Bilberry and the Microcirculation

Bilberries: Photo © Jenny R

Bilberries have a long history as a food and medicine. They contain dark red pigments called anthocyanins which laboratory research shows help to maintain the integrity and hence the health of the microcirculation. Many people will not have even heard the term ‘microcirculation’ but its status determines the health of all our major organs and our limbs, not to mention our brain.

 The term refers to the circulation of the blood in the smallest of blood vessels, which includes the arterioles, capillaries, and venules. If these vessels are fragile and leaky then the entire circulatory system is at risk because fluid escapes into local tissues causing swelling and inflammation. A healthy microcirculation is important for preventing or managing many major diseases, including diabetes, various types of dementia and cardiovascular disease, to name just a few, and research interest is very active in all these areas.

From Bilberry’s traditional use for diarrhoea and haemorrhoids to its use to enhance night vision among air pilots during the World War II, the herb has long been considered a valuable therapeutic ally by those interested in natural medicine. Bilberries are not the only source of anthocyanins by any means, as these compounds are present in many dark red fruits, but it is a concentrated source. Although the traditional use of Bilberry for treating night vision and other diseases has been ‘pooh poohed’ (PMID: 35847049) on the basis that clinical trials are too small or not well designed, the biological feasibility of bilberries being effective therapy for conditions associated with failure of the microcirculation, remains.

We all need to protect our microcirculation for a long and healthy life. Through its effects on the microcirculation, Bilberry is of potential value in the treatment or prevention of many diseases of modern society. It joins the ranks of other foods that can support the microcirculation such as garlic, ginger, turmeric, cocoa, beetroot, green leafy vegetables, herbs, spices and green tea.

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Ann Walker PhD FCPP MNIMH RNutr, Herbal Practitioner and Nutritionist,
Course Director, Discovering Herbal Medicine course

Gifts of Chocolate & Flowers – With a Herbal Twist!

Photo & Article © Debs Cook

At some points in our gift giving endeavours we can hit a brick wall deciding what to get for Aunt Carol or cousin Lucy and we resort to flowers, potted plants or chocolates, the poor men folk get a worse deal receiving socks or aftershave. It doesn’t have to be that way, with a little careful planning, and a little time sourcing some ingredients you can make a selection of fabulously fragrant goodies for bath and body to give as gifts!

All the fragrant goodies in the photo above which includes a sugar scrub, lip balm, some bath melts and bath fizzers will appeal to chocoholics and floral bath pampering addicts alike and they can all be made in just 1 day! These homemade gifts contain no chemical nasties, they can be tailored to favourite flavours and preferred perfumes of the recipients and you can make gifting goodies for the ladies on your gift list AND the men folk as well.

The bonus is as gifts go, these items can be made any time of year for giving for birthday presents, a thank you gesture, to say get well soon, or for occasions like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. The Bath fizzers can also be made in small petit four cases and packaged in organza bags, then given as wedding favours to female guests, they can be coloured and fragranced to echo wedding décor and they make a very personal gift. I'm sharing 2 of the recipes below and maybe with some gentle encouragement I will share more!

Remember when you give your gifts to include a list of ingredients either on the product or in a little booklet that you can give with your gift. If you know that a recipient has an allergy, then don’t make items using things they need to avoid e.g. nut allergy, avoid nut based oils and use sunflower or grapeseed oil instead.

Chocolate Peppermint Lip Balm

This lip balm is really wonderful, make sure that you only use food grade essential oils to make sure they are safe for using in beauty items that may potentially be consumed. The hemp seed oil and cocoa butter are both very moisturising and contain antioxidants, they will help sooth dry cracked lips caused by winter winds.

Makes 10 x 30ml Jars

100ml Hempseed Oil
60g Dark Chocolate (at least 70% Cocoa Solids – I used 85%)
30g Organic Unrefined Cocoa Butter
30g Beeswax 1
6 Drops Peppermint Essential Oil

Method: Place all ingredients with the exception of the peppermint oil in to a heatproof glass bowl over a pan of water that comes about 2” below the base of the bowl. Stir slowly until all the ingredients are melted and the resulting mixture is smooth and dark glossy chocolate brown. Pour the mix in to a heatproof glass jug - you can skip this stage but it’s easier to pour in to the pots from a jug. Add the drops of peppermint oil and stir with a metal spoon to combine everything together, then pour in to your jar or tins.

To Use – Use a lip brush or the tip of your finger to apply a little of the lip balm to the lips. N.B. Because this lip balm contains real chocolate it may stain clothes if it gets on them, it will also give the lips a slight chocolatey look if too much is applied.

Lavender & Geranium Bath Melts

These bath melts are so fragrant and you can make them in a variety of fragrances see the suggestions below. The main ingredient in these fragrant and moisturising bath melts is cocoa butter which has several benefits to help keep your skin healthy it contains several fatty acids including oleic, palmitic and stearic acids which have antioxidant properties that can help to reduce the signs of ageing, cocoa butter can also help to reduce inflammation on the skin and soothe skin conditions such as eczema.

Makes 18 – 36 melts depending on the size of case you use.

200g Unrefined Cocoa Butter – You can use refined but the smell is better from unrefined.
100g Sweet Almond Oil
100 Drops Geranium Essential Oil
50 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
18 – 36 Pink Rose Buds for decoration
2g Beetroot Powder – Which will act as a natural colouring to give a pink colour to your melts. 

You will also need: -

Foiled Petit Four Cases or Cupcake Cases
Large Heatproof Mixing Bowl Large Pan – Big enough for the bowl to sit in and be supported by the pan rim
Wooden Spoon
Heatproof Measuring Jug

Method: These melts are very easy to make, place enough water in your pan to come 2” below the base of the heatproof glass bowl you’ll be using to make the melts, put the bowl on the pan and turn on the heat, it will take a few minutes to start to get warm.

Whilst you’re waiting for the water to heat up take about 1 teaspoon of your almond oil and place it in a cup, add the beetroot powder and stir to make your colouring. Once the water is at a steady simmer put the cocoa butter, the rest of the sweet almond oil and the colouring in to the pan and stir gently until the cocoa butter has melted and everything is thoroughly mixed.

Cocoa butter melts at around 93–101°F (34–38°C), turn off the heat and using oven gloves lift the bowl off the top of the pan. Then add your drops of essential oil, build up the layers a little at a time, remembering the important rule that you can add it, but you can’t take it away. Once you have the fragrance you like then pour the contents into a heatproof jug, you can skip this stage but I find it easier to pour the liquid into the little moulds than trying to spoon it in.

Leave the melts to set overnight, if you’re in a hurry as soon as the mix is cool, you can pop them in the freezer to harden. Note that these melts will melt at temperatures over 75°F (24°C) so don’t leave them near a radiator or in sunlight etc where the temperature can raise above this.

To Use: If you’re making mini melts then add 2-3 to the bath, simply pop into the bath just under where the hot water is running in to the bath. If you make cupcake sized melts then add 1 melt to the water. Bear in mind that when you’ve finished bathing the bath will be slippery from the cocoa butter and oil so be careful when you stand and in getting out of the bath. It should also be noted that some natural and artificial colour pigments may stain the bath, but the staining should be temporary and should clean off easily.

Saw Palmetto helps bladder control for women too!

Saw Palmetto Leaf © Ann Walker

Extracts of the berries of Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) have been used in modern times mainly as an over-the-counter remedy for symptoms of benign prostate enlargement (BPH) in men. Indeed, the various biological mechanisms involved in these physiological effects are well documented and a relatively large number of clinical studies on men with BPH have shown positive results. In some of these studies, Saw Palmetto extract was found to be comparable to drugs such as finasteride and tamsulosin, which have proven benefits for patients with BPH.

Now, for the first time, a clinical study (PMID: 35334848) has been reported on the use of this herb for women with bladder control problems. The Japanese researchers reasoned that at least two of the mechanisms by which saw palmetto assists bladder control in men, might also be effective for women. Hence, they recruited nearly 80 women over 50 years of age with bladder control problems into a placebo-controlled study. These were divided into two groups - one group took saw palmetto extract every day and the other took placebo. At the end of 12 weeks, daytime urinary frequency was significantly lower in women taking the extract compared with the placebo. They also found that the need to get up at night to urinate was reduced.

Saw palmetto is regarded as a safe herb with a long history of use among Native Americans, who had many uses for it. These included use as a remedy for respiratory complaints and as a food with tonic properties. For more information see the article on Saw Palmetto on the British Herbal Medicine Association's website.

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Ann Walker PhD FCPP MNIMH RNutr, Herbal Practitioner and Nutritionist,
Course Director, Discovering Herbal Medicine course

Giving the Gift of Herbal Well Being

Photo & Article © Debs Cook

In Christmases past my hubby and I made truffles and sweets to give as gifts to family and friends, but I have to admit that using fresh ingredients to make the sweet treats meant that a lot of the items had to be made very close to Xmas Eve, which meant dashing round to get everything done and then package and deliver the items before the big day. So a few years ago I decided we’d do things differently and put an herbal spin on the gift giving, my decision was prompted by the fact that when we went visiting everyone, they all seemed to have either a cold, a pulled muscle or were feeling a bit under the weather.

I thought why not use what I know and make some herbal gifts that can help banish winter ills? I rather liked the idea that I’m not just wishing my friends and family good health, but I’m actually giving them the means to have aid what ails them, plus I'm putting in to the gift my love and passion for herbs along with my knowledge, making it a very personal gift to give and receive!

What happened next involved spending time looking at old fashioned remedies, which I then put a modern spin on. The results of these herbal adventures went in to a little hamper which doubled as a storage basket, I included a little booklet that says what’s in each item, what it does and how to use it, along with some other DIY tips for keeping yourself healthy in the winter. The little goodies went down a storm, as did the homemade Chocolate Peppermint Lip Balm and the Lavender & Geranium Bath Melts that I will include on the blog next week! Here's the recipe for a couple of the items I made: -

Antiseptic Germ Busting Spray

Many herbs and essential oils have antiseptic properties, those that contain terpene compounds are generally anti-bacterial and anti-viral, plant alcohols can also help to fight off infection. Cinnamon for example had strong antiseptic, antiviral and antibacterial properties and contains polyphenols and sesquiterpene compounds that can check bacteria.

The combination of oils in the recipe are reputed to help kill 99% of airborne bacteria in a room, making it a perfect blend to use in rooms occupied by people suffering from colds and flu, sprayed in to a room, when people start to cough and sneeze it may help minimise the infection.

6 x 100ml Plastic Spray Bottles & Misting Tops
600ml Perfumers Alcohol – See note below.
30 Drops Tea Tree Essential Oil (5 Drops per bottle)
90 Drops Lemon Essential Oil (15 Drops per bottle)
60 Drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil (10 Drops per bottle)
30 Drops Clove Bud Essential Oil (5 Drops per bottle)
60 Drops Pine Needle Essential Oil (10 Drops per bottle)

Method: To make the spray, fill a clean, dry 100ml spray bottle with 95ml of pure distilled water or perfumer’s alcohol. Using a dropper, carefully put the selected blend of essential oils directly into the spray bottle, top up with alcohol to the neck of the bottle to make 100ml. Screw the atomiser spray top on to the bottle tightly and shake vigorously to combine. Be sure to shake it before each use if using water as the water and essential oils tend to separate.

N.B. You can substitute purified spring water, for the perfumer’s alcohol if you can’t find it, but your spray will last longer by using the alcohol, plus it will help preserve the oils. In alcohol most essential oils mix more thoroughly, in water they just tend to float on the surface, vodka is another substitute which will preserve the oils better than water.

60 drops of oil is around 3ml so a 10ml bottle of each oil will be more than enough to make 6 spray bottles.

Another version of this spray makes a great Festive Fragrance spray that will not only fragrance the room with the classic aromas of the festive season, but will also have an antiseptic and antibacterial action!

Per 100ml Bottle: -

12 Drops Pine Needle Essential Oil
12 Drops Mandarin Essential Oil
8 Drops Clove Essential Oil
6 Drops Cinnamon Essential Oil

Old Fashioned Cold & Flu Tea

If a cold or flu has a feverish element or the person suffering from the cold has chills, then this tea blend may just help them feel better. It’s one of the first remedies I make when I feel a cold starting to take root. It contains just three herbs, although you can add a little honey to sweeten the tea, as it can be a little bitter for some peoples tastes.

The yarrow helps increase perspiration, that process will help you ‘sweat’ the cold out, the elderflowers help reduce inflammation and soothe the irritation of the mucus membranes and the peppermint is antiseptic, decongestant and anti-spasmodic, all useful properties to have on hand when suffering from a cold. Combined, the three herbs in this tea blend may help to reduce a fever, ease congestion and soothe a sore throat.

For the gift hampers we used 6 x 500ml jars one for each home that is getting a hamper, to fill those 6 jars you’ll need: -

150g Dried Elderflowers
150g Dried Peppermint Leaf
150g Dried Yarrow

Method: Making the tea up is as easy as stirring all 3 herbs together in a large glass bowl until evenly mixed and then spoon the tea in to the jars, decorate with a ribbon and label the jar.

For 1 cup you would need 1 teaspoon (approx. 5g) of the tea blend, if you like a stronger blend then go for 7.5g or 1½ teaspoons.

If you plan on making just 1 jar then you’ll need just 25g of each herb.

TIP: As well as drinking this blend as a tea, it can also be sprinkled into a bowl of hot water and by covering the head with a towel, you can inhale the herbal goodness to help ease congestion, in a good old fashioned vapour steam bath!

Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to source the most up to date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that remedies in our articles are effective, when in doubt, consult your GP or a qualified Medicinal Herbalist. Remember also that herbal remedies can be dangerous under certain circumstances therefore you should always seek medical advice before self-treating with a homemade remedy, especially if you are pregnant, breast feeding or suffer from any known illness which could be adversely affected by self-treatment.

Vitex for Premenstrual Symptoms (PMS)

Agnus Castus Flowers © Ann Walker

The medicinal use of the berries of Vitex agnus-castus (also called Chaste tree) goes back thousands of years. Much of this is documented, including reference to the use of the herb for ‘‘diseases of the uterus’’ by Hippocrates in the 4th century BCE. Vitex continues to be a favourite herb amongst herbal practitioners. It is either used on its own or with other herbs, for ameliorating women’s health problems, such as menstrual disorders, PMS, cyclical breast pain, infertility, and menopausal symptoms.

A substantial amount of modern research, including randomized clinical trials, has focused on the use of Vitex for the relief of PMS symptoms, including low mood, anxiety, headaches, fluid retention, acne, and breast tenderness. One such trial (PMID: 23022391) was carried out in Germany on 183 women with PMS aged between 18 and 45 years. This study compared three doses of Vitex against placebo. After analysing the trial outcome after three menstrual cycles, the researchers concluded that Vitex was effective in the relief of premenstrual symptoms if the dose of the dried berry was at least 20 mg per day. This is a low dose for a herb to be effective.

Treatment of PMS can be a challenge in modern medicine and even though many women put up with mild-to-moderate symptoms, the effects can be debilitating for others. Something so simple a low-dose intervention of a well-known herb can be very effective. Here is an example of an increasing number of herbs where human trials show positive outcomes and laboratory studies indicate a mechanism of action. Vitex normalises the balance of the hormones released from the pituitary gland of the brain.

 This, in turn, normalises the menstrual cycle through the regular physiological feed-back mechanisms of the body. You can find out about suitable products containing Vitex and learn more about the Traditional Herbal Registration (THR) scheme to ensure the quality of herbal products on the British Herbal Medicine Association website.

PMID = PubMed identifier

Ann Walker PhD FCPP MNIMH RNutr, Herbal Practitioner and Nutritionist,
Course Director, Discovering Herbal Medicine course

Mrs Grieve's Nettle Beer

Article © Debs Cook
Image Mareefe

Last week I wrote some Facts About: Nettles, which brought to mind a lovely recipe for Nettle Beer that I stumbled across many years ago in A Modern Herbal, Maud Grieve's book, so this week I thought as nettles are in season, I would share my adaptation of Mrs Grieve's recipe, a drink she says was once used as a folk remedy in the elderly for "gouty and rheumatic pains".

Mrs Grieve's original recipe (see photo below) made 2 gallons (which is a large quantity if you're not sure if you're going to like it), my version makes approximately 3/4 gallon. Grieves recipe also called for using a slice of toast and fresh compressed yeast the kind that they once used to make bread which is often referred to as Brewer's or Baker's Yeast, but I adapted my recipe to use a general purpose beer and wine making yeast. Grieves Nettle Beer is light, not very alcoholic, nor was it very sweet, it was rather dry in fact, but very refreshing. My version is a little sweeter but its not designed to be made and left for long periods of time, its best drunk sooner rather than later, leaving the brew too long the flavour will alter and not for the better 😬

If you don't have any dandelion leaves, Grieve recommended using the juice of 2 lemons as a substitute, but I put the juice of 2 lemons in anyway. She also spoke of ringing the changes by adding Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria), Burdock Root (Arctium lappa), Avens (Geum urbanum) or White Horehound (Marrubium vulgare) to the recipe in place of the Dandelion.


Ingredients

My Recipe • 3.78 Litres Water • 750g Fresh Nettles • 50g Fresh Dandelion Leaves • 50g Fresh Cleavers • 15g Fresh Ginger Root, Grated • 2 Lemons, Juiced • 550g Demerara Sugar • 1 Tsp Dried Active Wine & Beer Making Yeast • 28g Cream of Tartar 1 x 1 Gallon Demijohn 2 x 2 Litre Recycle Clear Plastic Fizzy Drink Bottles

Method

1. Pour the water into a large pan that is big enough to hold more than 4 litres to allow room for stirring.

2. Add the Nettles, Dandelion, and Cleavers and bring them to the boil, turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 25 - 30 minutes.

3. Stir in the sugar, ginger, cream of tarter and lemon juice and bring the mixture back to the boil and then slowly simmer for 5 minutes longer. Then add the lid to the pan and set it aside to allow the beer to cool to lukewarm (about 21°C).

4. Once the liquid is lukewarm, add the yeast and stir, strain the beer into a demijohn and add an airlock or place a clean piece of cloth or muslin over the whole and use a rubber band to secure the cloth in place.

6. Allow the beer to ferment for 7 days then bottle in to recycled glass, or plastic bottles the kind designed for fizzy drinks, I use old Grolsch bottles that have been cleaned and sterilised, they have a stopper top that is ideal for allowing you to open the beer to release excess carbonation from it. Too much and the bottles can explode, another reason to drink this beer quickly! Clear fizzy drink bottles allow you to see if there is an excess of gas building up, this can be released by simply opening the cap slowly to release any excess fizz!

Facts About: Nettles

Article © Debs Cook
Image by klimkin

Spring is springing and one of the first herbs to appear in the wilds are Nettles (Urtica dioica), they were once used not just medicinally but were a staple food for centuries in the UK; they made excellent beer, soups and savoury puddings. Medicinally they have been used as a tonics and poultices and they have even been used in beauty products. In addition nettles are rich in vitamins and minerals, they are amazingly high in protein, filled with chlorophyll, and contain many essential trace minerals that the body requires.

One of Mother Nature’s blood purifiers, nettles make a valuable spring tonic after the winter, and have been used as a remedy for iron deficient anaemia for centuries (see a previous article for a tasty recipe for a nettle based iron tonic), due to the fact that they contain iron and their vitamin C content helps to ensure that the iron they contain is properly absorbed. As this is the time of year that young nettles start to appear, I thought I’d share a few more interesting facts about Nettles.

Nettles have antispasmodic, antiseptic, bitter, diuretic, expectorant, hemostatic, and vermifuge properties and have been used to treat a variety of conditions in folk medicine including bronchitis, jaundice, haemorrhoids and ulcers. Fresh stems of nettle were once used to thrash the skin of people suffering from rheumatic pains, thrashing the skin releasing chemicals such as histamine and formic acid into the skin which induce a stinging, burning sensation which is used to relieve the deeper pain of rheumatism.

Nettle leaves can be used to produce a range green coloured permanent dyes depending on the mordant used for woollen stuffs and even for adding as a food colouring. The roots if boiled with a mordant of alum produce a yellow coloured dye.

The herb has been used to help stimulate the growth of the hair and been an ingredient in hair tonics for centuries. The silica contained in the plant helped to strengthen brittle hair and improve the condition of weak hair follicles. Nettles have also been used to combat dandruff, and improve the condition of the scalp, they have been credited with making the hair thicker and shinier. Make a tea or decoction and use it in the final rinsing water or better still make your own nettle shampoo!

In the spring, usually around April time hay fever and allergy season begins, taking nettle as a tincture, an infusion or as a tea may reduce the symptoms of hay fever, such as itchy eyes and sneezing. Nettles contain a natural source of quercetin, a plant-based flavonoid which helps to support the body's natural response to allergens and inhibits histamine production – histamine is the substance produced by the body that causes allergy related sneezing, itching, and respiratory problems.

Did you know that the colour of Nettle tea depends on the pH and acidity of the water used to make it? The more alkaline the water used to make the nettle beverage, the darker green it will be. If the water used is more acidic pH 3 – 0, then the beverage will change in colour to a light pink. You can try it out for yourself if your water is more alkaline by adding a slice of lemon to the drink and watch it change from green to pink!

Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to source the most up to date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that remedies in our articles are effective, when in doubt, consult your GP or a qualified Medicinal Herbalist. Remember also that herbal remedies can be dangerous under certain circumstances therefore you should always seek medical advice before self-treating with a homemade remedy, especially if you are pregnant, breast feeding or suffer from any known illness which could be adversely affected by self-treatment.