Some Celtic herbs for St Patricks Day

​With this week marking St Patricks day, a day when we celebrate our Irishness the world over, I thought it would be nice to look at some of our herbal traditions that go back to the day of St Patrick Himself.
 
In Ireland we have a rich history of traditional medicines, from the druids, the ancient celts, the trading with other ancient civilizations and the monastic history we have her on this beautiful island we call home.
 
Some of the most traditional herbs we have her are:

• Comfrey – this is natures Band-Aid, often used topically for bruises and broken bones, skin issues and more.  Internally it is used for liver damage so might be worth putting on the list for those post Paddy’s day drinks
• Willow – natures pain killer, mainly the bark of the tree.  This is where we got the inspiration for aspirin from.  
• Dandelion – natures detoxifier, great for skin issues, liver support, kidney support.
• Burdock – we all remember dandelion and burdock drinks from our childhood.  This herbs is another detoxifier, supporting the liver and the kidneys, great for clearing up acne
• Bilberries – supports the blood brain barrier, great for the immune system and heave an anti-histamine action.  
• Mistletoe – yes it’s a herb not just something to grab a quick smooch under at Christmas.  This herb is extremely powerful and should only be used under the supervision of a trained herbalist.  Large quantities cause hallucinations and can cause toxicity issues.  Traditionally used for seizures, headaches and menopausal symptoms.  It is also one of the treatments used in Europe as part of cancer treatments.
• Nettle – we’ve all been stung by nettles, some of us may have had nettle soup as a child and many of us have had nettle tea.  This delicate leaf is a wonderful medicinal herb, used for an array of reasons: detoxifying the urinary system, skin issues, high in iron, removing toxicity from the blood. 

 
Always check with a herbalist if you are on medications as there can be interactions that your herbalist will flag.
 
I hope you all have a happy St Patricks day and if you do end up with a bit of a hangover the willow bark might help the headache, the dandelion, burdock and nettle might help support your liver and a mashed up comfrey leaf will help if you did yourself an injury on the way home (but hopefully you won’t need any and you wake up fresh as a daisy).
 
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