Under moody clouds, I am walking the South Down hills, a buzzard hanging low in the sky and observing me closely. A shimmer of movement catches my attention as two deer fly across the brown fields.
The path dives down into a steep valley that will soon turn emerald and crimson with wild garlic and foxgloves. Now under a cathedral of beech trees, mossy stumps offer safety to the tips of fresh nettles and cleavers. It’s early spring and life is returning to the land.
I am busy following in the footsteps of our grandmothers who have always collected herbs for medicine and food. Wild garlic and nettle soup make a nourishing and restorative spring tonic. Cleavers cleanse congested lymphatics, whilst herbs like ribwort (Plantago lanceolata) and elder flowers (Sambucus nigra) make fabulous home remedies for hay fever.
Goose grass, or cleavers (Gallium aparine),
A strong-growing plant, but its structure is weak, so it needs the woodiness of other hedge plants to support it as it scrambles upwards towards the light. Back in the day, women would wind this herb into a flat mat to use as a sieve for separating curds from whey.
This is a wonderful illustration of how this herb works within the body. With an affinity for water, cleavers cleanses the lymphatic fluid of congested debris such as dead bacteria, toxins, and old tissue cells, flushing them out through the kidneys. In doing so, it can also help skin suffering from eczema and even psoriasis.
Modern medical herbalists mostly use this herb as a diuretic to cleanse the lymphatic fluid and reduce glandular swellings. If a young person comes to me with tonsillitis, or a woman with pre-menstrual breast lumps, or even someone with glandular fever, Gallium is one of the safest and most reliable herb to ease these complaints. It even helps to clear excess and sluggish fluids held in the tissues, such as the thighs and hips. The old herbalists would prescribe this delicious herb if you wish to remain lean and lank!
Eau de Hedgerow
Pull a long strand of cleavers from a hedgerow and roll it into a loose ball, then drop this into a glass of water and leave it overnight. In the morning, you may like to add a small amount of elderflower cordial before drinking it chilled. In time, you may well become lean and lank just like the plant.
Chickweed (Stellaria media) is often found on compost heaps or in untended allotments, an unloved weed except by herbalists. This insignificant herb is a refrigerant – on a hot day, place your cheek against a soft mound of chickweed and immediately you will be cooled and soothed. It’s great for itchy skin conditions such as infant’s eczema and nappy rash, is perfectly safe and even repairs the damage caused by scratching.
You could pick two large handfuls of the plant and add them to a teapot of boiling water. Use this in the bath if you are sunburnt or, when it’s cooled, sponge it over skin that’s burnt or suffering from eczema. The infusion can also be drunk hot or cold to soothe inflammation of the digestive tract, such as stomach ulcers or gastroenteritis. And if you have chickens, they will love you for feeding them this plant, their favourite salad.
Chickweed
Also, very effective as a poultice for infected sores. Of course, you should see a doctor or medical herbalist, but if you cannot get an early appointment, you could use this herb. Wrap it in muslin or a clean cotton cloth, dip the pad into very hot water then allow it to cool so you can squeeze out the excess water and apply it to the sore, repeating when it’s cooled. The poultice will soften the skin and draw out any pus. Now disinfect the wound with a tincture of myrrh or calendula. If you don’t have these to hand, take the advice of First World War front line doctors: crush a clove of garlic, soak it in a glass of water and wash the wound with this.
Ribwort
A powerhouse of a weed when it comes to stings and inflammatory conditions, and it can be found almost anywhere. It’s another of the refrigerant herbs that cool and heal, the leaves soothing the mucous membranes as well as hot skin conditions. The old herbals tell that this leaf was also good against the bite of a mad dog, but if your dog is lovely and sane you could use it instead for insect bites or stings, especially nettle stings. Simply crush and rub a leaf over the sting so that the juice covers it or chew it and apply the pulp as a poultice. The pain will recede instantly.
Suppose you are out in the countryside and have a sudden attack of hay fever, your eyes and nose streaming. Look for a ribwort plant – it can be found almost anywhere – and thoroughly chew a leaf, spitting out the hard ribs. Within ten minutes you will feel greatly relieved. It is not delicious, but it does offer a quick and natural antihistaminic effect.
Quick Hay Fever Tea
Take a florescence of elder flowers, 4 – 6 crushed ribwort leaves, a sprig of nettle leaves and a sprig of mint.
Put these in a teapot and cover them with a cup of boiling water. Drink this tea when it’s cool enough and it will soothe your symptoms.
Mother Nature is abundant and generous with her gifts, all around us and waiting to be appreciated. Make sure you know what you’re looking for, give thanks to the plants, and gently pick their leaves and flowers for your healing.
Article by Local Legend
Jo Dunbar is a medical herbalist and author of the prize-winning The Spirit of the Hedgerow. Fully illustrated in colour, it is published by Local Legend.
