Holistic Herbs

31/10/2025

https://youtu.be/Ljp6mrDZ7-c?si=tpDhiqgENc4Z40Yz

'Samhain, Wisdom' is Grace Wells’ fourth eco-poetry film celebrating the Celtic Year, and marking the festival of Samhain, our transition into winter.Often a...

30/10/2025

Today I spent a delightful morning roaming deep into the forest on a Hedgehog hunt. But not of the animal kind: hedgehog mushrooms / Hydnum repandum aren't always easy to find, so I was very happy to find some and just as I was about to give up too. They are delicious fried in garlic butter.
I also found this Birch Bolete but these aren't worth eating in my book.
Also I foraged some Sweet Chestnuts which are in abundance this mast year.
I love all the Seasons but I think Autumn in the woods is one of my favourite seasons 🍂

26/10/2025

I couple of weeks ago I was asked by Hill Farm Tintern if I could offer a forage for one of their Forest bathing clients. It turned out to be for Martin Hesp, Editor of Western Daily Press, who was staying at the Royal George in Tintern.
The heavens opened on us that morning but it meant that there was plenty of mushrooms to be found in the woods above Hill Farm.
There were lots of Penny Bun / Ceps and Porcelain fungus / Oudemansiella mucida which are both edible and the photo is of me holding a Blusher / Amanita rubescens.

20/10/2025

I actually love days like yesterday; heavy rainy, murky & misty Autumnal days.
It created the space I needed to catch up with a few jobs and one of them was making soap.
My house is now filled with the wonderful woody, citrus and floral fragrance of Petitgrain essential oil that I decided to use for my Winter seasonal soap this year.
Petitgrain is extracted from the leaves and twigs of the bitter orange tree ( Citrus aurantium). This tree gives a lot: we get Neroli from its flowers and Bitter orange from its peel and the fruits, the oranges are used for Marmalade.
Petitgrain has antimicrobial, relaxing, anti-inflammatory and uplifting properties and helps to cleanse and balance the skin, making it beneficial for all skin types.
On a more magical note; Petitgrain protects against mental anguish, heals emotional wounds and banish negative energies. It promotes higher levels of consciousness and clears the mind.
I use Babassu oil, which comes from a type of Palm from South America and is moisturising and Shea butter, which is extracted from the African Shea Nut and is highly nourishing to the skin.
Other oils include: coconut, olive and sweet almond.
We forget that washing hands has always been a ritual 💖

06/10/2025

I am currently on a house sit for a friend and it is a glorious day here today in the Forest of Dean.
The Ladybirds are flying in huge numbers here, looking for places to hibernate perhaps, making the most of the warm sunny weather but does that mean we are going to have a cold winter? The last time I can remember this kind of ladybird event, I'm pretty sure we had a snowy winter 🤔
Love the changes that the Seasons bring 🐞🍂🍁🍄

28/09/2025

Mistletoe has had a special place in Midwinter customs since pre-Christianity. It’s a symbol of peace, good luck and fertility and is traditionally used at Solstice / Christmas time and New Year, to kiss under.
An interesting website has lots of interesting facts and information on Mistletoe, like the story I copied from there below; www.mistletoe.org.uk.

Baldr the Beautiful
In Norse mythology (specifically the stories relating to the Æsir) there is a famous story about the god Baldr (also spelt Balder and Baldur) who was slain, through treachery, by a weapon made of mistletoe.
There are many versions of this tale, but most agree on the main points that Baldr, son of F***g (the goddess remembered every Friday) was one of the most popular gods, and was known as Baldr the Beautiful. But he was plagued by dreams foretelling his death and so, in an effort to reassure and protect him, his mother made everything, plant, animal or rock, living on or growing in the earth swear never to harm him. As a result he became invincible, and the other gods began to take advantage of his good nature by using him for target practice. He always survived.
But Loki, a jealous and mischievous god, realised that the mistletoe had been overlooked in the oath-taking, as it didn’t actually grow in the ground. He contrived a weapon from some mistletoe – variously described as an arrow, dart or spear. Rather than do his own dirty work he persuaded Hod, Baldr’s blind brother to strike with this weapon, ensuring that Hod took the immediate blame. Baldr died from this single wound, and all the gods mourned for him.
In some versions of the story he is brought back to life, but most agree about the outcome for mistletoe – F***g’s tears became its pearlescent berries, still seen today and F***g decreed that, instead of being punished, mistletoe should become a symbol of peace and friendship evermore.

In herbal medicine, Mistletoe / Viscum Album, has a long history of use medicinally. Its leaves and twigs being a nervine and heart sedative. It has been used to treat; epilepsy, hysteria, neuralgia, infertility, arthritis, hypertension, of use in labour and the berries (which are toxic) of use in cancer. Rudolf Steiner recognised that mistletoe, like cancer, is parasitic, which lead him to believe of its use in cancer treatment. Also, its signature of the berries denotes its use to treat the ovaries/testes.
Warning ; only to be used by experienced practitioners as it is a toxic plant, having powerful cardiac actions that can slow the heart rate.!!

25/09/2025

Now this is a chair every herbalist would love 😍
Ginkgo leaves are harvested in the Autumn, just before they change colour from green to yellow.
Here is a list of just some of the ailments that Ginkgo help with: respiratory complaints, especially asthma, coronary heart disease, tinnitus, raynaud's disease, poor circulation, cerebral insufficiency, poor memory, depression, headache, vertigo, chronic fatigue and a hangover

23/09/2025

Beautiful morning here in the Forest of Dean 🌞

22/09/2025

Autumn Equinox Blessings 🦋🐞🦗🕷️🍂🍁🍄
Today marks the turning point as we say goodbye to Summer and hello to Autumn. And what a beautiful day it is here in the Forest of Dean.
Nature begins shedding what no longer serves it, insects start to find shelter for hibernation, birds start their migrations to warmer lands and we gather the fruits of our efforts that started at the Spring Equinox
This can be physically, mentally and spiritually.
I love all the Season's but Autumn is my favourite. Beautiful sunny days, like today, and the Sun still has its warmth for now, cold chilly evenings to wrap up warm in favourite jumpers and shawls, abundance of mushrooms too.
Now is the Season of Earth, as the Fire Season starts to diminish, we noticed it creeping in at the end of Summer, as fruits, like blackberries, plums and tomatoes were ripening and now squashes, like pumpkins are turning golden and orange like the tree's leaves.
Like the photos of these mushrooms; give shelter to those that need it, offer warmth, protection and love to the world around you, bringing candle light into your homes and your hearts.

16/09/2025

Since losing my four legged friend earlier on this year, it's been a struggle going out for walks with no purpose and yesterday I was so glad that I pushed myself to go out in the woods with no intention other than I had a cancellation so I had the time.
I picked up some conkers and acorns to chuck in the undergrowth as I went, in the hope that new trees may grow and may be it was a gift of gratitude or just good luck but either way I was ectatic to find a huge Hen of the Woods / Grifola frondosa mushroom. This mushroom is very tasty and a potent anticancer medicine. If dried & stored correctly, it will keep for a long time.
I only took not even 1/3 of it and that was plenty. It is currently sliced up thinly and drying at home now and a bit was added to my dinner last night too.
The other beauty I found is Beefsteak fungus / Fistulina hepatic a which is wonderful eaten raw in a salad but this one I left on the tree

13/09/2025

Well, feeling very blessed that the forage I led today for Hill Farm Tintern was sunny and dry ☀️🙏

I like to think it was the Birch sap opening ritual which protected us 😁.
I led a lovely bunch of people on a meadow and woodland path walk and we found lots of Autumnal treats, such as : Hazel nuts unripe and ripe, sorrel, tormentil (potentilla tormentilla), Hawthorn haws, Elderberries, parasol mushrooms, boletes (probably not the edible ones), pennywort, nettle seeds and, beach masts and sweet chestnuts.
We finished the forage with a cup of hot elderberry winter Rob 😋