The Dartmoor Herbalist at Oke Herbs

23/07/2025

23/07/2025

20/07/2025

Some of you may have noticed some unusual activity on here, my Google account and/or may have seen the Instagram videos I did.. I'm glad to say the individual harassing me has been stopped and I will resume business as usual as soon as possible. This person was practiced enough to know that harassing someone via their business makes it a civil matter, even if that business IS you! And it was only a slip up via a threatening phone contact which made it personal, which meant the police could step in. It has been draining and to be honest I am now struggling to cover costs and catch up, but have been really heartened by the support received from those around me, and of course the plants 🌿✨

17/07/2025

Not long now ✨🌿

I'm really looking forward to this! An opportunity to spend time in a beautiful, tranquil rewilding project, surrounded by 100 acres of woodland. The habitat is incredibly varied, and alongside the plants there are hundreds of beautiful butterflies, damselflies and birds. This one is limited to 15 so please book early if you'd definitely like to come along. The site is large and includes uneven paths, however if you run out of energy there are places to sit and rest before rejoining. Full address and details to be given on booking. https://dartmoorherbs.sumupstore.com/product/summer-medicinal-foraging-at-lower-longwood

10/07/2025

As anyone who has seen me walking around like a Velociraptor in the last couple of days can attest, I have hurt my back quite badly (slipped L4-5) - this used to take me out for weeks but I'm hoping to be back to normal next week!

06/07/2025

A little bit I wrote on Angelica

🌿 Herb of the Month: Angelica - Angelica archangelica 🌿

In his 1597 herbal John Gerard describes Angelica as “ a singular remedie against poison [..] plague, and all infections taken by evil and corrupt aire” – whilst that seems like quite the claim, it does align with Angelica’s known medicinal properties.

Angelica’s essential oil has been shown to be active against (among many other pathogens) Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that can cause diarrhoea and colitis, alongside anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral and smooth muscle relaxant activities, which aid in its ability to soothe the digestive tract and painful menstruation.

To read the full blog written by Jenny Carden-Porrett, visit our website: https://nimh.org.uk/herbal-resources/

Note: When taking herbs, we recommend seeking the advice of a qualified medical herbalist.

03/07/2025

Thank you to Matt of Wild Oke for showing us round Old Town wood last night for Green Drinks, so lovely to find out the complexities and hidden ecological gems that are so easily overlooked! And knowing Dormice and Otters live so nearby makes it all the more magical!

03/07/2025

I'm really looking forward to this! An opportunity to spend time in a beautiful, tranquil rewilding project, surrounded by 100 acres of woodland. The habitat is incredibly varied, and alongside the plants there are hundreds of beautiful butterflies, damselflies and birds. This one is limited to 15 so please book early if you'd definitely like to come along. The site is large and includes uneven paths, however if you run out of energy there are places to sit and rest before rejoining. Full address and details to be given on booking. https://dartmoorherbs.sumupstore.com/product/summer-medicinal-foraging-at-lower-longwood

21/06/2025

If you visited the museum today, you may have caught a waft of some beautiful organic and locally grown herbs in the form of a solstice incense created at our workshop yesterday ☺️

Used a solstice incense around the museum today, created last night at a workshop run by Herbalist Jenny Carden at the exciting new space in Launceston
www.meetusatlanstefan.com

17/06/2025

Click on the description to see a lit bit I wrote about Bugle. :)

🌿 Herb of the Month: Bugle - Ajuga reptans 🌿

Bugle was once highly valued for its first aid properties, hinted at in the colloquial names of sicklewort (I imagine a scythe wound could be quite catastrophic) and Carpenter’s w**d. Consound was once a term commonly used to describe wound-healers, and Bugle sits in the middle between Comfrey (Greater Consound) and Self-heal (Lesser Consound). Bugle also works to mildly lower heart rate, which would further slow bleeding. It was also highly valued as a treatment for the ‘spitting of blood’ - the emerging symptoms of tuberculosis.

As for its analgesic properties, they may only be considered mild by today’s standards, but would certainly have been a safe option for the elderly or children. Bugle's astringent quality is also different to other herbs in that it tends not to cause constipation. For this reason it was also used for internal ulcers, as well as external ones.

With more reliable methods of repairing and healing both external and internal wounds, it’s not surprising this herbal treatment has almost completely fallen out of use. However Bugle’s dualistic properties of stopping bleeding without 'congesting the blood' makes it ideal for old wounds and bruising too, an ointment of Bugle and daisies is good for taking the pain out of post-operative or otherwise just-healed wounds.

Witten by Jenny Carden-Porrett

Note: When taking herbs, we recommend seeking the advice of a qualified medical herbalist.