Just after parting from Ginger we went to take solace in the Petersfield Physic Garden.

It is set out in the traditional geometric garden patterns of the 17th century, and the plants grown there were all also growing in physic gardens 300 years ago. The old lady who was looking after the place told us of the terrible trouble they had in keeping all these “new plants” from moving in.

It was thrilling to see all the plants labelled and separated in their new spring growth.

Ed got over excited and took hundreds of identification pictures. Here are some of the plants we found. The plants here are all in their early spring stages, without flowers and summer growth. To look at pictures of these plants in flower, try typing the name into google images.

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St.John’s Wort

St. John’s Wort flowers around midsummer. If you rub the leaves between your fingers you can smell a back-of-the-nose heat. It is sunshine in plant form, bringing calmness to the nerves and yielding a bright red colour, both in dyeing and when soaked in oil.

It is of the oil that we wish to speak.

This bright red liquid will help to heal bruises, sprains, burns, skin irritations, or any wound that involves nerve damage.

Gather the top 6 inches of the plant when in flower. Do this as close to midsummer as possible for optimum potency (ie.now).

Get yourself some good oil that you wouldn’t mind smearing on your skin. Almond oil is good and other nut oils will do well. If you want to splash out use hemp oil.

We will assume you want to make a half pint of the healing unction, but it is your choice, depending on how much you or those around you get injured.

Lightly pound the  flowering heads, leaves included, in a mortar and pestle to release the juices. Put the plant into the half pint glass container of oil until there is hardly any more space, making sure that all plant material is covered by the oil.

Put a cork or lid on the bottle and leave it in the sunlight for 40 days (and 40 nights). Give it as much sun as possible.

Every few days give the bottle a slight jiggle around. Watch it go more and more red.

When the month is up and the oil is a deep bright red colour, strain the plant matter from the oil and you are left with a healing ointment for applying to burns and bruises and cuts and inflammations.

If you feel it is the type of injury that needs treatment with sunshine, such as a nerve rending cut or a burn on a kettle, apply this oil, coating the injured area.

We were told in a comment below that the oil on skin can cause photosensitivity so when applied it is best to avoid direct sunlight on the injured part.

Make sure you clean the container before you start and you and the injury are clean before applying the oil.

There is much more information in the St.John’s Wort Profile. Please have a look to find out more.

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They are here right now gracing our hedgerows and rocky ground.

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A summer treat for the sharp of eye.

Leave enough for the birds to spread the seeds around.

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We like them with oats in the morning.

The Burdocks  are now transforming into  hedgerow giants.  They’ve been raising their heads since March and seemingly growing a few inches every day.

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It is (or was before midnight), St.George’s Day today.

A couple of days back we found some St.George’s Mushrooms growing on someone’s mown lawn next to the driveway.

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Garlic Mustard

Lovely in a salad and cooked lightly in the pot. Great flavour, growing in hedgerows and on verges. Don’t pick it from a busy road.

Its just about to come into flower now. Soon it will turn bitter, so best get out and pick some.

And here it is in flower. We found it bolted right after Beltane, it’s peak. It is now in mature old age, no longer the lad, but now the venerable one.

Grazing has begun in earnest over the past few weeks. The Hawthorn trees have been in leaf for a fortnight and are extremely tasty.

Nibble on the little bunches of leaves, and as they come into flower over the next month, you can eat those too. The leaves get more bitter as they get older, so take the opportunity now. Hawthorn is heart medicine, regulating blood circulation and pressure, and keeping the ticker ticking.

Elder leaves are also appearing, and the newest leaves are sweet to eat, giving spring immunity as the seasons change.

Look at where the Elder is growing, making sure the ground seems clean with good soil. Do not eat large amounts.

Happy grazing.

Coltsfoot flowers have been out for a couple of weeks. They grow beside pathways, woodland edges and rough ground.

Nicknamed ‘Son of the Father’ because the flowers appear before the leaves, it is the classic remedy for coughs and chest complaints. The traditional sweet ‘cough candy’ was made of Coltsfoot.

The Gypsies say that wherever Coltsfoot grows, coal will be found below. Keep it quiet though, or they’ll start mining.

We will follow this plant and discuss its many uses as the flowers disappear and the leaves shaped like a ‘colt’s feet’ pop their heads above ground.

Cleavers starts growing again in February.  Children (and some adults) stick it to each others clothes and hair.

Growing in abundance throughout Britain, it is one of the finest medicinal herbs and not bad in the pot.

We use the whole green plant above ground (before seeding) in stews. Chop it up to avoid stringyness and don’t carry it for more than a day as it wilts very quickly and loses it’s vibrancy.

It isn’t the most tasty of pot herbs, but is one of the healthiest. Mix it with some stock or wild garlic (ramsons) to give it some flavour. Cook for about 5-8 minutes. Don’t eat raw, it gets stuck in the throat.

Try experimenting with frying it in butter, adding some water at the end just to soften it up.

As medicine, Cleavers is a purifying tonic, cleansing the blood, the lymphatic system and our internal workings generally. Make a healthful tea with a small handful of fresh herb and boiling water, leave to steep for 10-15 mins then drain and drink.

More specific effects are the reduction of swollen glands, ulcers and tumours.

If you crush the plant into a pulp (or chew it)  you can apply the juice to blisters, cold sores, burns and to wounds to stop the bleeding.

The tea makes a good skin wash.

Avoid taking this plant internally if you are diabetic.

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Sorrel grows in fields and hedgerows and is just beginning to push up it’s new leaves

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This is a good raw trailside snack, with a  slightly citrus twang.  Add it to salads and stews for flavour.

It was a favourite vegetable of the Tudor period and appeared regularly at the table of Henry VIII.

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It contains oxalic acid so don’t eat huge amounts of it, though a good handful in your salad is absolutely fine.  Sorrel enlivens the tasetebuds and and gets your digestive juices flowing.

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Sorrel grows in fields (as above) and on hedgerow banks and field margins.

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