Victoria Bennett’s Top Ten Basic Herbal Home Apothecary First Aid Kit
Borage
Starflower, bee bush, bugloss Borage stimulates breast-milk production and can be used as an adrenal gland tonic for nervous exhaustion and adrenal depletion, including the symptoms of depression, anxiety and general fatigue. The leaves and flowers can be eaten raw as a salad, cooked as a vegetable, or used as a herb in soups, salads, drinks, preserves, jellies, sauces and desserts.
Broad-leaved dock
Butter-dock, cushy-cows, kettle-dock, smair-dock The plant’s energy is said to be helpful in releasing frustration, irritation and anger, and eliminating emotional waste tied to past problems, anxieties and old pain. A traditional country remedy to counter nettle stings, it can be used as a poultice to treat insect bites, stings, skin irritations, blisters and general urticaria. A compress can be made from the leaves to relieve bruising, and the seeds can be prepared as a tincture to treat coughs and colds. Young leaves can be cooked or used raw in salad. Seeds can be dried as an alternative to pepper, or as a thickener for sauces and gravy, and the stems can be cooked as an alternative to rhubarb.
Calendula Merrybud, marygold, summer’s bride
Calendula has been popular as a medicinal, culinary and magical plant throughout the ages. It was used by ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans and Aztecs for culinary and healing purposes. It is used in healing salves, washes and creams to treat minor wounds, insect bites, burns and skin irritation. Leaves and flowers are edible and rich in fibre and vitamins. Planted alongside vegetables, they protect against a variety of pests, above and below soil.
Cleavers
Sticky-willows, clivers, goose-grass, robin-runthe-hedge All parts of the plant except the root are edible. Astringent, tonic, diuretic and antiinflammatory, it is commonly used as a tincture or infusion to cleanse the lymphatic system and boost the immune system, or as a tonic to improve skin radiance and reduce signs of ageing.
Common Nettle Stinging nettle, nettle leaf, burn hazel, sting weed
Long used in traditional medicines as a wound healer, it strengthens and supports the body, and can be used to relieve joint pain and inflammation, reduce eczema, staunch nosebleeds and as a detox for the liver and kidneys. The leaves and seeds are edible, and the fibre can be used to make rope. All parts of the plant are edible and provide a rich source of food and shelter for butterflies, ladybirds and seed-eating birds. Combined with plantain, it makes an
excellent remedy for hayfever.
Daisy day’s eye, bairnwort, bruisewort, poor man’s arnica
Used in the Middle Ages to treat battle wounds, daisy is now a common remedy for bruising, joint pain, bronchitis and inflammation. Use dried or fresh to make a tea, or steep in olive or other oil and blend with beeswax to make a balm.
Dandelion
Bitterwort, lion’s-tooth, swine’s-snout, tell-time All parts of the plant are edible, and can be used in a range of culinary uses, including tea, wine, as a green vegetable, or dried and ground as a coffee substitute. The flowers can be used as a tincture to cleanse the liver, and the leaves can be made into a tea to aid digestion and cleanse the kidneys and urinary tract.
Greater Plantain Soldier’s herb, healing blade, waybrede, roadweed
Greater plantain has wideranging antimicrobial, antiinflammatory and analgesic properties. This made it a useful wound healer on the battlefield. You can also shred and apply directly to relieve insect bites and other skin irritations. Make a tincture or tea to use for colds and flu; or to bring relief from stomach ulcers, IBS or other gastrointestinal inflammation.
Selfheal
Heal-all, heart-of-theearth, woundwort Selfheal has traditionally been used to alleviate sore throats, lower fevers, reduce inflammation, speed the healing process and stem the flow of blood from wounds. Both leaves and young shoots can be eaten raw in salads, added to soups and stews, or used as a culinary herb.
Yarrow Staunchweed, devil’s nettle, woundwort,
Antibacterial and antibiotic, it can be used to aid muscle strains, sprains and bruising, as well to treat colds, influenza, fevers, respiratory complaints, digestive upset and urinary tract infections. Yarrow is found on wasteland, waysides, dunes and shingle.