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

Canda Diacono

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

02/09/2025

I sowed this Tibetan Gentian 3 years ago from seed bought from , and it’s lovely to see it thriving and flowering this year.

Gentian is one of the most bitter herbs available to herbalists, and works primarily on the liver and stomach, stimulating bile flow and digestive function. Because the liver is central to good health, it is always considered when blending a bespoke herbal medicine.

Wild European Gentian (Gentiana lutea) is becoming scarce due to over harvesting so I hope to make my own tincture (alcoholic extract) from the plants in my allotment. Tibetan Gentian seed readily germinates which is why I’m growing this species rather than our European species.

It hasn’t appreciated the dry weather and unlike the other perennial herbs in this ‘root’ bed, has needed a fair bit of watering.

28/08/2025

Much of the work I do is around helping people find ways to create simple & easy food habits that support their good health.

For this particular patient one habit change was to take a pre-prepared healthy breakfast to work to keep her blood sugar steady. A knock-on effect of this change was that she avoided cravings for the sugary foods that were worsening her symptoms.

Herbs are an important part of attaining good health, but food is the foundation.

16/08/2025

This pretty species of Skullcap (Scutellaria galericulata) is native to the UK. Although it prefers damp places and river banks it’s made itself at home at the allotment and is happily spreading itself around by its creeping roots.

There isn’t much mention of its use in the 20th century, having been largely replaced by its North American cousin Scutellaria lateriflora but Richard Hool (1918) describes it as ‘one of the finest nervines’. He gives a recipe for 1/2 tsp each of Skullcap and Valerian root powders to be stirred into boiling water and drunk once cool, taken 2-3 times daily.

Both Skullcaps mentioned above are restorative and relaxing to the nervous system and I often include S. Lateriflora in bespoke herbal medicines for patients. The sympathetic nervous system is so often chronically activated these days due to the pressure’s we are under, and is one of the drivers of ill health. For this reason nervine herbs like Skullcap are always included in a herbal blend.

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.

11/08/2025

Be joining the team, running my clinic from their lovely rooms on a Wednesday.

In person clinics:
Wednesdays - Axminster Wellbeing Clinic
Thursdays - Essential Therapies Studio, Sidmouth

Online appointments by arrangement.

If you 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.

09/08/2025

Looking pleasingly like jelly at a children’s party, this year’s St John’s wort infused oil is a gorgeous intense red. You only get this colour if the infusing oil is placed in sunlight and the brighter the light the more intense the colour. The colour is a mark of its quality.

This oil will be used in creams, salves and massage oil blends, where the nerves have been injured e.g. sprains, physical trauma, broken bones, neuralgia.

17/07/2025

I’ve been able to take my first harvests of beautiful Wood Betony (Stachys betonica) from the allotment this year and have 2 litres of fresh herb macerating in alcohol for a few weeks.

Herbalists consider many plants to have an affinity with a particular organ or tissue, and Betony’s is with the head. Because of this affinity, along with its ability to relax tension and nervous system constraint, I might include Betony in herbal blends for people with neuralgia, headache. migraine, dizziness or vertigo, if they’re associated with nervous tension. It’s a very steadying herb and can be helpful for a busy mind and feelings of being spaced out.

Wood betony works gently on the nervous system, digestion and the circulation to strengthen and tone, making it a very restorative herb. There is also research showing that the alkaloid stachydrine has an oxytocic effect which likely accounts for Betony’s traditional reputation for easing childbirth and delivery.

I offer a free 15 minute conversation to explore if herbalism can help you with your health condition. Please do get in touch.

15/06/2025

A Rose Chafer enjoying Clary Sage, and the second one I’ve seen in the allotment this year. Apparently they’re quite scarce so I’m happy they’re here.

Clary Sage is rich in essential oils and smells (and looks) wonderful. Along with the lighter notes is a deeper consolidating aroma which feels grounding, and it is a herb helpful for scattered thoughts and a busy mind. Planning to make hydrosol of this.

02/06/2025

The first harvest of artichoke leaf this year, just as they’re coming into flower and are at their most bitter. Try a nibble and you’ll see what I mean.

I recently discovered from , that it was the leaf rather than the immature flowerhead that was originally eaten as a vegetable - I suspect boiling the leaf removes the bitterness and I mean to try this soon. I will report back.

Medicinally, artichoke is very supportive of the liver, having strongly protective effects similar to that of its close cousin milk thistle. Its bitter principles (cynaropicrin and cynarin amongst others) stimulate bile production, supporting good digestion function and nutrient assimilation.

Research has shown that artichoke lowers high cholesterol levels and has an anti-inflammatory effect on the lining of the blood vessel - so, very supportive of cardiovascular health too.

The benefit to the liver, digestion and cardiovascular system make it a very important medicine in the treatment of metabolic syndrome and the diseases arising from it.

Artichoke is one of my favourite plants and most used plant medicines.

If you’re struggling with a health condition then please get in touch. I offer a free 15 minute phone call to discuss if herbalism is the right approach for you.

30/05/2025

Elderflower is looking gorgeous at the moment. We usually think of them being most fragrant during the middle of the day when the sun is fully on them (and this is very good), but if you’re ever up before the sun, go and smell some just as the day is dawning - it’s quite something.

Elderflower is calming and soothing, helping to reduce excessive catarrh and is an important herb in hay fever blends. It is also diaphoretic, helping to bring down a high fever by opening the pores of the skin. It is one of the traditional herbs in cold and flu tea, the others being yarrow and peppermint.

The ones in the picture are from the variety Sampo which I planted in the allotment a couple of years ago. It’s just beginning to grow away strongly and next year I hope to have a good harvest. This year maybe just enough for elderflower fritters, or infusing into vinegar or kombucha.

21/05/2025

Some plant finds on the Northern Irish coast between Ballyholme Beach and Ballymacormick Point.

Common scurvygrass (Cochlearia officinalis) - rich in vitamin C and traditionally used to prevent scurvy
Spring squill (Scilla verna) - not sure of any medicinal uses for this one, but very pretty
Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa), also known as beach rose in its native Eastern Asia. Certainly lots along this bit of coastline.

10/05/2025

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.

09/05/2025

Gut health/wild food/kraut

More wild food. This time a cabbage, three-cornered leek and nettle kraut (recipe from ) with added cumin and coriander seeds. Just about ready and very delicious.

Gut health is something I talk about a lot with my patients, because it’s central to good health. Microbial diversity is essential, although sometimes weeding out an overgrowth of less desirables is a necessary first step.

Digestive and skin issues, hormonal imbalance, allergies and autoimmunity are all associated with gut dysbiosis (microbial imbalance) and can benefit from herbal treatment. If you’d like to find out about how a herbal and holistic approach could help you, then please do get in touch for an initial phone conversation.

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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