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Canda Diacono

Canda Diacono MNIMH
Registered Medical Herbalist Devon
Online & in person consultations

09/03/2026

I love growing some of the plants I use in practice and recently received these beauties from Poyntzfield Nursery. So, I spent a happy couple of hours in the greenhouse potting them up.

Black cohosh and Centella are main stays of my practice - the cohosh supporting hormonal balance and joint pain which can both be issues during the menopause.

Centella supports the micro circulation and helps to reduce scarring and adhesions, making it a valuable herb for many things including skin repair and joint health.

Golden seal is a wonderful herb for the digestive system but is very hard to cultivate and wild populations are endangered as a result. Because of this I have never used it, so I’m hoping to grow a small amount that I can include in herbal prescriptions when it will be most useful.

30/12/2025

This is such frustrating news. These medicinal mushrooms have been used safely for hundreds of years and and have powerful immune regulating effects. It's seems unreasonable to prevent their sale to the public. As medical herbalists, we will still have access to them and can prescribe to our patients. If your ID skills are good, they are commonly found growing in the wild.

20/12/2025

In the last few days I’ve been dispensing herbal medicines for some acute conditions as there is a lot going around at the moment. These include an anti-infective lung blend for someone prone to lung infections, and another for oral thrush and throat ulceration. The herbs in the picture are some that I consider including for these types of condition.

I’ve also been leaning heavily on my echinacea and elderberry syrup in the hope I’ll be back up and running in time for Christmas, to enjoy some time hunkering down with family, good books, films and a toasty fire.

Wishing you all a restful and restorative break however you are spending your time in the next couple of weeks.

18/11/2025

Some fun with fermenting this weekend.

The last of the green tomatoes went in a glass jar with peppercorns and a couple of cloves of garlic, topped up with brine. They should be ready in 10 days or so and will keep for a few months in the fridge.

I’ve been wanting to make fermented garlic honey and happened upon this suggestion from .guru which uses apple cider vinegar, essentially turning it into an oxymel. Oxymels have a very long history of use, so this method of preparation appeals to my herbalist heart.

As well nipping colds and flu in the bud, garlic is fantastic for helping to lower blood pressure when taken daily.

03/11/2025

Onion syrup is a super simple, ready-in-a-few-hours, home remedy for when you feel yourself coming down with a winter bug.

Suitable for children and adults, the syrup can nip a cold in the bud and helps keep the chest clear.

This is a cold sugar extraction. Simply layer equal depths (1cm approx) of granulated sugar with roughly chopped white onion, beginning and ending with a sugar layer.

In a few hours you’ll see the syrup forming. Strain, bottle and it will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Honestly, it’s delicious!

31/10/2025

Herbal medicine has a long history of safely supporting women through the peri-menopause and into their menopausal years, with plant names such as cronewort and motherwort giving us glimpses of this age-old practice.

I work one to one with women to understand their unique experience of the peri-menopause, and to create bespoke herbal medicines that ease their specific symptoms. Some of the herbs I work with for women at this time of life are black cohosh, schisandra, hops and motherwort, but there are many others I would consider, depending on the symptom presentation and on the woman.

The herbal medicines I blend also work at a deeper, and more systemic level, supporting the liver, adrenal glands and the nervous system all of which come under additional strain during this time of life.

I also offer women guidance on optimal nutrition and suggestions for self-care practices that will support vibrant health into their menopausal years.

If you would like to find out more about how herbalism can help you, please get in touch. I offer a free 15 minute telephone conversation to begin exploring your health issues and my approach to working with you. Link in bio for contact details.

22/10/2025

This gorgeous plant is Asian bellflower (Codonopsis pilosula) and it’s so lovely I want more growing at the allotment. Also the garden.

Codonopsis comes from the Far East and is widely used in Chinese medicine. It is a qi tonic for those who are tired, weak and deficient (e.g. post viral, chronic fatigue or post partum) and is known to build blood by increasing absorption of nutrients and the number of red blood cells. It is particularly indicated for those with shortness of breath and wheezing.

This is a herb I’m keen to get to know both for its beauty and medicinal qualities, so I can begin using it in my practice.

Seed is from

12/10/2025

An unusual find this morning - mystery bracket mushroom growing out of a wall. Does anyone know what it is?

11/10/2025

The first dandelion harvest so far. Actually, the first weedings to make way for some gentian plants - so plenty more to dig up yet.

Dandelion root is one of the plant medicines I most use in herbal medicine blends. It supports liver function and detoxification which is so crucial in skin and joint conditions. It also supports the breakdown and removal of oestrogen metabolites which is an important element of treating many conditions of hormonal imbalance, such as endometriosis and fibroids.

In the background is a jar of dandelion root tincture almost ready to strain. The milkiness you can see is inulin - a prebiotic that helps to maintain a healthy gut microbiome.

If you’re suffering from a health condition then please get in touch. I offer a free 15 minute telephone/video call to listen to the challenges you’re facing and to talk through how a herbal approach might work for you.

06/10/2025

Even at this time of year bay leaves smell amazing. The plant has an aromatic and gently stimulating quality. It’s also mildly narcotic, meaning that it is pain-relieving, numbing and sleep-inducing, and a quick taste of this oil made from the leaves certainly numbed my tongue.

This infused oil was made with fresh leaves in a Bain Marie, warming them long enough that all moisture has been driven off. This is important, ensuring the oils keeps without spoiling.

I’ll use the oil in salves and creams where bay’s warmth and stimulating quality is beneficial e.g. bruising and cramps, as well as sciatica and pain.

Bay also contains bitter compounds which support good digestion, and which is why it is good to include in soups and stews.

A few bay leaves left to infuse into unheated olive oil also supports digestion and can be used in salad dressings. This would be especially lovely to use through the winter months.

If you are suffering from a health condition then please get in touch. I offer a free 15 minute telephone/video call to talk about how a herbal approach might work for you.

03/10/2025

If you would like to find out more about how herbalism can help you, please get in touch. I offer a free 15 minute telephone conversation to begin exploring your health issues and my approach to helping you. Link in bio for contact details.

devon

30/09/2025

A blackberry syrup. I often stumble across old recipes when researching herbs, and I thought I would try making some of them. Recently, I made this simple blackberry syrup, given by 20th Century herbalist, Maurice Méssegué, for treating diarrhoea in babies. The recipe uses half ripe and half unripe blackberries and interestingly, black mulberries have been used in a similar way.

It’s worth tasting a pale, unripe berry to experience its sourness and astringency and there are still a few around in the hedges. These drying, mouth-puckering flavours tell you that tannins are present, and it’s the astringency of these compounds that would ease the diarrhoea.

The ripe, dark berries are rich in compounds such as anthocyanins and flavonols which have anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. As most cases of diarrhoea have viral or bacterial origin, these herbal constituents are an essential part of the medicine.

As with most of the old recipes there are no explicit instructions so, I simmered the berries for 20 minutes and then strained the berries out, measuring the volume of the resulting liquid. I decided to make a strong syrup with twice the weight of sugar to volume of liquid. It set into a jam-like consistency, I think because I pushed a fair amount the fruit pulp through the sieve too.

Having a means of treating this common condition would have been essential, and a syrup could be easily administered to a baby, unlike an infusion or decoction. A strong syrup would also last the winter and is ready to hand.

Please do not take this as medical advice!

Address

Essential Therapies Studio, 33 High Street
High Street
EX108LN

Opening Hours

Monday	2pm - 7:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 1:30pm

Telephone

+447754128634

Website

http://www.candadiacono.com/

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