THE HERB ALMANAC: A SEASONAL GUIDE TO MEDICINAL PLANTS by Chelsea Physic Garden
Aster, £12.99 ISBN 978-1783254590
An engaging introduction to the world of herbal medicine – and one that would make a lovely gift – with beautiful, hand-drawn, line illustrations. Reviewer Alys Fowler is a garden writer and horticulturist.
There is a hunger for connection right now, for an earthy, wholesome take on the world around us, and out of this has sprung a suite of books on the seasons, their festive and notable days, their rhythms and reasons. The Herbal Almanac is a lovely little addition to this library. It is published in conjunction with the Chelsea Physic Garden in London.
This garden was founded in the 17th century for the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries and thus its staff know a thing or two about the history of plants and their medicines.
This neat volume organises its herbs by the four seasons with a nod to the eight ancient Celtic festivals (Beltane, Imbolc, etc) that traditionally represent the year as a wheel rather than a linear list and with this all the healers, witches, elders, cunning folk and wise women that have made up our long lineage of using plants for healing.
Thus, each entry – whether nettles in spring, feverfew in summer or elderberries in autumn – is a brief but excellent potted history of the plant’s traditional use and folklore both ancient and more recent – Harry Potter and Beatrix Potter both get a mention – with a diligent note on wild harvesting or how to grow in the garden depending on the plant’s size and rambunctious nature.
Finally, a note on how to use plants in the kitchen or medicine cabinet. The recipes here are not so much for medicines, but healthful foods, tisanes, simple flower and herb syrups, and hedgerow jellies.
By winter, when the outside world is deep asleep, some more tropical and southern plants make an appearance – ginger, eucalyptus and cinnamon among the garlic, bay and rosemary – to bring warmth to the colder months.
In short, this is a delightful publication to dip into for inspiration on what to go out and pick each month, and a wonderful gift for anyone eager to dip their toe into herbs for the first time.