is right for everyone). The fruits are a source of diterpenes, iridoid glycosides, flavonoids and essential oils.

02/07/2023

I haven't been able to spend as much time gardening recently and things went a bit wild around here... But letting your garden grow wild doesn't mean leaving it unmanaged. It will always need some input and tlc.

🌾Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) has expanded freely but mind you, I do appreciate grasses (my cat too 😻), however too much of it can smother other plants.

🌞Excess heat coupled with lack of watering can stress the life out of some plants. My deadly nightshade shed most of its leaves because of it.

🐌Gastropods (slugs and snails) will thrive in unmanaged gardens. They also love berries but so do I. Sorry slugs, I'm more than happy to share but you lot are greedy little slime bags. I'm sending you across the road to my neighbour's garden and remember to take the zebra crossing on your way back 😅

🌼 St. John's wort took over this year (alongside Valerian - again! 😅). What a delight to see those pretty yellow flowers adorning cracks, edges of garden beds and borders.

📽️So.. Gardening day will have to be postponed to tomorrow as today I'll be heading to the for some misery movies 💚

✳️Image 1: Black currant (Ribes nigrum)
✳️Image 2: Only one red currant (Ribes rubrum) left for me 😭
✳️Image 3: Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca) - more info on
✳️Image 4: Raspberry (Rubus idaeus) - more info on
✳️Image 5: Leafless deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) - more info on
✳️Image 6: Marshmallow (Althea officinalis) - more info on
✳️Image 7: Plantain (Plantago major) - more info on

08/06/2023

⚠️VOLUNTEER CALL OUT

The Mobile Herbal Clinic () is looking for reliable volunteers to join our dedicated medicine making team 💚

🌱Are you interested in herbal medicine?

⚕️Would you like to learn how to harvest and make herbal remedies?

If yes then please get in touch via medicine@mobileherbalclinic.org

🚐 The Mobile Herbal Clinic Calais is a dedicated mobile clinic serving refugees in Calais and Dunkirk in Northern France since 2019.

02/06/2023

Look at this vibrant lush bush 🤩
This native perennial/biennial herb is known as Chelidonium majus AKA the Greater Celandine. It belongs to the Papaveraceae (poppy) family and has been highly regarded as a medicine since antiquity.
It can reach up to 1m when allowed to grow to its full potential. Leaves are pinnate and lobed. Yellow flowers grow in loose umbels and have 4 petals. They turn into slender seed capsules that split open when ripe. 🌿

Dioscorides described it in his pharmacopoeia De Materia Medica. So did Pliny the Elder, Hildegard of Bingen, Paracelsus and many others in their botanical medical works. Greater Celandine was said to treat eye and skin diseases but others have also used it for toothache. If there was anything they all agreed upon then it was wonderful for treating liver diseases. In folk medicine its use was widespread across the northern hemisphere: the fresh yellow/orange sap is used to treat warts and the root is taken internally for jaundice and liver complaints (including liver cancer). The sap is more of a yellow colour as you go up towards the apex and orange in the thicker stems. I find the orange sap more potent. 💛🧡

Greater Celandine is still used in "Western" herbal medicine as well as TCM. It is a bitter herb thus stimulates bile flow and aids digestion. Topically it is used for corns, psoriasis, carcinomas and warts. The main pharmacological components of the plant are isoquinoline alkaloids (including chelidonine and berberine), and this is what gives the latex its colour. Large doses are purgative
Despite its long historical record as a medicine, celandine never got evidence-based herbal medicine status. The majority of published studies uses complex mixtures or individual alkaloids. In vitro and in vivo evidence is in line with anecdotal knowledge. Sadly (despite strong pre-clinical evidence) clinical evidence of efficacy for many traditionally used medicinal plants remains scant and celandine is no exception. Nonetheless I find it a valuable herb to have in my dispensary and in my garden. 🔬🧫

24/05/2023

🌿 This monocot perennial herb from the Asparagaceae (asparagus) family (Nolinoidae subfamily) is called Polygonatum multiflorum AKA Solomon's seal and has a worldwide history of use dating back thousands of years in Eurasia and North America. There are ~70 species of which 4 are considered medicinal: P. odoratum, P. multiflorum, P. biflorum and P. sibiricum (although some would disagree). They can be found in semi-shaded woodlands. The specimen here is P. multiflorum, I can tell this by its cylindrical stem and the number of flowers. This rhizomatous plant has arching stems bearing leaves that are simple, alternate, ovate/lanceolate and white tubular flowers located underneath at the leaf axils. Don't confuse it with false Solomon's seal (Maianthemum racemosum) ie. from a different genus.

💌 The name Polygonatum refers to the "many" (poly) "knees" (gonatum) present in its multiple jointed rhizome. The name Solomon's seal is a reference to King Solomon of Hebrew lore and his special royal seal. Apparently Solomon placed his seal on the rhizome of this plant, hence people can see the seal in the form of scars left by the stem once the plant dies back. Galen, Dioscorides and Pliny, all recommended the root for bone repair, joint restoration, gynecological issues and as a heart tonic.

🩻 The root harvested in early spring and autumn has a sweet taste and is considered to be moistening & cooling (demulcent & anti-inflammatory), mild sedative, tonic (for the heart, kidneys and reproductive organs), expectorant (also dry cough), diuretic and mild laxative. The root has affinity to bones, connective tissue, joints, etc and is one of my go-to herbs for musculoskeletal conditions eg. arthritis, tendonitis, repetitive strain injury, etc. It also soothes intestinal inflammation. This lubricating tonic property can also be helpful in cases of vaginal dryness, uterine prolapse, premature ej*******on and infertlity.
Studies have shown Solomon's seal effect on metabolism including hypertension, fatty liver and lowering blood sugar (caution if taking anti-diabetic medications).
The rhizomes are a source of steroidal saponins, glycosides, polysaccharides, alkaloids, etc.

08/05/2023

These abundant little beauties bring so much joy to boring lawns. Bellis perennis AKA daisies AKA bruisewort can be used for all kinds of aches and pains. It is a great substitute for the threatened arnica (Arnica montana).
You can easily make your own medicine by infusing those pretty capitula in the oil of your choice. Dry them in a shaded area for a few days before infusing. I like to use sweet almond oil as it has a lighter texture than olive oil for example. You can either do a hot or cold infusion. Once your infusion is done you can apply it neat on bruises and sprains or mix with a base cream.

Remember to always harvest away from roadsides, industrial sites, graveyards, etc. This is a low growing plant so be careful with places where pets (and humans!) foul and urinate.

To find out more about daisies check out

06/05/2023

I just got back from Northern France after another week of service at the refugee camps.
We saw 397 patients in a space of 4 days.
Despite the sun shining, the weather was cold and windy and cases of upper respiratory infections remained high. We nearly ran out of cough syrups, immune tonics and chest rubs. A few people had to be taken to hospital with severe bronchitis. Mainly people who had fallen into the water when their boat sank whilst attempting to cross the cold waters at night. How terrifying it is to hear the stories, especially when involving children and mothers 💔😞

On Thursday the CRS (French police) conducted a brutal eviction of the Dunkirk camp. A crane was used to destroy the makeshift mosque built by the refugees (see pics 3 and 4) and to turn the soil over in an attempt to hinder distribution of essentials. It is devastating to see the refugees wandering around the "jungle" with no blankets and tents to sleep in... These brutal and heartless tactics used by the French State are commonplace and happen nearly every week 🚓😠

We have been traveling to Calais and Dunkirk with our Mobile Herbal Clinic () since 2019. We have supported more than 10,000 people over the years. Please follow our Instagram page as we will soon be calling out for volunteers to join our dedicated medicine making team and other admin positions ⛑️🌱

Our crowdfunder is also still going (see link in bio).

01/05/2023

⚠️ Just a reminder that tomorrow (Tuesday 2nd of May) is the last day to pre-order our 'Plants Know No Borders' & 'Solidarity Knows No Borders' t-shirts!
The t-shirts will be on sale until 5pm (UK time zone).

🌱 The t-shirts are made with organic cotton and are sweatshop free.

⚕️100% of profits will go to the Mobile Herbal Clinic Calais

⛑️ The Mobile Herbal Clinic Calais is a dedicated mobile clinic that takes place the first week of each month in Calais and Dunkirk. The clinic offers preventative medicine, self-care support, first aid and healthcare access support to hundreds of refugees and undocumented migrants living in the region. Since 2019, we’ve supported over 10,000 people to access healthcare. Our medicines are grown, harvested and made in solidarity with people who are seeking asylum in the UK and in defiance of the hostile environment they have to face.

27/04/2023

Oh the joys of watching the perennial cycle of plants!

🌱 Seeing the shoots emerge from the crown of what was once a brown and wilted plant is so gratifying. This is probably the most exciting part of the cycle for me, more so than watching them blooming. I have been taking the very few sunny opportunities we had this Spring to prune those babies and snip off old dry stalks that once served as support for spider webs.

🪱It also makes me think of all the activity taking place underground. All these root exudates acting as signalling messengers allowing communication between roots, soil microbes and mycelia. This stuff fascinates me...

☀️Looking forward to sunnier days!

Image 1: Marshmallow - check out
Image 2: Lily-of-the-valley - check out
Image 3: Goldenrod - check out
Image 4: Rhubarb - check out

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About East End Herbalist

The East End Herbalist clinic provides consultations and treatments from a holistic persperctive. This means instead of only addressing the symptoms of diseases, we look at the whole picture for root causes of diseases.

Health consultations are patient-centred and based on the principles of trauma-informed care: trustworthiness, transparency, collaboration, mutuality, empowerment, choice, control, safety and support to access appropriate care where necessary. This means a personalised and tailored consultation. We strive to work together with our patients and put them at the heart of decisions about their care.

Our therapeutic approach includes both traditional and evidence-based Western Herbal Medicine. Treatments are not only designed to prevent and reverse disease but also to promote optimal function and improve quality of life. We are committed to use high-quality and ethically sourced medicinal plants.

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