To make a calming chamomile tea Create a calming green swathe of chamomile lawn and then gather the white flowers to make a bath milk that will soften and soothe dry and irritated skin or a tea to calm busy minds. Chamomile infusions with the scent of apples have long been reputed to bring calm […]

Smelling both minty and lemony, lemon balm scent is irresistible to bees and humans and since antiquity.  Beekeepers crush the leaves to draw worker bees to a newly-constructed hive. Even the genus name, Melissa, is the Greek word for “honeybee”. Ancient Greeks and Romans, attributed many healing properties to lemon balm and although the Swiss […]

Recognised today for its effective treatment of depression, St John’s wort was more traditionally valued for its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory wound healing properties. Fun to make and effective to use on children’s cuts and scrapes, they will love watching the palest yellow oil magically darken to a brilliant scarlet when left for a couple of […]

Brandy and hollyhock flowers combine in this syrup to help soothe irritated mucous membranes, and ease a dry cough. Bringing late summer colour to the traditional cottage garden, the prolific flowers of these statuesque plants are infused to create a jewel-like cough syrup. Ingredients Around 50 dark coloured flowers (lighter coloured flowers make a lighter […]

Throughout the summer, frothy, fragrant meadowsweet blooms can be found in hedgerows, ditches and damp meadows right across the country. A sacred plant of the druids and used medicinally since the bronze ages, the active ingredient ‘salicin’ (aspirin) was finally extracted and identified in the mid 19th century. Indeed, it’s old latin name ‘Spirea’ is […]

What better way to soothe an upset tum? This simple to make natural botanical infusion remedy will turn medicine taking into a treat for even an inconsolable child. Ingredients 40gm mint 40gm chamomile 600ml freshly boiled water Honey to taste Method Place the herbs in a bowl and pour the boiling water over, pressing the […]