All About Herbs

16/03/2026

Look, I have a helper.......

15/03/2026

I've cut and pasted this from What Doctors Dont Tell You. Apparently the American College of Cardiology have decided its not cholesterol that causes CVD, its inflammation.
At last they've caught up with us. Apparently over half of women presenting with myocardial infarction have no associated narrowing of arteries and the same for 30% of men.
Stop the statins, exercise and reduce sugar (looks at waistline)
https://www.acc.org/.../new-acc-scientific-statement....
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It’s inflammation, stupid
One of America’s leading heart groups made such a momentous statement recently that, quite naturally, the world’s media has utterly ignored it.
The American College of Cardiology (ACC), which influences heart disease therapy, has pronounced that cardiovascular disease (CVD) has less to do with ‘bad’ cholesterol, and more to do with inflammation.
The announcement—sent out to American cardiologists—implies that the ‘blocked pipe’ theory of CVD that launched the multi-billion-dollar statins and low-fats industries has been going down a false trail.
The theory, which has dominated heart therapy since around 1950, is based on the observation that a heart attack happens when the heart is starved of oxygen because LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol has closed the artery and stopped the flow of blood.
But why does LDL collect around arteries in the first place? According to the theory, it’s because we are eating too many fats, an idea promoted by American physiologist Ancel Keys in the 1980s. Replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats—found in fish, nuts, seeds, and plant oils—and we’d see a decline in heart disease.
It didn’t make any difference, and nor did the introduction of cholesterol-lowering statins, the world’s most prescribed family of drugs. Heart disease was, and is today, still the biggest killer—and it’s the biggest killer of women, too, despite the focus on breast cancer.
So, what did we get wrong (aside from everything)? There’s a major clue when we look at heart attacks in women: nearly half have clear and healthy arteries. The same is true for a smaller proportion of men: 30 percent of them don’t have blocked arteries.
Cardiologists have known about this for years and they even have a name for these cases: MINOCAs (Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries).
Not that they tell the patient. Cardiologists and health agencies still promote statins and a low-fat diet when the reality is that blocked arteries are a downstream response to inflammation. Inflammation—brought on by stress, a high-sugar diet and insulin insensitivity, amongst others—damages arteries and the endothelium, the small cells that line arteries, and LDL cholesterol is the repair agent that tries to heal the wounds.
The greater the inflammation, the greater the damage to the arteries, the greater the accumulation of LDL around the artery wall.
In its statement, the ACC states: “There is now compelling evidence of adverse CVD (cardiovascular disease) outcomes in the setting of elevated markers of inflammation and that targeting inflammation significantly reduces recurrent CVD events.” So, stop pushing the pills and instead promote anti-inflammatory lifestyle strategies.
Will this stop the wholesale prescribing of statins—recommended to everyone over the age of 50—in its tracks? Of course not, even though the drugs cause a range of side effects, from muscle weakness, kidney failure and, ultimately, death.
There’s far too much money tied up in statins, and as we all know, profits precede health for Big Pharma

13/03/2026

Gardening Post - With the usual disclaimer as follows:
I am in no way a professional gardener and the list below isn't exhaustive, it just covers a few things that can be done to various parts of the garden within that particular month. Enjoy anyway, and I hope it encourages you to get out and play in your space; whatever that space might actually consist of.
General Maintenance
Put supports in. If any of your garden plants need supporting this year, put them in now, so plants can grow up through them. Adding supports afterwards is trickier and often looks unattractive. Resurface paths before plants start to grow and smother them. Aphids of all sorts will be on the increase this month. Before summer predators such as ladybirds and wasps are ready to eat them, use hand picking/squishing to control an infestation build-up, rather than resort to toxic sprays, insects to encourage are ladybirds (will eat aphids), beetles (will eat slugs) and wasps, which will devour hundreds of grubs and flies in the course of a summer. A healthy garden is filled with a huge range of wildlife, ugly and beautiful, a balance that keeps the garden flourishing. Make sure your greenhouse is clean and washed down and hang sticky traps to catch flying pests such as whitefly and sciarid fly. Temperatures are too still too low for biological control, so traps will keep pest levels down until predators can be introduced. Carefully remove any decaying plant debris from ponds, frogs will arrive soon to breed. Make sure they have plants nearby to shelter in.

11/03/2026

I am going to have a stall at the Health and Wellbeing Fayre at the Bradford Bulls stadium in Bradford. It is the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of March, I am looking forward to it so much. It is the first fair I am doing this year and one that I have never done before.

Join us at the Mind Body Soul Spirit Wellbeing Fayre in Bradford on Saturday 21st & 22nd March 2026. Discover Holistic Therapies, Psychic Mediums, Wellness products, and inspiring free talks and workshops. Perfect for anyone seeking relaxation, clairity, and personal growth. Plan your Ultimate day n...

28/02/2026

This, so much this..

You're not growing plants. You're growing soil. 🪱
The plants take care of themselves after that.
Every gardener eventually learns this. The ones who learn it early grow food that looks different from everyone else's. Deeper color. Stronger stems. Disease resistance that seems almost unfair. Harvests that don't stop.
The difference is never the seed. It's never the fertilizer. It's almost always the soil.
Here's what healthy soil actually is:
Healthy soil is not dirt. Dirt is mineral particles sand, silt, clay inert, structural, holding nothing alive. Healthy soil is a living ecosystem billions of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes and earthworms per teaspoon, all cycling nutrients, building structure, extending root reach and protecting plants from disease simultaneously.
One teaspoon of healthy garden soil contains:
🪱 1 billion bacteria breaking down organic matter into plant-available nutrients
🍄 Several metres of fungal hyphae extending root reach and connecting plants
🔬 Several thousand protozoa eating bacteria and releasing nitrogen as waste
🪱 Dozens of nematodes predating harmful organisms and cycling nutrients
When you pour synthetic fertilizer on your soil you are feeding the plant directly bypassing the soil ecosystem entirely. The plant gets its nutrients. The soil biology gets nothing. Over time the microbial population collapses. The soil structure degrades. The plant becomes permanently dependent on external feeding like a patient on a drip who has forgotten how to eat.
Feed the soil. The soil feeds the plant. The plant feeds you. That is the correct order.
How to feed your soil:
🌿 Compost Finished compost introduces microbial life and slow-release nutrition simultaneously. The single most important thing you can do.
🪱 Worm castings Concentrated microbial activity, plant hormones and perfectly balanced nutrition. Use as a 10 to 20% soil amendment.
🍂 Leaf mold Feeds fungal networks. Free to make. Criminally underused.
🌱 Cover crops Living roots feed soil biology 24 hours a day through root exudates. Never leave soil bare.
🪵 Biochar Permanent pore structure for microbial housing. Lasts centuries.
🚫 Stop tilling Every deep till physically destroys fungal networks built over years. Minimal disturbance keeps biology intact.
🚫 Stop synthetic fertilizer High-phosphorus feeds collapse mycorrhizal partnerships. Stop feeding the plant. Start feeding the system.
Healthy soil smells like rain that petrichor smell is produced by actinobacteria, one of the most beneficial soil organisms. If your soil smells like rain it is alive. If it smells like nothing it is not. 🌍
Save this and feed your soil this weekend. 🔖

28/02/2026

If you only have balconies or very small spaces without full sun...

20 veggies for partial shade in pots 🌤️🪴 Only getting 3–5 hours of sun? You can still grow a lot—just think “leafy + roots” over big fruiting crops. 🥬 Beginner tips for shade containers:
🌱 Use a light potting mix (not garden soil) + a pot with drainage
💧 Shade stays damp longer—water when the top inch is dry
🥗 Harvest “cut-and-come-again” greens to keep plants producing
🥕 For roots (beets/carrots/radish/turnips): choose short or baby varieties + keep soil evenly moist so they don’t get woody

28/02/2026

This is interesting

28/02/2026

This is a foundational aspect of any herbal treatment.

28/02/2026

Leave the flowers standing. 💛

28/02/2026

Snowdrops, Grief and Quiet Renewal ❄️🌱

Snowdrops are among the first flowers to appear while winter still holds the land. Emerging through frozen or compacted soil, their white, bell-shaped blooms arrive at a time when colour and movement are scarce. Because of this timing, Snowdrops have long been associated with grief, remembrance and the subtle beginnings of renewal.

Snowdrops do not bloom in abundance or demand attention. They appear singly or in small groups, close to the ground, offering presence rather than spectacle. This quality has shaped how people relate to them. In many traditions, Snowdrops are linked with mourning, humility and the acceptance of loss, reflecting how grief often moves quietly rather than dramatically.

Rather than being plants we gather or prepare, Snowdrops invite a different kind of relationship. They ask us to witness. To pause. To notice how life continues even in restrained conditions. Observing Snowdrops in situ allows space for reflection without disturbance, honouring both the plant and the land that holds them.

Late winter is often a tender time emotionally. Snowdrops mirror this tenderness. They show that resilience does not require force, and that renewal can begin long before conditions feel fully ready. Their presence reminds us that grief and hope can coexist, layered within the same season.

If you are moving through grief, plant relationships grounded in observation and seasonal awareness can offer steadiness without extraction. The blog linked below explores how plants support us during times of loss through proximity, symbolism and shared cycles rather than consumption.

You can read more here:
https://bit.ly/3OdFY6R

Snowdrops stand quietly at the threshold between winter and spring, holding space for endings, beginnings and everything that unfolds in between.

28/02/2026

28/02/2026

Mid week pick me up....if you like to forage, now is a great time for the first season of Bitter cress (Cardamine hirsuta).

This plant is wavy Bittercress and you will see it growing in any nooks and crannies it can find, including last years plant pots.

I met this plant today after an outside appointment. Yay!

Bittercress is food for garden visitors including us humans!.

Bittercress is a nutritional gem, offering high levels of Vitamin C (3 x more than you will find in an orange), calcium, magnesium and boron (similar to nettle).

Taste wise, this is one of ny favourite plants. I treat it like early rocket as it has a peppery, aromatic and mildly bitter taste which is great for stimularing taste buds and igniting tge upper digestive tract.

This plant is not used medicinally but including it in your diet will certainly boost nutrients and antioxidant intake.

The really good news? Every part of the plant is edible..Let Food be Thy Medicine and Medicine be Thy Food.