Horse Chestnut
While scrunching through the dry colourful tapestry of autumn leaves in November, there are treasures to be found under the horse chestnut tree. I like to prize them from their spiny pods while they are still new to the day. These beautiful, shiny, rich ruddy brown conkers still bring me joy when I find them fresh, as they did when I was small, as they still do and have done, for millions of children and adults alike across continents.
Elder
With its flat toped mass of creamy-white delicately fragrant flowers which are followed by large, drooping, purplish-red, shiny, juicy and generously abundant berries. Elder is a familiar plant which plays a large part in the make up of the typical British countryside. This is a common herb and well known to most people. It is found in hedgerows, woods, coppices and waste places throughout England, Ireland and the whole of central and southern Europe.
Fennel
September is the month of fruition and with so many medicinal fruits, nuts, berries and seeds to choose from this month, I was at a loss as to which one to use. So there I was, sitting at my desk looking out onto my garden and the beautiful Devon countryside thinking which one to use. I found myself dodging about trying to see past this enormous plant for a better view, and then it hit me, it was staring me right in the face … Fennel!
Rose
I could not let a British summer pass without giving a mention to the Rose. Its sweet uplifting fragrance and delicate beauty has long held this plant close to our hearts. The phrase English Rose is still used today to describe the typical beauty of an English girl. There are a great many varieties of rose used in healing, culinary arts, beauty products and crafts; many more which have been bred simply to adorn the great British gardens.
Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is not one of our most beautiful herbs to look at, but what it lacks in appearance it certainly makes up for with its most wonderful sent. Its refreshing, light lemony fragrance encapsulates the warm summer days in which it flourishes, it makes a most refreshing light tea which is perfect for these long summer days served hot, or cold with a little ice. The light lemony taste is best when the tea is made from freshly picked herb.
Meadowsweet
Meadowsweet also known as ‘Queen of the Meadow’ to me it means summer, its rich, sweet, heady fragrance takes me to warm summer days walking along country lanes and footpaths with the air carrying the lazy sounds of buzzing bees and insects. This plant is easily spotted and is found abundantly in British hedgerows and reminds me of great big dollops of whipped cream on sticks lining our country roads and footpaths. It blooms from June to almost September.
Hawthorne
I can’t believe it is May already, and what a fabulous month for herbalists it is! May is the month of the flowers, in the heart of the growing season; it brings with it an explosion of colour with new leaf, blossom and a myriad of flowers. So, what better herb to have for May than hawthorn, also known as the may tree?
One of Britain’s native trees, it is a very common hedge plant throughout Britain, and is also found in all the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, including North America, Europe and Asia.
Sweet Violet
The translation of Viola odorata, the Latin name for the herb of the month, is “scented violet”; to me it is sweet, sweet violet. This shy little plant brings back beautiful childhood memories, picking a posey for my mum at Easter – indulging in the heady, sweet smell of violets takes me back instantly to the stream bank where I knew I would find a healthy crop.
Willow
There are 400 willow species in all, white willow being the most common, but herbalists prefer to use species such as purple osier, crack willow and violet willow, for they contain more salicin – the active compound found in all willows.
Coltsfoot
February is the month in which to collect and dry coltsfoot flowers. They are best gathered for herbal medicine before they have fully bloomed, which occurs from the end of February to April. Coltsfoot’s mediaeval name was Filius ante patrem, which means son-before-father and refers to its unusual habit of the flowers appearing long before the leaves which don’t appear until April/May. The yellow flowers are borne on scaly purplish stems, and are a welcome sight on the barren ground of winter.