Cookstown Herbal Clinic

10/08/2026

The honeysuckle has to be the queen of climbers with one of the sweetest of all flowers.
Their distinctive perfume has the power to stimulate the memory and transport people back to long ago times and places.
I guess it could be called an enigmatic scent.
It is strongest on still warm summer evenings attracting moths that feast on its nectar.
During the day it attracts bees and butterflies
As children we plucked the flowers and sucked the sweet nectar from the base. It’s such a strong climber that it can distort the growth of young trees such as Hazel or Ash.
Shakespeare in a mid summers night dream uses this imagery of honeysuckle or ‘woodbine’ when Titania speaks to Bottom saying:
“Sleep thou and I will wind thee in my arms, so doth the woodbine, the sweet honeysuckle gently entwist”
The Victorians viewed honeysuckle as both a symbol of devoted affection, but also held the belief that it’s heady scent might prove too sensual for young women, its tight embrace suggestive of a rather riske and of course totally inappropriate physical relationship.
In traditional Chinese herbal medicine honeysuckle is part of a very famous and ancient formula called Yin Qiao Jie du pian.
It is very effective for the treatment of sore throats when they occur at the start of the earliest stages of a cold or flu and is often dispensed as a tablet.

28/07/2026

Our Gardens no matter how small have the potential to bring the World to our doorstep, outside of our bedroom window we have a Chilean myrtle in full bloom.
It brings a little taste of the native temperate forests of Chile and Argentina and provides a link to the ancient traditions of the Mapuche people.
They revered the tree for its many practical and medicinal uses.
Modern scientific research confirms the beneficial effects of the leaves and bark as a treatment for diarrhoea, an antispasmodic and a strong antiseptic for external wounds and ulcers.
It’s interesting to note that the first part of its Latin name ‘Luma’ comes from the ancient language of Chile, an indication of the deep roots that this tree has in native tradition.
Its orange, red bark and fragrant white flowers are a joy to behold, and bees just love it.

13/07/2026

Meadowsweet is all about midsummer.
Feet in the damp earth. Head in the sun.
A natural source of salycilates, a wonderful gut medicine, a herb revered for its fragrance and used as a ‘strewing herb’
Gerard writes:
“The leaves and Floures of meadowsweet far excel all other strewing herbs, the smell thereof makes the heart merrie and joyful and delighteth the senses”.
What more do we need.

11/07/2026

11/07/2026

Harvesting Feverfew this morning from the garden, just for personal use to aid the occasional curse of migraines. It’s a member of the daisy family, a self seeding ‘weed’.
Very beautiful Flowers with a very distinctive smell from the leafs and flowers and stems.

11/08/2023

I don’t think that I’ve ever seen the lime tree (Tilia europea ) flowering so abundantly as it did this year.
Lime flower commonly referred to as Linden flower, is one of the most popular herbal teas in Europe.
It strongly supports the nervous system having a calming effect with especial benefit to the heart, hence its use in the management of high blood pressure and palpitations resulting from nervous anxiety. Interestingly the small leafed lime has the Latin name Tilia cordata due to its heart shaped leaves.
Lime flower is harvested May to July depending on the weather and region.
In Ireland if you want to experience Limes in full splendour visit Castletown House in Celbridge, outside Dublin.
The avenue leading up to the 18th century Palladian mansion is bordered on both sides by magnificent mature lime trees which are a wonder to behold.
Locally Antrim castle grounds has many lime trees, their sweet fragrance on a warm morning in late June was delightful, really lifting the spirit.
Honey bees go nuts in the lime blossom, their work ensures the pollinated flowers are transformed into triple seeds.
Occasionally observation of many dead bees under the trees led to the conclusion that lime flower was toxic. More recent research hints that the bees in their foraging frenzy simply die of exhaustion.
For humans the linden flower is perfectly safe and provides a gentle but effective means of supporting and soothing the nervous system.

20/07/2023

The Fairy Thorn.
Old herbalists believed that what grew in abundance in a season gave a clue to the illnesses that would be common the following year.
Given the profuse flowering of hawthorn(Crataegus), this May and June they would be anticipating an upsurge in heart problems.
It’s hard to recall now in the heat of May and June that the whole countryside was decked out bride like in brilliant white, an ocean of flowering hawthorn bustling through all the hedgerows in a haze of fragrance.
Those pollinated flowers are now ripening unnoticed, until the scarlet red flush of haws, called pixies pears by some, will again brighten the hedgerows.
Hawthorn contains an abundance of chemicals which are so cardio protective that in the German pharmacopeia it is often combined with regular heart drugs to improve their efficacy.
The European tradition is to use extracts of the flowering tops and young leaves to help in managing high blood pressure and other afflictions of the heart.
Other traditions favour the use of the berry.
Modern herbalists commonly combine both in a single extract to maximise benefits.
Hawthorn increases coronary blood flow, increases the force of heart contractions whilst decreasing heart rate and is generally cardio protective.
The action is gentle and supportive, acting as a tonic where there is declining cardiac function and helping in the management of nervous heart complaints.
Based on traditional use and science Hawthorn can be confidently described as the protector of the heart.
In these very stressful times anything that protects the heart is definitely worthy of serious attention.

26/10/2021

Recently walking through a Beechwood on an Autumn day full of colour and light I happened upon two young ladies fully focused on the forest floor.
I asked what they were doing (I’m sort of forward in that respect) and learned that they were collecting acorns, leaves and other delightful natural treasures.
They were primary school teachers collecting for a nature table.
One of the advantages of the pandemic they pointed out, was that they are now encouraged to take children outside as much as possible in classes to teach the curriculum, a forest school model.
I am of an age when this sort of activity was standard stuff at school.
We were regularly cold, wet, dirty and exposed to all sorts of what are now regarded as dangerous situations.
My belief is that we were happier and healthier as a result.
I had just finished gathering a significant number of conkers with my two grandsons and mischievously enquired whether playing conkers was allowed in school these days.
They replied wryly that such an activity could only be carried out after a serious risk assessment!
I was left wondering how we ever survived our childhood peppered as it was with so many ‘dangerous’ pastimes.

Conkers are the fruit of the Horse Chestnut Aesculus Hippocastanum
They are rich in a complex of chemical constituents collectively referred to as Escin, which benefit the venous circulation and are used both internally and externally for the management of varicose veins, fluid retention of the lower limbs and interestingly to help prevent the occurrence of deep vein thrombosis following surgery.
Externally gels and creams are used,internal use is often in capsule form.
The tree is a relative newcomer to our shores. It was brought over from its native lands of the Balkans in the late 16th century.
The Escin chemical complex has most recently proved to be very effective for the treatment of bruises and sprains. The Turkish have used it for treating similar ailments in horses for centuries. Hence we think the name ‘Horse Chestnut’.

19/10/2021

Yesterday was world menopause day. Menopause is a natural body process which has a beginning a middle and an end.
Unfortunately for many women the end Point proves elusive.
Recent statistics estimate that 900,000 women in the UK have left jobs as a result of menopausal symptoms.
This gives a sobering perspective on how impactful menopause can be.
In very severe cases the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can give welcome relief.
However it only postpones the process fooling the body into thinking that everything is as normal.
Eventually when women reach the point of deciding to stop or are told they cannot continue to take the HRT they can be thrown into a menopausal crisis.
Herbal protocols have a very robust and well researched supportive role to play for women going through the menopause.
Herbal prescriptions can help alleviate the symptoms and can address the underlying imbalances in the body that are often the precursors of a difficult transition through this time of change.
Sage (Salvia officinalis) is just one example of an easily accessible herbal remedy that can significantly reduce the frequency and severity of the dreaded hot flush.
If symptoms are troublesome consulting a medical herbalist can provide valuable support and needed help at a difficult time.
A list of registered herbalists can be easily found on the website of the National Institute of medical herbalist (NIMH)
Search under ‘find a herbalist’.