Medicine from My Garden

Julia McLean enjoys her garden for its beauty, but also for the many medicinal remedies she discovers there, some of them known as far back as the days of Roman gladiators.

My garden looks a bit drab and scrubby in winter, and it stays that way until I find the winter plants which are either medicinal or edible. Personally, I don’t mind waiting until spring for daffodils to appear. People think I am cheating by having a herb garden containing flowers, but there is always some magic somewhere.

Daffodil

The daffodil is the Canadian Cancer Society’s symbol of hope in the fight against cancer and marks the beginning of their spring campaign. Although the bulb itself is poisonous, the flower is being cultivated on a large scale since it was found to contain galantamine which is the latest ingredient in the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease, so I can justify the daffodils presence in my garden and get the pills from my doctor (Razadyne, Nivalin, Reminyl)!

Foxglove

Foxglove is a pretty addition to the garden, and like lupin and hollyhocks give good height at the back of the border. It is also a powerful heart drug used to control the rate of heartbeat, but it can be poisonous so only take it on prescription! Comfrey has calming properties when applied to the skin, but it spreads like wildfire and is difficult to eradicate. It is used in cosmetic preparations.

Honey

Honey has been used since ancient times to cleanse wounds. Most honeys are in some way antibacterial, but the enzyme glucose oxidase becomes inactive in light and heat. I have recently planted the Manuka honey plant, which has been found to have further antibacterial activity that is more stable and is not affected by light and/or moderate heat. Not all Manuka honey has this special quality and those that do are referred to as “UMF Honey”. UMF stands for Unique Manuka Factors, so if you see a number on a jar of UMF Manuka Honey, the abbreviation is referring to this factor. The higher the number, the more active the honey and also the more expensive.

The health benefits of Manuka honey are enormous, as are those of that brewed honey drink called mead. The French sell this as Hydromel. It is a brewed alcoholic liquor made by fermenting a mixture of honey and water. As Pete Seeger said, “If it’s good for ancient Druids, runnin’ nekkid through the wuids, Drinkin’ strange fermented fluids, it’s good enough for me!”

Mead has its roots in Babylon more than 4,000 years ago. It was always prescribed to newlyweds to drink every night for the first month of their marriage to increase fertility and virility. There is a sound scientific basis to such beliefs since mead is rich is B vitamins and in amino-acids, which are the building blocks of protein (which increases stamina). Roman soldiers poured it on wounds in the belief that they healed more quickly — probably because of its honey connections.

Rosehips

Roses are not only decorative, but the hips, particularly those of the wild roses, make lovely syrups full of vitamin C, while the petals make beautiful jams. As the my favourite TV cook Hugh Fearnely -Whittingstall said, “Rosehip syrup is dripping with vitamin C and has long had a reputation for keeping colds at bay all winter. Far from being austere, though, it has a surprisingly tropical tang, with notes of lychee and mango. Diluted with about five parts cold water, it makes a delicious cordial drink, which kids will love, and a fantastic autumn cocktail for grown-ups. It’s also an indulgent alternative to maple syrup on ice cream, waffles and pancakes.”

I have reproduced here using the directions given by the Ministry of Food during the war for 2 pounds (900gm) of hips.

Rose Hip Syrup Recipe

• Boil 3 pints (1.7 litres) of water.
• Mince hips in a coarse mincer (food processor) and put immediately into the boiling water. Bring to boil and then place aside for 15 minutes.
• Pour into a jelly bag or colander lined with cotton and allow to drip until the bulk of the liquid has come through.
• Return the rest to the saucepan, add 11/2 pints (852ml) of boiling water, stir and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
• Pour back into the jelly bag and allow to drip.
• Put the mixed juice into a clean saucepan and boil down until the juice measures about 11/2 pints (852ml), then add 11/4 (560gm) of sugar and boil for a further 5 minutes.
• Pour into hot sterile bottles and seal at once.
• It is advisable to use small bottles as the syrup will not keep for more than a week or two once the bottle is opened. Store in a dark cupboard.

Leaves and Seeds

There is no doubt that greens are good for you so I include lots of leaves and seeds from my garden in my salads ever since I read that Roman gladiators had a vegetarian diet. Analysis of their bones showed high levels of strontium, indicating a strict vegetarian diet, probably of barley and beans and dried fruits. Strontium is now known to strengthen bones, and the largest amounts of strontium are found in spices, seafood, whole grains, root and leafy vegetables, and legumes (if you are past the menopause, you’ll need to get Strontium Ranelate from your doctor as I do!).

Wormwood

I also have wormwood in the garden. This has various medicinal uses but is mainly known as the herb from which absinthe was produced. This drink was the favourite of many authors and painters at one time and had the same reputation as gin in the UK. It was probably drunk at too strong a proof and had the reputation of destroying the brain. Absinthe was forbidden in France at one time, but is being made once more in Switzerland. I have not dared make it!

Absinthe was, apparently, the major influence and inspiration of the Impressionist movement since most of the movement’s pioneers and stars swore fealty to the liquor. Manet, Rimbaud, Jarry, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec and Picasso were all heavy users. Lautrec carried his supply in a hollow cane, Jarry paid homage by painting himself green, Verlaine’s presumptuous manner of saying hello became, “I take sugar with it!” Van Gogh was probably the most prolific user and it probably inspired him to cut his ear off. I think I’ll give it a miss!

I shall just carry on with my home-made mint liqueur and herbal teas!

Photo Credits

All photos © Julia McLean. All Rights Reserved.

Recent Julia McLean Articles:

• Old Dog - New Pavlovian tricks
• The Herd Instinct
• Luke Skywalker and the Desert Fox - Part Two
• The Desert Fox - Part One
• Kingdom of the Fungi: Part Two