If you use herbs, for God’s sake use local ones!

So said Prof.  Worsley according to one of his students, Eliot Cowan (Plant Spirit Medicine p.64).  Why use local herbs? Because, said Prof. Worsley, they are one thousand times stronger than plants that grow someplace else.

Prof. Worsley wasn’t referring to the innate constituents of plants, but rather to the healing energy of plants. Â The stronger the healing energy, the greater the benefits to those of us that use them. Â It’s a bit like eating local and seasonal produce: Â it leads to greater harmony with the world around us. Â Just as it is more natural to eat apples and pears than passion fruit and mango in Ireland, so too it makes more sense to choose native herbs for healing over their more exotic counterparts.

This was the message of Rosemary Gladstar, a Master Herbalist (like myself) from California, Â whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the annual Herbfest conference recently in the beautiful surroundings of Somerset in the UK. Â Rosemary describes herself as a village herbalist. Â She loves to help people to help themselves when it comes to herbs, teaching them about simple uses for common herbs which can transform lives. Â She waxed lyrical about Nettle – “a tenacious and pervasive herb” which serves as both food and medicine.

Nettle is a great example of a prolific native herb that is both nourishing and healing. Â Of benefit to the thyroid, adrenals, kidneys and prostate, it alkalises the body, provides valuable minerals (particularly iron and silica) and is a wonderful Spring tonic. Â Use fresh nettle tops in Spring to make a soup, or make a infusion/tea by infusing a few leaves of Nettle in boiling water for 5 minutes.

Sarah Head, another speaker at Herbfest, Â let us sample Nettle seeds stirred into yoghurt. Â You’d hardly know the difference between these and chia seeds! Â They can be collected at this time of year by shaking the nettle tops. Â Dry them gently in an airing cupboard and store in a sealed jar. Â Nutrient rich, they can also be added to muesli or sprinkled on soups and stews. Â Of couse, crushing them makes the nutrients even more available for uptake by the body.

Sarah also got us to make our own herbal honeys.  Simply chop a herb such as peppermint or sage and fill a jar with the plant material.  Cover this with honey and leave in a dark place for 3-4 weeks.  Strain if you like, but this isn’t strictly necessary.  The herbs will make the honey quite liquid.  Use for coughs and colds.  A delectable honey can also be made in the same way from scented rose petals.  A useful one for winter is made from elderberries, but store this one in the fridge, as otherwise it will tend to ferment.

Amanda Rayment, who specialises in parents’ and children’s health, gave us a great recipe for dairy-free nettle latté:  simply make an infusion with Nettle leaves; heat some almond milk (make your own or buy the Ecomil brand) and mix the infusion and milk in whatever proportions you like.  Sprinkle grated nutmeg on top.

Amanda also gave us tips for children’s remedies, including ‘onion honey’ for coughs and sore throats (runny honey poured over a chopped onion and left for a few hours – for the over-twos only) and a warm water+cider vinegar wrap on feet to reduce fever.  She suggested Slippery Elm as the perfect weaning food for babies in place of the ubiquitous baby rice. She tied these herbal tips in with advice about what not to put next nor near a baby’s skin in the way of chemical-laden babycare products which are so widely available in supermarkets and pharmacies.  Take a look at the ranges of natural and organic babycare products in The Hopsack, including Earth Mama, Burt’s Bees and Weleda, as well as chemical-free disposable nappies and baby wipes.

Erica Murray is a Master Medical Herbalist & Iridologist. She practises in Churchtown, Dublin (adjacent to Windy Arbour Luas stop). ericamurrayherbalist@gmail.com. Tel. 086-3384752.