Forage Yourself Happy

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Forage Yourself Happy 🌲 Certified Forest Therapy Practitioner
🌿 Seasonal Foraging Workshops
💦 Waterfall Wellbeing
✨ Reconnecting you to the healing rhythm of the wild

22/10/2026

🌿 Silverweed: the wild plant with a history in women’s health and Scottish food traditions.

Silverweed has been used in traditional European herbal medicine for menstrual cramps, making it a fascinating part of women’s herbal history.

🌱 Women’s health: Traditional herbalists valued silverweed for menstrual discomfort. Its tannins and flavonoids are among the compounds that make this humble plant so interesting.

🔬 The chemistry: More than 150 compounds have been identified in silverweed. There’s a remarkable amount of chemistry hiding in those silvery leaves!

🥔 Scottish food history: Silverweed roots were gathered and eaten in parts of Scotland. They could be boiled, roasted or dried and ground into flour. The plant is associated with the Gaelic name “the seventh bread”.

Long before supermarket shelves and modern convenience foods, people knew how to make use of the wild plants growing around them. Silverweed had a place in both traditional herbal knowledge and Highland food history.

And there we are, walking straight past a plant with its own food and folklore credentials. 😂🌿

Had you heard of silverweed before?

21/10/2026

Did you know you can eat Himalayan balsam seeds? 🌱

This is one of the UK’s most invasive plants, but its seeds are edible and nutritious.

You don’t need to wait for the pink flowers to identify it, either. Learn to recognise it now, and you can help stop it spreading before it sets seed.

Eat the seeds, then pull it up. Just don’t spread or transport viable seeds.

Have you tried Himalayan balsam seeds? 👇

18/10/2026

Did you know that foraging is really bloody good for menopause?

The trees release Phytoncides, you get the nutrients from the plants 🌱 and the serotonin from listening to birdsong 🦅

My journey hasn’t been an easy one, and I shed a few tears this morning (It’s still difficult for me to talk about at times)

But I am living proof that foraging helps in abundance and I’m over here shouting it from the rooftops 🙌

It was an honour to work alongside the beautiful and talented . What a beautiful morning and a wonderful way to start your Sunday

This event is on every Sunday and I will be back to enjoy the beautiful session with Charissa 🫶✨

If you would like more information on this event, or any upcoming foraging walks then let me know 👇🏻

15/10/2026

🌿 Foxgloves: beautiful, powerful—and legally restricted

They may look like harmless cottage-garden flowers, but foxgloves contain powerful compounds that can affect the heart. That’s why restrictions around their medicinal use matter—and why understanding what the law allows is so important.

Foxgloves are a beautiful native wildflower, but certain preparations and uses are legally restricted.

How much do we really know about the laws governing the plants around us—and our rights?

Knowledge matters. Understanding the legislation matters. And asking questions matters. 🌱

Did you know about these restrictions? Do you agree with them—or do you think people should have more freedom to use traditional plants?

👇 What are your thoughts?

13/10/2026

🍄❤️ The fly agaric mushroom and its connection to the spirit world…

That unmistakable red cap with its little white spots has fascinated people for centuries. But there’s so much more to this mushroom than its fairytale appearance.

In some Indigenous Siberian traditions, fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) has a long history of shamanic use. It was associated with spiritual journeys, altered states of consciousness and experiences interpreted as encounters with the spirit world. 🌿

So what makes this mushroom so fascinating?

One of its main psychoactive compounds is muscimol, which acts on GABA-A receptors in the brain, influencing the nervous system and consciousness. Unlike psilocybin, it works through a different pathway.

🌙 There’s also scientific interest in the wider connections between the nervous system, sleep, anxiety and pain, including research into GABA receptors and pain perception.

You might have seen claims about fly agaric helping with arthritis, sleep problems or anxiety. While these are interesting areas to explore, the evidence needs careful interpretation. There isn’t strong clinical evidence that fly agaric safely treats any of these conditions in humans.

What I find fascinating is the meeting point between ancient shamanic traditions, the spiritual symbolism of mushrooms and modern science. Different cultures have understood this mushroom in very different ways, and researchers are still investigating its unusual chemistry.

🍄 A reminder that nature can be both fascinating and powerful. Fly agaric can cause serious poisoning, so its traditional use and modern scientific interest shouldn’t be mistaken for proof that it’s safe to consume.

❤️ Have you ever explored the folklore and shamanic traditions surrounding this remarkable mushroom?

12/10/2026

🌿 Stop walking past this plant. The humble plantain has a fascinating history in traditional herbal medicine.

Often overlooked, this common plant has been used for generations.

🍃 The leaves have traditionally been used for minor wounds, irritated skin, insect bites and stings.

🌱 Plantain has also been used in traditional remedies for coughs and throat irritation, while its seeds have a history of use for digestive health.

A little folklore… 🌿

Plantain was valued in European folk medicine as a plant for everyday cuts, bumps and bites. It even gets a mention in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as a remedy for a hurt.

There’s so much traditional plant knowledge growing right under our feet.

Did you know about plantain, or do you use it yourself? Let me know in the comments. 🍃

Save this for your next walk and follow for more medicinal plants, herbal traditions and plant folklore.

07/10/2026

How many of these did you know?

Nature is the tallest, biggest and most magnificent thing on earth

The mycelium network keeps the trees and plants connected and fed, the trees make sure that we have the oxygen we need to breathe

And I LOVE the smell of cut grass, I’m not sure I’ll be as happy smelling it now knowing it’s the grass in distress 😩😂

Whatever way you look at it, nature makes this planet as beautiful as it is. And spending time in it heals you 🫶✨🌳

Do you know any random facts that I should add in?

06/10/2026

This spikey little bu**er doesn’t just scratch your arse when you walk past it… 🌿😂

I didn’t bloody know holly had been used medicinally for centuries.

Traditionally, the leaves were used for fevers, coughs, chest complaints and rheumatic pain, and were valued for their diuretic and pain-relieving properties.

And then I started looking into the research…

Holly extracts have shown antioxidant activity, including activity against free radicals, as well as effects linked with inflammation.

Researchers have also found a fascinating mix of naturally occurring plant compounds, including flavonoids, polyphenols and triterpenes, which are being studied for their biological activity.

So that plant we see everywhere at Christmas?

Yep. It has a medicinal history too.

Honestly, I had no bloody idea. 🌿

Nature really does hide some cracking stuff in plain sight.

06/10/2026

🌲 What if the forest is doing far more to your body than simply helping you relax?

Dr Qing Li, a Japanese physician and leading researcher in forest bathing (Shinrin-Yoku), has spent years studying what happens inside our bodies when we spend time among trees.

His research found that forest bathing increases natural killer (NK) cell activity and increases the number of NK cells and anti-cancer proteins such as perforin, granulysin and granzymes. 🌿

One of the fascinating reasons? Trees release aromatic compounds called phytoncides, including alpha-pinene and beta-pinene, which are present in forest air. Research found that exposure to these compounds can increase NK activity too. (PubMed)

And this is why I find the science behind Shinrin-Yoku so fascinating.

The forest isn’t just somewhere beautiful to walk.

It’s an environment your body can respond to. 🌲🫁🧠

Want to learn more about how the forest can support your wellbeing and how to practise the art of forest bathing?

Follow along and discover the healing power of the forest. 🌿

05/10/2026

THE TREE THAT GIVES YOU FIRE, FOOD, MEDICINE AND MUSHROOMS. 🌳🔥🍄

Silver birch is one of those trees that keeps giving.

It’s a pioneer species, one of the first trees to move into open ground and help create the conditions for woodland to follow.

On this one I found birch polypore and a fly agaric.

I didn’t find Chaga, but birch is one of the trees you’ll find it growing on, so I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled.

The bark makes excellent tinder, the sap can be collected in spring, and birch polypore has a long history of being used as a wound dressing.

And then there’s the woodland itself.

Sylvotherapy, or forest bathing, is about slowing down and spending proper time among the trees. No rushing through. Just being there.

There’s something about standing beside a birch and knowing how much this one tree has given people for thousands of years.

Fire. Sap. Fungi. Shelter. Medicine. And a reason to slow down.

What have you found growing on birch? 👀🍄

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