Back to our Roots

I have loved herbal medicine, I think since I was that little girl, making perfume from my mothers lovely rose bushes.  I am in awe of how mother nature provides many medicines we need around us.
 
Here in Mayo there are some wonderful herbs growing all around us.
 
Wild garlic –This gorgeous delicate herb makes a delicious pesto and dressing for salads this time of year, medicinally it’s antiviral/bacterial/septic.  Some studies have shown its effectiveness at reducing blood pressure.

​
Hawthorn – these wild bushes are everywhere, in the spring we get the flower and in the winter it produces the berry.   In herbal medicine we use the flowers, leaves and berries as medicines.  This amazing plant is used primarily for heart issues such as an irregular heartbeat, also used for digestive/kidney issues and to calm anxiety


Elder – I just love the Elder tree.  Again in the summer we get the flowers and in the winter it provides the berries.  The flowers are used  as a lung tonic, elderflower is a great tonic to remove congestion from the lungs, shift hard to move mucus.  The berries are a perfect winter tonic, with antiviral/bacterial/fungal/septic properties, it is perfect for the winter chesty colds.


Cleavers – we all know the cleaver as the plant we used to stick to our clothes.  This is a fabulous urinary tonic herb, diuretic, lymphatic, blood cleanser and great for skin health.


Nettle  - we are usually trying to get rid of them, but our grandparents used to make soup from them as a gentle detox after the winter, plus they are high in iron.  Now as a herbalist I would use nettles for urinary issues, pain in the muscles and joints, eczema, prostate, arthritis, gout and anaemia.


Dandelion – most gardeners will be pulling dandelions like crazy at the moment.  This poor herb has a bad rap.  Dandelion is a great detoxifier, it improves appetite, gallstones, liver health, joint and muscle pain, detoxification by increasing urine production and moving the bowels.
 
The main thing to remember is never pick an herb if you aren’t familiar with them and always get professional advice from herbalists, like myself before trying herbs, especially if you have a pre-existing condition and are on medication.  
 
 
 
 
To find out more, you can contact Carina at
T -(087) 0978880,
E -  [email protected]
W - www.itsanaturalchoice.com,
A - Lisnolan, Manulla, Castlebar, Co Mayo, F23 C922