HERBAL THYMES - National Institute of Medical Herbalists
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Summer 2018
HERBAL THYMES
The In-house Newsletter for members of the National institute of Medical Herbalists
Taking a Leap into Musings of a
Natural Medicines
Social Media - Plain Old Herbalist
Database – A
Herbal Medicine Formulae from
Research Resource
Awareness Week Times Gone By
With Caveats
© NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 1
Published by the National Institute of Medical Herbalists Clover House James Court South Street Exeter Devon EX1 1EE Tel: (01392) 426022 Email: info@nimh.org.uk Website: www.nimh.org.uk The Herbal Thymes is the in-house newsletter for Members and Student Affiliates of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists. It is published for their use only and it is distributed only to them. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the Editor or the NIMH. All rights reserved. No part of this in-house publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the permission of the copyright owners and publishers. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the editor and the NIMH will not be liable for any errors or omissions contained herein, nor will they be liable for any person acting or refraining from action as a result of the information contained in this publication. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the editor and the NIMH will not be liable for any of the following losses or damage (whether such losses where foreseen, foreseeable, known or otherwise): (a) loss of data; (b) loss of revenue or anticipated profits; (c) loss of business; (d) loss of opportunity; (e) loss of goodwill or injury to reputation; (f) losses suffered by third parties; or (g) any indirect, consequential, special or exemplary damages as a result of the information contained in this publication regardless of the form of action. © NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 2
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorial 4
Regional Groups 6
Eastern Group meeting reports 7
Herbal Medicine Week 2018 10
Taking a Leap into Social Media 10
A personal promotional plan for Herbal Medicine Week 11
Natural Medicines Database - A research Resource with caveats 12
The GP herbalist: A personal view 13
Musings of a plain old herbalist 14
Formulae from times gone by
Our Seasons, Ourselves 17
Herbal Medicine in Zimbabwe 27
© NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 3
Editorial
Periodically, as the need arises, and because I edited it for
a few years so have the experience, I step in and edit an
issue or two of Herbal Thymes. This is one such occasion.
One of the things I like about Herbal Thymes is how it
connects us. I know many herbalists who relish reading
Herbal Thymes, finding out what other people are doing,
even if they don’t know them. Wherever we are in the
world and whether we have been herbalists for a long time
or are just starting out, sharing our stories and the stories
of our herbs, brings us together and gives us a sense of
belonging. Members writing for members. That’s what
Herbal Thymes does – and most people find it is just a
good read. These are real world stories, and as we all
know, stories sell. There are times when I’ve dug out old
copies to find something I read years ago – what did that
person say about that herb or how did they prepare that
cream? I still have all my copies of Herbal Thymes that
were produced while I was a member, or when I was a
student affiliate. This isn’t a pile of archaic, out of date
memorabilia, but part of the lifeblood of our profession. In
them, I have the connections to every herbalist I have
known and some I’ve never had the opportunity to meet in
the flesh.
So, when it comes to producing an edition, part of me
jumps at the opportunity, despite my workload. An
opportunity to try to put together something which I want to
read and treasure. Sometimes editing Herbal Thymes is
about paying attention to what people are doing, and
thinking about what they might offer, knowing who is doing
something that would be interesting to read and asking the
person to write and share it. Sometimes articles just
appear, out of generosity or a desire to share a story or an
event. Then I feel I have made a new connection, sharing
the stories from someone I might not have known before.
All of us are good storytellers. We are even better at
drawing stories out of people, hearing and listening to the
story they give us in the consultation room. I hope you
enjoy this collection, and I hope it inspires you to send in
your story.
Laura (interim editor)
© NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 4
Regional Groups Meeting up with other herbalists can be an enjoyable and educational experience. Sharing ideas and experiences helps when we tend to work as individual practitioners. We would like members to have access to a regional group if at all possible and below is a list of the current groups available to members and students. If there is not a group available in your area, would you like to consider acting as a coordinator? Groups meet according to their needs, so it could be monthly, quarterly or even a couple of times a year. All that is needed is an agreement to meet and a place to do so. This could be at someone’s home, or agree to alternate between people’s homes, or meet in café, garden or a public place. The list is endless. Some groups have topics for meetings to help give some structure, but it is completely down to the members of the group. These could include specific herbs, herbs that may help certain conditions or illnesses, feedback from CPD events that members may have attended, nutritional supplements, support for difficult patients or circumstances, business and practice management or anything that may enhance your practice. If you would like to run a group, please do contact us and we will help with the setting up. Contact Emma on communications@nimh.org.uk There are regional groups in the following: Cambridgeshire Devon E. Dorset/S Wilts/W Hampshire Gloucestershire Hampshire Lincolnshire Norfolk Surry West Sussex West Midlands Wiltshire Yorkshire (Sheffield area) South Wales International members Due to GDPR we are unable to publish the contact details for the group organisers! Please contact Emma to be put in touch with your local group on communications@nimh.org.uk © NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 5
Eastern Regional Group meetings March 2018 to July 2018 We are a friendly and supportive group open to any herbalists with access to Cambridge. We meet monthly, usually rotating between the first Friday and Monday of the month. The meetings start at 10.00am and finish around 1pm. We try and organise a range of activities from guest speakers, viewing and discussing webinars, herb walks, topics researched and led by group members, tincture/tea tastings, debates on current issues and updates from seminars along with general therapeutic discussions and case studies. On top of all that we experience the wonderful, warm hospitality of Schia Sinclair in Cambridge, which includes compulsory sampling her latest healthy cake recipes and vast selection of teas! Friday 2th March 2018 Meeting was cancelled as a precaution due to a forecast of heavy snow and the distances some people would have had to drive. Monday 26th March 2018 (early April meeting due to Easter Holidays) Present: Schia Sinclair, Julie Dore, Billy Leach, Helen Shardlow, Vanessa Neville We were treated, along with the usual delicious fare from Schia, to a presentation by a qualified Health Coach, Ioana Dumitru. Which given the recent NIMH questionnaire on allowing associate members from other similar health practitioners was quite prescient. Ioana trained on-line with the Institute of Integrated Nutrition, initially motivated for herself and her family but quickly realised it was something that she could use to benefit many others, especially as during her training the techniques were proving very helpful to people. She emphasised she does not diagnose but does recommend supplements and herbs to help keep a client on a healthy pathway and directs clients to other health professionals. She explained when she starts working with a client she is looking at their whole story, giving them a mirror to see their issues and provide a safe environment to explore choices. However they ultimately need to make choices for themselves. Ioana described it like a plate with nutrition in the middle and round the outside was career/spirituality/relationships/physical exercise and all were interconnected. What was interesting, and something we discussed, was that she tells a client at the onset it will take at least 6 months and she needs to see them every 2 weeks. This is to keep up the motivation and so they know they are also accountable by having to come to sessions. They are told that it is not an instant fix but that they are working towards, a long term healthy life. We felt this was not always something we herbalists were good at, getting patients to accept and commit to treatment over a time period, especially regular follow-ups for longer term conditions. She took us through the four outer themes and how they are linked, with good nutrition being paramount but that the other areas needed resolution before a person could move forward to a healthier place. She said it can take several meetings to get to the “real” story and thinks it is very important to find out what a client believes in and what might motivate them. We talked about having patients who do not make progress and won’t change lifestyle which was very informative. Ioana also described her course of study, it covered various topics including coaching, counselling, insights into other therapies for recommendations and every week areas of nutrition were covered. It was very insightful and led to a fascinating discussion about managing patients ourselves as well as giving us the knowledge about another therapy that we too might want to recommend to some of our patients. It illustrates how collaborating with other disciplines is beneficial for us as practitioners and for our patients. Julie Dore © NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 6
Monday 4th May 2018 Present: Desiree Shelley, Schia Sinclair, Julie Dore, Carsten Soborg, Bev Meredith-Bailey, Helen Shardlow. Schia’s catering this time included banana and spelt flour cookies, oat cookies, brownies and a spicy dip with tortilla chips. Bev brought along calendula or a blend of calming herbs for tea. We briefly talked about blood sugar monitoring, GDPR and an interesting health article in a magazine before settling down to listen to Desiree’s presentation about medicinal mushrooms. Des has been using mushrooms for some time in her practice, so was in a great position to share her experience and knowledge on a variety of different types in use. She spoke about the general active constituents before covering several mushrooms monographs. We discussed a few brief case histories during the presentation and Des shared the titles of her favourite mushrooms information books. We rounded off the meeting discussing the ideal manufacturing processes, which then led to a comparison of quality and price between the different suppliers. I made notes of mushrooms that would benefit specific patients while Des was speaking and am looking forward to incorporating them more regularly into my practice (as did I! Julie). Beverley Meredith-Bailey Eastern Regional herbalists meeting 4th June 2018 Present: Julie Dore, Schia Sinclair, Billy Leach, Bev Meredith-Bailey We started with a lovely seasonal elderflower tea or a mint tea to drink, and Schia’s customary delicious hummus dip with vegetables and some flapjacks. Our topic this month was practice practicalities. We planned to discuss all things practice related: our paperwork, record keeping, time keeping, practice organisation etc. It started with a discussion around keeping to ‘practice hours’ when responding to emails and enquiries and whether people have a cut off time for that initial telephone chat with a patient, as some of us have had the experience of almost having an entire consultation on the telephone. We went on to discuss how long we’re all comfortable fulfilling repeat prescriptions without seeing the patient. This led on to what we currently charge to dispense repeats. We then went on to paperwork, comparing and sharing initial consultation forms and what prompts we use to remind ourselves of the more important lines of enquiry during consultations. We also looked at any diaries or symptom specific logs we give to patients to fill in, mini consultation forms and follow up forms. We discussed stock record keeping – finding out that we all use a mixture of paper and online databases and keep records quite differently, with the same goals in mind. This was really interesting, but as none of us had brought our laptop files, we could only verbally compare. GDPR predictably came up and the problem of what to do with the patient you don’t see for 7 years who then comes for follow up – are they technically a new patient and need charging accordingly?! Finally, we organised the topics for the next couple of meetings, reminding everyone that we were to meet at Milton Country Park with our picnics on the 6th July for a herb walk led by Julie to cover things to consider in order to organise our own! Beverley Meredith-Bailey © NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 7
Eastern Regional herbalists meeting 6th July 2018 Present: Schia Sinclair, Julie Dore, Carsten Soborg, Bev Meredith-Bailey, Billy Leach, Dave Bescoby and partner Rachel Herb walk around Milton Country Park in Cambridge. Julie started by showing us how she plans her herb walks a few weeks in advance of the delivery day. She talked about the importance of considering things like shade, rest stops and terrain for your attendees and discussed roughly how many herbs you would expect to get through in a given time frame. She counselled against talking about all the herbs you see in the first few hundred metres, no matter how tempting, but to spread them out a bit and save some for further along the trail! Julie also shared her favourite ID books and showed us which ones she would take on a walk for reference if required. As Julie has been running walks for a long time, she has a notebook full of fascinating anecdotes, herbal history and information about the plants she encounters. Julie then led us on a herb walk as she would deliver it to the public. Being herbalists of course, it wasn’t long before we had all wandered off into our own little plant-based worlds, identifying random plants, arguing about the attributes of one herb over another, and discussing case histories, or whatever our latest new bit of herbal discovery had been! The herb walk ended up being a random collection of wisdom sharing and herbalists mooching about the park before sharing lunch together in the sunshine. It was a gorgeous day well spent in the company of other herbies and a wonderful end to our summer season of meetings. Thanks Julie! Beverley Meredith-Bailey We take a break for August and reconvene in September. Our next meeting dates are: 10th September (Helen will give a summary of the sleep seminar she recently attended), 5th October (Billy will lead us in a physical examination skills workshop and summarise the recent MS seminar), 5th November, 7th December – topics still to be decided. From 10am until 1pm. Please contact Schia [schia.mitchell@gmail.com] or phone on 07941 944974 for more information Julie Dore © NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 8
HERBAL MEDICINE WEEK 2018 Herbal Medicine Week or HMW for short is a time when we all get together to focus on promoting our practices and herbal medicine in general. Following the success of social media content last year, this year’s events had a strong social media focus including the first ever NIMH Facebook live event. Herbal Medicine Week came about when I (Laura) proposed the idea to Council back in about 1999/2000. I had been walking down the road where my clinic was and as I passed the sexual health clinic on the same road, I noticed a poster in the window. It was advertising Homeopathy Awareness Week. I had two immediate reactions – first, the homeopaths had managed to get a poster in the clinic window (Wow! That sadly wouldn’t happen nowadays), and second, if the homeopaths had an awareness week, then we herbalists needed to do one too. Originally HMW took place in September but we quickly realised that there are more plants in June which makes herb walks easier. So Herbal Medicine Week takes place annually in June during the week which has Midsummer’s Day in it and includes the weekends on either end of the week. (Editor) Taking a Leap into Social Media - Herbal Medicine Awareness Week Although I have been a NIMH member and practising herbalist for 24 years (eek!) it is only very recently that I decided to jump into the world of social media. I am not sure if I was pushed or pulled. What I am sure of is that the support and enthusiasm I experienced from those behind the NIMH initiative was what get me there, that and a new phone I had to learn how to use! I had offered to record a piece ‘Herbs on the Humber’ and had a good plan to go to a local nature reserve and introduce a few plants from there. What could possibly go wrong? Well, I thought I had charged my phone….which turned out to have about 10% battery. Lesson 1: Make sure your equipment is charged and working So, we went home and tried to stick together the bits we had recorded on two phones. We downloaded ‘easy’ software to glue it all but the files were too big to send. Lesson 2: Consider how long your recording will be and if your device will cope with that! I then received a message to say that another scheduled piece of film was faltering and could I do a live stream. By now through all the learning, this seemed so straight forward!! I put some ‘props’ on the table, picked a few plants from the garden and just talked about them. Most important lesson - trust your knowledge and speak to a world that wants to hear. In between times I had thought I would help with any queries that NIMH received on the Facebook page. There were a few people that offered to help and we seemed to support each other well, fielding all the questions that came our way in a satisfactory way for the enquirer. Although this took the best part of my day I learnt so much and rapidly got over my ‘what am I going to say’. Afterwards I emailed my local radio station to say I was giving a pavement walk and would they be interested. They got straight back to me and I did a 5 minute interview the next day. Without the help of NIMH I wouldn’t have done this. Will I be doing it again? Yes most definitely. I am still working on things but loved the immediacy of social media. My next challenge is Twitter. If anyone has any guidance they can share please put it on the NIMH Members forum I would really appreciate it. Trudy Norris © NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 9
A personal promotional plan for Herbal Medicine Week
I see NIMH Herbal Medicine Week as an opportunity to broaden my outreach and promote
my business as well as herbal medicine in general.
I was a bit late last year and only got 5 people on my herb walk. I got lots of replies saying
“sorry I wish I’d known sooner but I have plans” but I had only started to promote it a month
before the event. So this year I started working on activities for HMW before Christmas as
part of my 2018 PR plan.
Bear in mind that gardening groups and organisations like the Women’s Institute book
speakers as long as a year in advance. So it’s a good idea to approach places you’d like to
be involved with well in advance. It’s worth thinking about HMW 2019 now. The following
may help you to plan your schedule.
In 2018 I had several events planned:
• I led a herb walk around a local allotment for allotment members
• I was a guest on BBC Radio Nottingham
• I held an open clinic and tea tasting
• I was on hand at a local garden centre to tell shoppers about herbs - how to plant them,
how to use them and what herbal medicine is.
• I gave a series of workshops as part of a natural health day attended by natural
therapists, raw food chefs and natural product makers in the Nottingham area
Media and Pre-Promotion
I sent out press releases 4 weeks in advance, and again 1 week before to
•Local papers,
•Local radio news and TV
•Papers like the Metro (for London based herbalists the Evening Standard would be a
good choice)
•Every journalist I’ve helped in the last year (I contacted the ones at national publications
earlier because the lead times are up to 3 months ahead)
I sent out newsletters to my subscribers at the end of April and May and finally a week before
HMW. All were GDPR compliant.
Social Media
I created a schedule of social media posts both to promote the events and to talk about
herbal medicine. I shared great content from the National Institute of Medical Herbalists’
Facebook page, Twitter and LinkedIn sites and from fellow herbalists using the hashtag
#HMW2018.
This doesn’t need planning more than maybe a month ahead.
I hope some of these ideas can help you plan promotional events for your business.
I have started thinking about 2019 already.
Katherine Bellchambers-Wilson, MNIMH
Date for your diary:
Herbal Medicine Week 2019 will be the 15nd – 24th June
© NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 10Natural Medicines Database – A Research Resource With Caveats An often overlooked benefit of NIMH membership is the access members have to the hefty on-line database called Natural Medicines (NM), previously Natural Standards (NS). The last time I paid for an individual subscription to NS it was $300.00 a year, which is more than the current cost of an overseas membership subscription to the NIMH. Free is a really good deal. The NM/NS database was founded in the late 90s by a couple of pharmacists and is now maintained by full time US based Pharm.Ds. It contains large number of “professional monographs” on various herbs, foods and dietary supplements, built on an entirely “evidence based” scaffold using the indexed mainstream literature. This is both its strength and weakness. The downside for us is simply that Pharm.Ds have no basic training in botanical therapeutics or materia medica, so their rigid “evidence based” approach is not only reductionist, but really quite misleading for those who are not trained in herbal medicine that enables them to understand the pronounced limits of this approach.* However, if you need a quick snapshot of the available data on a herb, or want to do a quick check and see if your own information file on a herb is completely current, the NM/NS database is a great resource. Daily, the Pharm Ds staffers trawl for new publications and studies relating to every entry in the database. Such research legwork or sleuthing can take a huge amount of time for herbalists, as well as often requiring ninja levels of database interrogation skills to “catch” all the relevant publications given the wide distribution of relevant herbal information across many disciplines and their related indexed journals in PubMed and so on. For herbal practitioners, NM provides a handy shortcut when doing extensive literature searches - the bibliographies in each monograph contain hot links to the abstracts in PubMed etc, enabling a quick evaluation of each citation. At $300.00 a year, I would not buy an individual subscription unless there were really compelling reasons to do so (writing a book?) …but with NIMH membership, the price is right, and it is well worth a few hours exploring to figure out whether and how it can be of use to you. * My tip for evaluating any herbal information resources is to first “test” the information for a herb or two that you know inside out and backwards, (my favourite is echinacea) and see to what extent they are repeating “fake news” or herbal myths & misinformation that you can easily recognise…… It is then a simple matter to apply the relevant “bias” calibration to the data when you are less conversant with the topic at hand. Jonathan Treasure You can access the Natural Medicines database by logging into the members website. You will see this when you login: © NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 11
The GP Herbalist: A personal view The approaching crisis in NHS healthcare may have long-term implications for complementary medicine. In retrospect, general practice seemed a simpler and happier place when I first became a traditional family doctor 34 years ago. Our suburban surgery took place in a domestic front room. We had no appointment system, did home visits, delivered babies and did all our own on-call work. Our patients knew us and we knew them: often looking after four generations of the same family. We had time, we were trusted, we enjoyed continuity. We practiced patient-centred care without really knowing it. Despite huge advances in the standards of healthcare and premises, general practice today is often an unhappy, frustrating experience for everyone concerned. Successive contract changes opened the way for massive shifts of focus, with work moving from hospitals into primary care, where GP’s and their teams have become submerged under an intolerable clinical and administrative workload. This standardised, target-led approach often ignores the needs of individuals, whose care has become fragmented and diminished by years of chronic underfunding. Frustrated patients are now becoming critical and unsupportive of their exhausted GP’s. My growing interest in herbal medicine afforded glimpses back to the values of those early days. I started a degree course thinking that I would emerge as a GP with a special interest in herbalism, deciding to take early retirement when it became clear that I was becoming a herbalist with previous knowledge of general practice. It felt great to be off the treadmill. I was not alone. Feeling ignored and undervalued, many doctors are leaving and fewer are choosing to work in primary care. The NHS is in crisis and legislation has quietly been implemented to enable multinational companies to become NHS healthcare providers. Those still on-board are diligently rearranging deckchairs on the promenade deck despite the approaching iceberg. The days of the traditional well-loved family doctor are long since dead. Predicting the future is not easy. Primary care in its current form is unsustainable and an insurance-led model seems to be a likely prospect. Complementary practitioners understand how it feels to be ignored and undervalued. Recent blacklisting of prescribed herbal and homeopathic medicines by NHS England serves to underline this. Herbal practitioners now also face additional scrutiny of the herbs they use by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Clearly we are not invited to the party. We enjoy the esteem and support of our patients and maybe this is where the power ultimately lies. Engagement with complementary and alternative therapies continues to grow and perhaps now is the time to encourage our patients to publicly support us on as many levels as possible. In a possible new healthcare landscape, we may be well-placed to provide cost-effective solutions for an overburdened health service. In a free market, the consumer leads the dance. Many of our patients are weary of impersonal, formulaic, target- led care. We should empower them to represent us to their healthcare providers and those who administer and fund their care. Whoever that turns out to be. Phil Deakin © NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 12
Musings of a Plain Old Herbalist
Formulae from Times Gone By
A couple of years ago I went on a one day ‘Getting Published’ course. The author giving the
course was a five-times published historical novelist whose books, set in Roman times, had
sold well, but he was fed up with that era and was in the process of writing a novel set in the
First World War. After a little bit of probing as to why he was switching eras after enjoying a
good measure of success with his Roman novels, his eyes glazed over and one word fell
from his lips, ‘Research’. A bit more probing and he told us that if you researched everything
thoroughly, a novel would simply never get finished. So don’t bother too much about
research.
As fascinating, absorbing and entertaining as research can be, it does swallow time like a
black hole, so I have every sympathy for this sentiment, which is why, of the three books I’m
working on, I’m concentrating on finishing the one which requires the least research, a non-
fiction adventure road trip set in 1971-72 about driving from London to Kathmandu and back.
From clean cut teen in 501s to goatskin clad, half starved, frequently (if mildly) hallucinating
hippy, robbed of money and passport, struggling for survival against the adversity of multiple
bandit encounters in Afghanistan and Turkey, being drugged and held hostage (for sexual
favours) in Iran, having spectacular road accidents, as well as some wonderful Himalayan
bliss-time and much more, it’s a story that’s relatively easy to tell - guess who was wearing
the goatskins?
Even, so the background research was formidable, but at last I’m at the polish-the-syntax
stage of the final draft, which is great, because I’m dying to get back to the two books related
to our much loved and cherished herbal profession, which are only half finished. Have I got
my priorities wrong? Well, thing is, only I can write the hippy trail book, but if I drop dead
tomorrow anyone could pick up where I left off and finish the herbal books, after a fashion.
Up until two years ago, I had spent a couple of years’ spare time writing up and expanding
on a fascinating memoir of mid twentieth century (1920-1975) herbal practice left by my
herbalist grandfather Albert Orbell F.N.I.M.H. When I was done I found the book came to a
little over sixty thousand words, which is only just about passable for a memoir. While I could
expand it with more research, with that black hole sucking in the time it might never reach
conclusion. So I thought I’d add a Part II, comprising a formulary of the many and varied
preparations used during Albert’s career, along with a discussion about therapeutics. From
pills to powders, liniments to
lotions, antibiotic preparations
made with naturally occurring
penicillin moulds and
numerous basic stock
remedies for every body
system, there are dozens
upon dozens of different
formulations to be explored,
explained and discussed. The
r e s e a r c h , f o r t u n a t e l y,
promises to be fairly
straightforward.
I don’t doubt that many
modern herbalists would
throw up their arms in Health
and Safety horror at some of
the formulations and
preparations, including,
perhaps, the one described
below, but bear in mind these
formulae were used
© NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 13extensively in a practice which dispensed hundreds of prescriptions every week for decades on end. Needless to say the practice was so busy because the beneficial results were renowned, so there must be something in those old fashioned prescriptions, even if they’re not exactly what we’re used to in herbal practice today. To say that herbal practice has changed a lot in the last hundred years would be an understatement, and a modern herbalist would likely be surprised at some of the non-herbal ingredients that found their way into different formulations. Even in my lifetime our materia medica has changed a lot too, with many herbs dropping out of fashion that previously were considered to be essential, and using non herbal preparations other than alcohol has just about disappeared altogether. As well as restrictive legislation, part of the reason for this change is due to the difference in what we have been taught in our training over the last forty or so years, which has been much more oriented toward European herbs, though with so-called Chinese and Ayurvedic herbs now finding their way back into Western Herbal Medicine, our materia medica is now showing signs of a wider, international diversification. I say ‘so called’ because up to fifty years they weren’t ‘Chinese’ or ‘Ayurvedic’ herbs, they were just regular medicinal herbs. As an example of this, I was amused one day when I was visited by a well known, senior and eminent herbalist, known to us all, who looked through some of my antiquarian herbals and was astonished to see that certain herbs now being considered ‘novel’, or ‘Chinese’ or ‘Ayrvedic’, and so at risk of falling outside ‘traditional use’ regulations, actually had a record of documented use in the UK going back hundreds of years. One herb no longer in mainstream use, Rheum palmatum, described in the last edition of HT, was a component of one of Albert’s much prescribed GIT formulae called XD. Many of the stock remedies had brief, obscure names, like G&R, or Mist 109, and as a lad, in my teens and younger, I would ask Albert why they were so called. When it came to XD Albert said, ‘Well, it can play an important part in curing nearly all ailments of the digestive tract, but not quite everything from A to Z, just from X to D’. As a young apprentice (not that I was, exactly) this explanation, like many others, struck me as amusingly cryptic. The ingredients of the formula were: Pulv. Rad. Hydrastis, Pulv. Gum Myrrh, Spirits of Ammon. Aromat., Tinc. Rhei Co., Liq. Ext. Chiretta, Inf. Catechu nig., Tr. Chlor. Co., QS Aqua to the stipulated amount. I wonder how many of those are immediately familiar to the herbalist today? Certainly the first two, but after that? Possibly the Tinc. Rhei Co., but Spirits of Ammon. Aromat, Tr. Chlor. Co.? These last two are only partly herbal, so unfamiliarity can reasonably be excused. The following is Albert’s description of the therapeutic use of XD: ‘This mixture is of value in all gastric disabilities, correcting the flow of gastric secretion, not confined to the stomach alone but also to the liver and pancreas. There is no evidence that it controls the flow of insulin, but it does no harm when administered in diabetes mellitus. It may be prescribed in all cases of atonic dyspepsia and assists in the assimilation by the stomach of all medicines, to which it can be added at the discretion of the practitioner.’ It is customary in our profession, when prescribing, to always include a component to aid assimilation and digestion, and for a number of years from when I started up in full-time practice, back in 1990, I too used to make up XD and include it in most prescriptions, to rewarding effect. As the years went by it became increasingly difficult to source the ingredients and for a while I had to make up the Spirits of Ammon Aromat., and Tinc. Chlor Co. myself, but chloroform in particular became difficult to source and eventually I gave up, since when I mostly include Tarax. rad. fe instead, as a general digestive tonic. In case you’re wondering, Spiritus of Ammoniae Aromaticus is made up from ammonium carbonate, strong solution of ammonia, oils of lemon and nutmeg, alcohol (90%) and distilled water; Tinctura Chloroformi Composita is 1 part chloroform, 4 parts alcohol (90%) and 5 parts Compound Tincture of Cardamom. These ingredients were all sold by mainstream herbal suppliers of the day, like Potter and Clarkes, from whom I last bought the likes of ether and chloroform. © NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 14
Both Spirits. Ammon. Aromat and Tinc. Chlor. Co. are described in the BPC 1934, which some of us herbalists will have on our shelf; it is invaluable for looking up unfamiliar ingredients. Copies of the 1934 BPC are still available on auction sites, and although they are becoming scarcer and more expensive, if you keep your eye out you can still pick one up for under £20 plus post (at 1768 pages, they’re quite heavy). Just as a footnote, the time-lapse film to accompany the article on Rheum in the last issue of HT should be posted on Facebook’s NIMH Members Private Forum by the time you read this, and should also be on YouTube via this Link: https://youtu.be/LKvLqPvvybw Bear in mind, this film was shot on a £50 camera in my back garden and while it’s not exactly studio quality, it is interesting to see just how much the leaves move around on an hourly basis as they follow the sun while appearing to heave themselves up out of the large rhizome. The small flowers, as they bloom, veritably dance about like small, golden, writhing snakes. Reminds me of Methuselah. The whole movie is about 2mins 40secs. I bracketed all the daytime shots together, which are then followed by the night sequence, during which the leaves and flowers are also quite mobile. In the bottom right of the screen, the dandelions too have very animated moments. The white blob on the bar at the bottom of the movie shows the changing phases of the moon. It is a silent film, the camera not having sound capability. Perhaps I should dub in some birdsong? Send your comments on a postcard :) Kevin Orbell-McSean © NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 15
OUR SEASONS, OURSELVES
by Lorraine Wood
Published with permission of the author, Lorraine Wood. Ownership of this material remains
with Lorraine Wood and it may not be reproduced in any format without her express
permission.
PART 3 concluded:
CHAPTER EIGHT: PUTTING IT TOGETHER
To sum up the qualities of each element, a nutshell of each, we have the following:
Earth: cold, dry, stable, reliable, thoughtful, introspective, can be sad, perhaps rigid,
stubborn, proud, difficulty in letting go.
Air: lively, sociable, can be restless and impulsive, changing opinions, may be agitated
or anxious.
Fire: hot, dry, enthusiastic, inspired, energetic, or impatient, may over-heat.
Water: cool, moist, confident, may make assumptions or be indifferent.
Space: open-minded, able to be kind to self, may feel confused, or overwhelmed, or
have fear of nothing to hold onto.
By now, a picture may be emerging of your tendencies and inclinations, with a greater
awareness of times when you are hotter or colder, what emotions and activities are familiar
to you, how you react when difficulties present themselves, and some of the ways you
become ill.
At different stages of our lives, our individual blend of the elements can vary. Children, for
example often show a predominance of air, while in later years we may be more grounded
and centred. And of course we all experience times when we are carried away by an
emotion, or find we have stretched ourselves too far, to the detriment of our health.
Sometimes we have to do this, such as keeping going before exams, or if we are coping with
more responsibilities than we can really manage, or have reasons to be particularly anxious,
or if we are grieving. But even during such times, by acknowledging the ways in which we
are prone to lose our stability and composure, both physically and mentally, we will be better
able to support ourselves, coming through such episodes less worn down than we might
otherwise. As we know, life is about movement and change; there is no static “perfect”
moment. But the more we stay connected with our surroundings, the better we are able to
help and nourish ourselves, maintaining our flexibility, and enhancing our appreciation and
enjoyment of everyday things.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let us now look again at some of the ways we can sustain ourselves, using food, herbs, and
activities to nurture and revitalise our health and energy whenever we need to.
Some of the material may appear in more than one section.
If we are TOO HOT:
This would include recurring anger, impatience or intolerance, anxiety states, or
overactivity. There would then be a need for some of the following
COOLING:
Foods and herbs such as
• cucumber, lettuces, chickweed, hops, passionflower, skullcap, rose
© NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 16• detoxifiers such as celery and dandelion
• anti-inflammatories such as calendula, chamomile, white willow,
liquorice, meadowsweet, wintergreen
• sour foods such as lemons, rosehips, hibiscus, vinegar, miso
• vegetable juices and either raw food or light nourishing cooked food
Activities such as
• seeking or renewing one’s own space
• time just to “be” with no demands
• nourishing and sustaining the “inner self”, restoring confidence
• grounding, connecting with nature
• meditation, breathing exercises
-----------------------------------------------------------
If we are TOO COLD:
Either from inactivity, being “run down” or ill, loneliness or grief, then ways to help
would include
WARMING:
Foods and herbs such as
• heating and pungent flavours such as chillies, ginger, garlic,
mustard, horseradish, onions, thyme, rosemary, valerian
• cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, coriander, turmeric and other
spices used in curries
• hot, cooked food such as soups, broths, stews
Activities such as
• yoga, Pilates, tai chi, walking or swimming
• social activities such as joining a book club
• watching films that make you laugh
• taking a class in something you have always wanted to do, but never got
around to
The list is endless, but could include photography, painting, tai chi, yoga, Pilates, cooking,
pottery, sewing
————————————————————————————————
If we are DEPLETED:
From continuous over-activity such as intense studying for exams, or anything that is over
demanding physically, or if we are constantly over-stimulated, often by long hours looking at
a computer screen, or if we are experiencing insomnia, fear, anxiety or grief, then we will
need some of the following
© NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 17NURTURING:
• time to relax
• friendship
• tolerance, laughter, inspiration
• willingness to be patient or gentle, letting go of irritations
• comfort: kindness to self
• having focus or a positive meaning in life
• finding your own space
• time to do nothing, no demands made
• joining a group or class, as in the warming activities
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If we are TOO DRY:
from eating too many heating foods, or an excess of coffee or alcohol, from over-activity, or if
our constitutions have the earth or fire element in them, we can use the following
Foods and herbs such as
• mucilaginous or demulcent herbs such as slippery elm, marshmallow,
aloe vera, corn silk, fenugreek, linseeds, mosses, liquorice, oats
• cooling foods, but only for a short time
• detoxifiers such as celery and dandelion
• sour foods such as lemons, rosehips, hibiscus, vinegar, miso
Activities (such as when we are too hot)
• seeking or renewing one’s own space
• time just to be with no demands
• nourishing and sustaining the “inner self”, restoring confidence
• grounding, connecting with nature
• meditation, breathing exercises
----------------------------------------------------------------------
If we are TOO MOIST:
experiencing phlegmy conditions such as colds, excess catarrh or mucus, we can use
DRYING:
Foods and herbs such as:
• astringents (more a quality than a taste) such as black tea, raspberry leaf, witch hazel
(used topically), elderflower, plantains, resins, agrimony, members of the rose family
• herbs that make us sweat such as elderberries, elderflowers, yarrow, lime blossom,
mints as well the as warming and pungent foods and herbs that help when we are cold:
© NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 18• chillies, ginger, garlic, mustard, horseradish, onions, thyme,
rosemary, valerian
• cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, coriander, turmeric and other
spices used in curries
• hot, cooked food such as soups, broths, stews
Activities (similar to those when we are too cold)
• social activities such as joining a book club
• watching films that make you laugh
• taking a class in something you have always wanted to do, but never got around to.
The list is endless, but could include photography, painting, tai chi, yoga, Pilates, cooking,
pottery, sewing
------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are times when we aren’t really sure what is going on, when we swing from being
heated and anxious, to avoiding company, losing our interest in what’s going on around us,
perhaps becoming depressed. If we find ourselves experiencing this, the best thing is to treat
ourselves as being depleted. Giving oneself the kindness, space, and understanding we
would give a good friend can take quite a bit of practice, but over time it will help us to see
what is going on more clearly. Sometimes we have to wait a long time for clarity and insight;
it does require patience and determination to continue.
When life spins us round, knocking us off centre, if we lose our poise and steadiness, there
are a variety of ways to help us re-connect with who we feel we really are. Ways to help get
through the times we feel stuck or frustrated, or when we simply need to refresh ourselves.
These pointers or reminders can enable us to rediscover our connections with the value and
significance in our lives. We will now look at a few of these ways. You may know other ones.
DREAMING:
Keeping a dream diary can be enlightening, but dreams offer insight and understanding only
to the person who is dreaming them. Only the dreamer can see the connections or feel the
meaning of the images and scenarios that present themselves. Use a notebook, and write
down any dreams that you remember, either upon waking or during the course of the day.
Even just parts of dreams are worth putting down. Over a period of time, whether weeks or
months, patterns may emerge, and it becomes easier to recognise the significance of the
material, enabling a deeper and clearer look into the workings of one’s’ mind.
Dreams can sometimes give us pointers to our prevailing elements. The Water element
suggests itself with images such as rivers, oceans, streams, rain etc; an endless variety of
watery images. The Air element can sometimes appear as restless or happy dreams, or that
breath-taking quality of flying. Fire, of course, may show as heat or fiery colours, Earth as
solid, dark or fearful, and both Earth and Space may be represented by dreams of falling.
These are only a few suggestions, and the better way is to ask yourself what your dream
images mean to you. Even if there is nothing obvious, don’t give up. Just keep writing them
down, mulling them over, and over time insight will develop, allowing deeper perceptions to
come to the surface.
INTUITION:
How often do you have a feeling about an event, or the day ahead that is proved to be
correct later? Whether intuition is based on experience, discernment, or insight, whatever
impressions or feelings you have that remain with you over a period of time, those inklings or
notions that just won’t go away, are well worth paying attention to. This is our inner wisdom,
and can be used for our benefit, but only if we are in a position to listen. If we are rushing
around, distracted by every passing event (overdosing on the Air element), intuition will be no
more than a delusional bias, with the possibility of leading us into difficulties. By slowing
© NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 19down and allowing ourselves some much needed Space element, our thoughts and feelings,
our intuition, is free to show itself.
RETREATS:
What images come to mind with the word “retreat”? Here it is being used in the sense of a
sanctuary or refuge; something that is sustaining, encouraging, or nourishing on any level,
and the ways to do this are as varied and differentiated as people are. You will be able to
make your own list, but here are a few ideas:
• Having a quiet few days alone, reconnecting with who we feel we
really are
• Making time to see good friends, allowing the space to slow down and
enjoy the company
• Joining a class, such as a dance class, to enable energies to flow outward, using the
exercise, fun, and social interaction to revitalise and refresh. Or a pottery class,
enjoying the earthy feel of clay, grounding and restoring
• Going away, alone, to an island or monastery, perhaps a meditation
centre, feeling the nourishing quality of such places
• Making time for a long walk every few days, breathing deeply as you go, opening your
awareness to the vitality and vibrancy of the world around
• Joining a story-telling group, or re-reading some favourite stories or fairy tales. These
can show us our deeper feelings, our core connections and the healing power of the
imagination
• Using your favourite physical exercise (going to the gym, jogging, playing tennis,
gardening etc.) as a way of releasing tensions, invigorating both body and mind
• Having just 5 minutes each day (or more) for a quiet evaluation of your
awareness and feelings
As all well-being requires patience, as well as self-awareness and kindness, the more
techniques at our disposal, the more ways we can choose to help ourselves. In the final
chapter we will explore a sense of place.
CHAPTER NINE: CONCLUSION
In these pages we have looked at ways in which our lives are intimately connected and
woven together within a dynamic framework of the directions, the seasons, and the
elements. Considering traditional patterns, we have explored associations within ourselves,
finding resonances and perceptions that link us to the world around, enriching our lives by
deeper self-awareness. Contemplating the beauty and bounty, the wealth of imagery in the
natural world, we have examined the influence of emotions, as well as of some herbs,
spices, and activities.
What do we do now? The ideas expressed in these pages are simply a starting point, but
one that can support our individual efforts, not only with seeking, but with finding. Personal
contentment may depend upon the breath and breadth of creativity, using our imaginations to
bring an ongoing richness of interactivity to our living space. We do not need to go anywhere
to find nurture and enrichment; it is all about us, right here and now, in the round of seasons,
the wind, moon and stars, scudding clouds, rain, changing sunshine, and the patterns of light
and dark. It is here within ourselves.
Most important is to ask what is nurturing to us and to the elements we express? What
makes us feel comforted, happy, good to be alive? What energises or inspires us? What
makes our hearts sing? How does this affect our particular attachments or affiliations with
© NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 20day-to-day living? Nurture can take many forms, being totally individual. Much more than
non-destructive, it is essential for our well-being.
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EXERCISE 13: MEDITATION OF PLACE
Remember to establish a quiet space and do the preliminaries.
This exercise helps to place us in our surroundings, and can enhance our awareness of the
season or weather, or simply where we are at the moment. Again, it is very important to start
by observing the general guidelines, and doing the preliminary preparation.
• Still keeping your eyes shut, be aware of the room around you: is the window open or shut?
What is the temperature like generally? Still without opening your eyes, see what the sky
outside looks like. Is there sunshine or cloud? Is it windy, or raining, or snowing? In your
mind, look into the season around you, whether it is summer or winter, autumn or spring, or
anywhere in between. What qualities does it have? What do the trees look like? Be aware of
the season in your mind, letting the images come and go. If you stray onto other thoughts,
gently bring yourself back to the season around you. Enjoy the images, whether of rain or
sunshine, heat or cold, windy or calm. Are the plants in flower, or are they dormant in the
cold? What is the natural world expressing? What shapes, colours or scents are out there? If
it is autumn, imagine what scents there would be: leaf-mould, dry leaves, wood smoke. Or if
it is early summer, what then? The smell of sweet lilac? The warmth of the earth? Let the
images flow. Continue with awareness of your breath, and notice your heart area. Are you
focused on the images of the season around you? Let your chest and mind expand to take in
these seasonal pictures.
• Now change your focus to yourself, and how you are feeling at the moment. Become aware
of the balances of your inner self. Observe your energy levels and your emotions. Is your
mind active, busying itself with certain thoughts or anxieties, or are you able to step back
mentally from your concerns? Are you feeling tired, at a low ebb, perhaps even a chilly
lethargy, or do you feel rested with an inner vigour? Are your hands and feet cool or warm,
or just right? If you have any discomfort, is it a hot stabbing pain or a milder dullness? Spend
several minutes tuning into how you are. If you observe any areas of tension, notice if they
are warmer or cooler than the rest of you.
• Once you feel familiar with whatever you are experiencing, simply observe how you are for
a little while. With each breath you breathe in, imagine that breath going right to any area you
have particularly noticed, bringing any adjustment or relaxation that will enable you to let go
of any tension or preoccupation. With each out breath, let go of whatever you are holding.
Breathe it out and let it go. Spend some time doing this.
• When you feel in a place of equilibrium, still with your eyes closed, imagine your
relationship with the season. How does your temperature compare with the temperature of
the season around you? How does this affect you? Imagine the prevailing weather, the
daylight hours or lack of them. Imagine the seasonal foods: the ripened fruits and vegetables
of autumn, or the new-growing greens of spring, the warming broths or stews of winter, or the
refreshing salads of summer. Imagine the season as part of you, just as you are part of the
season. Enjoy the images that come up; spend some time doing this.
Slowly become aware of the room around you. Listen for any sounds and notice
the feel of the chair or floor or cushion you are on. Open your eyes, take a deep breath and
have a good stretch.
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As the seasons roll around, how does our individual expression of the elements match or
counterpoint what is going on outside? By allowing the possibility to feel connected and using
time as an asset for well-being, we can experience an enriching interaction with whatever
comes along. At any point, day or night, we can briefly pause from whatever we are thinking
or doing by taking a few deep breaths, exhaling any thoughts. And as we inhale, imagine
© NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 21breathing in tranquillity and lasting great peace. Let’s enjoy this calming space. We can touch
our connections with all the elements, and experience the joy of kinship with our
surroundings.
APPENDIX
The exercise given here has been adapted by me from one I was taught while on a
meditation retreat on Holy Isle. The original exercise was devised by the Buddhist teacher
and writer Jack Kornfield, and is also given below. Both exercises are inspired by the poem
The Guest House by Rumi (The Essential Rumi translated by Coleman Barks, 1999 Penguin
Books) which is also given below.
Exercise: THE VISITOR
Remember to establish a quiet space and do the preliminaries.
Now, keeping your eyes closed, imagine that you are sitting in a spacious room, a room that
you like and are comfortable with. In your mind’s eye, look around the room and notice any
familiar objects, objects that belong to you and that you like. There are chairs in the room,
perhaps a table with a cup resting on it. It is a comfortable room, and you feel relaxed.
You realise that someone is approaching, a visitor to see you, and you look up with interest.
Your visitor appears in the doorway and you invite them into the room, and ask them to sit
down. Perhaps you offer them a cup of tea or a biscuit.
Then, taking your time, you take a good long look at the visitor. You study their face, their
expression. What do they look like? Do they look angry? If so, are they red and hot, fuming
with rage, or are they ice-cold and sneering? You take a long look at how they appear. Is this
how you look when you are angry? Do you want to look like this? You ask yourself, “Is being
like this who I really am? Or is being like this the result of something else? A reaction to
something else?” You study the visitor closely, so that you can remember what they look like.
So that you know that you are not really like this. So that you know that you are not the
problem.
You then thank the visitor, and they get up from their chair and leave the room. They may
visit again, if you ask them perhaps there will be many visits, but you now know that they are
merely a reaction, a result. They are not really you.
You sit quietly for a few moments, before opening your eyes and having a good stretch.
--------------------------------------------
This exercise can be done with any emotion that arises. Any emotion can be invited in as a
visitor, a guest. By giving space to the “guests” that arrive at our door, and by taking the time
to really look at them, we can begin to see a few of our patterns.
Perhaps a frequent visitor is anger or impatience. Once this guest is seated and you take a
good look, notice everything you can. Be impartial, though - this is not an exercise in
judgement. We only want to observe.
Once we have looked closely at our guest, and got a clear image in our mind, we can ask
ourselves again:
“Is this guest the cause of my stress or is it the effect? Is it possible to tell?”
Within the spiral of our patterns, some guests can be both, and sometimes we can’t tell
which it is because our sensitivities and reactions are so closely entwined.
What is most important, though, is the fact of observing. In this way we can take a look at
any emotional aspect of ourselves that recurs, or sweeps us away, or puts us out of balance,
whether on a day-to-day basis, or occasionally. By observing the emotion, as separate from
ourselves, by providing this distance, we enable ourselves to begin to regain our own power.
© NIMH All rights reserved Herbal Thymes Summer 2018 22You can also read
