Nature’s Roving Medicine Chest

Nature’s Roving Medicine Chest

We have enjoyed growing a wide range of medicinal plants at the peace garden in our tea beds, herb spirals, sensory garden and forest garden areas. We have dried and processed herbs for teas, such as calendular, yarrow, lavender, mint, rosemary, sage, lemon verbena, chamomile, nettle and St. John’s wort to name a few. We became a growing site for Herbalists Without Borders who make remedies to take out to refugee camps in Northern France. Now we are linking up with Phytology in Bethnal Green, who have kindly donated some herbal preparations to our volunteers, from their Mobile Apothecary.

Elder - for health and magic

Elder - for health and magic

Growing as a small deciduous tree up to 20 feet in height, the centre of the twigs is generally hollow, filling with a corky pith as they become older. Leaves are pinnate in opposite pairs of 5-7 leaflets. Fragrant umbels of creamy flowers appear from late May and throughout June and are of approximately uniform size.

The three sisters

The three sisters

In ancient Mexican agriculture the three sisters were corn, beans and pumpkin. Together, they combine to make a complex and sustainable plant growing process that gives the soil fertility and healthy food for people. Corn was the main crop, which provided more calories than any other. Legend has it that corn should be grown with other crops, rather than alone as it needs the help of its sisters.

Cleavers

Cleavers

Cleavers are annuals with creeping straggling stems which spread over other plants attaching themselves with small hooked hairs which grow out of the stems and leaves. The angular stems can reach up to three feet or longer and carry whorls of six to eight simple linear leaves. They have tiny, star-shaped, white to greenish flowers, which emerge from early spring to summer.