As we leave the Winter months behind and enter the new season it is an ideal time to detox our systems and prepare ourselves for the warmer days ahead.

Spring can be such an inspiring time. The daylight grows longer and the steely skies of Winter give way to the beautiful blues of a Spring morning. Whilst in winter we take stock of things, Spring is the time to put new ideas and projects into action, so don’t be to hard on yourself if your exercise routine didn’t work out at the beginning of the New year because Spring is the best time to detox and re-energise our systems.

I would like to talk about a couple of herbs renowned for cleansing and detoxifying properties and for their re-juvenating properties.

Lavandula officinalis

Lavender is one of the best loved scented herbs. Its named is derived from the Latin ‘lavare’ which means ‘to wash’. Used in the bath it has a restorative effect on the body and mind, the soothing oils are beneficial to sore skin problems, especially burns. Lavender has an antidepressant affect and promotes restful sleep. A Lavender bath or Lavender drops on the pillow are a must for insomniacs. Another notable effect is the relief of headache and nervous exhaustion, here the oil can be applied to the temples or used as an inhalant, and the flowering tops make a lovely tea.

The Romans added Lavender to their baths and also to perfume their linen, a practice still employed by people throughout the world today, especially as it is a good preventative against moths

Just like Rose, lavender was employed during WW2 as an additive to wound swabs for soldiers. As well as being strongly antiseptic, Lavender oil has the ability to stimulate tissue repair and minimize scarring, it is also active against many strains of bacteria, notably pneumococcus and streptococcus. Today Lavender is common in the medicine cabinets of French households where it is used as a domestic remedy for bruises, sprains, bites etc.

A good old English recipe exists for Lavender conserve, this was placed on tables to ad to food to prevent indigestion. Lavender flowers were also commonly soaked in Brandy or Gin for giddiness and faintness ( this was actually bottled and inhaled as opposed to drunk). Its antiseptic properties have always been known, in times of plague the dried plants were strewn about the floors of houses and churches.

Today herbalists use lavender internally for colds, catarrh, chest infections and nervous conditions though again a word of caution Lavender is poisonous in high doses and should be used with care, never take lavender tincture internally without consulting a herbalist.

As discussed before, Lavender is wonderful as a crème for infective skin problems and burns and for cuts, bites and stings, mix with marshmallow crème for maximum benefits

Seaweed

Although not officially classed as herbs, various species of seaweeds are a great asset to health and well-being and you don’t just have to eat them ( they are an acquired taste) to enjoy their health benefits.

Seaweed is very high in minerals especially calcium, magnesium, zinc an copper. They also posses an abundance of B vitamins beta carotene and vitamin C. In France it is strewn across farm land to enrich the soil making for healthier crops. Japanese cuisine contains a lot of varieties of seaweed. They are a good addition to the diet but should be eaten in moderation owing to their high salt content. Laver can be collected from our British beaches but should avoid being gathered in areas where pollution is a problem.

Herbalists are interested in the use of seaweed because of its high iodine content Iodine is essential for the healthy functioning of the Thyroid gland and can help patients who have an under active thyroid. The thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate body metabolism, therefore seaweed extracts are often used to help with weight loss.

If you visit just about any health spa or beauty clinic you will notice that they all offer seaweed body treatments. This can just as easily be done at home. Run a hot bath adding seaweed extract to it, in the meantime use a body brush in upward strokes. Concentrate on both dry areas and hips and thighs to help stimulate circulation. Doing this just a couple times a week will help with sluggish circulation reducing cellulite and dry lacklustre skin. Follow this with a long soak in the bath allowing the seaweed to detox and provide vital nutrients to your skin.

Lastly apply a generous amount of your favourite moisture crème, take extra time to massage this into your skin well so the full benefits can be enjoyed.

There is one more herb I would like to discuss here;

Edelweiss - (Leontopodium alpinum)

Any one of you who has seen the musical ‘The Sound of Music’ will no doubt be familiar with the song ‘Edelweiss’. The name Edelweiss is German for Noble and White. Leontopodium comes from the Latin meaning Lions paw.

This delicate pretty flower loves to grow in inaccessible places and at high altitude. It is found throughout the alpine region and is protected in some countries (Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria to name a few).

Edelweiss is currently enjoying a lot of renewed interest at present owing to its anti ageing properties. Many ‘high end’ cosmetic companies are using it as an ingredient in their preparations. This is because of its ability to neutralize free radicals and prevent the amplification of the super oxides involved in the ageing processes of the skin.

Edelweiss contains UV light absorbing substances making it a fantastic ingredient in sun blocks. The presence of bioflavanoids in this plant can help with broken veins, thread veins and other vascular problems by strengthening the walls of blood vessels.

Internally Edelweiss has a history of use in stomach problems such as diarrhoea and dysentery and also for Diptheria and Tuberculosis. The plant would have been infused into hot milk and sweetened with honey.

There is a rich history and folklore associated with this plant and I would like to share one of these stories with you;

Many years ago in the snowcapped peaks of the Alps lived an Ice queen. She was said to be hauntingly beautiful. Everyday she would sing melodiously to lure shepherds to her abode causing them to lose there way in the mountains. Despite her beauty her heart was made of ice. She would play with these hapless shepherds and when she tired of them she would get her gnome slaves to throw them off the mountain to their death.Through the ages she lived alone with only her gnomes for company until one day another shepherd came along, only this time she found she did not tire of him and actually grew to love him. The gnomes grew jealous and feared that she may marry the shepherd so they conspired and threw him into the deep valley killing him. Seeing this, the ice queen’s heart warmed and melted in sorrow and a single teardrop rolled down her cheek, it was this tear that became the Edelweiss, the most beautiful flower of the Alps.

The Edelweiss is regarded in the alpine regions as the ultimate love charm. Love struck young men would try to endear their sweethearts by collecting the flowers from the dangerous and precarious mountains. During these quests many fell to their death or died from exposure. To succeed in their task the men had to be able bodied and strong and serious in their intentions. A rare mix of flowers and machismo! Men wear sprigs of this flower as a ’medal of honour’.

To finish off, here are a few more little known facts about this plant; It is the unofficial national flower of Switzerland. Its picture adorns both the coins of Austria and the bank notes of Romania. It is also used in the insignia of the Austrian .Polish and German alpine troops as it has done since the First World War. Switzerland has an international airline actually called Edelweiss Air with the flower appearing as its logo. In Austria you can purchase Edelweiss beer.

I think we will be seeing and hearing a lot more of this herb in the future, be one of the first to add it to your cosmetics cabinet.

Now go and enjoy a long soak in a seaweed bath and lavish yourself with rich skin creams and feel virtuous that you are treating your body to a healthy start to the spring and summer ahead.

Best Wishes
Resident Medicinal Herbalist