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Join medical herbalists Alaina Mecklenburgh and Veda West in Arnside to learn how herbs can be used through the seasons. These courses will give you the confidence to use herbs on a daily basis and reconnect you with nature. Attend the season of your choosing, or enjoy a discount if you attend the whole year (sign up for all four courses at a discounted rate of £245). Spring – Detox and liver £65 Sat 23rd April 2016 (10am-4pm). Arnside Educational Institute
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Family Herbal Ramble - Tuesday 31st of May 2016
Time: 1.45pm–3.30pm Venue/meeting point: Woodwell Pond, Woodwell Lane, Silverdale, LA5 0TZ Cost: Free Join local herbalists Veda West and Alaina Mecklenburgh to spot and learn about the herbs and plants growing around Woodwell in Silverdale. Start time will enable you to take the train and Silverdale Shuttle, then a short walk down Woodwell Lane to the start point. Spotter sheets provided! Please wear suitable clothing and footwear (i.e. waterproofs and sturdy boots). Unfortunately no dogs are allowed. To book: email info@arnsidesilverdaleaonb.org.uk For further information: 01524 761034 Herbal Ramble – Sunday 12th June 2016 Time: 2:30-4:30pm Venue/meeting point: The Wolfhouse, Hollins Lane, Silverdale, LA5 0TX Cost: Free Join local herbalists Veda West and Alaina Mecklenburgh to spot and learn about the herbs and plants growing around Woodwell in Silverdale. Circular walk of approximately two miles with a hilly section. Finishing at The Wolfhouse Kitchen which serves delicious cakes and locally roasted Atkinson’s coffee. Please wear suitable clothing and footwear (i.e. waterproofs and sturdy boots). Unfortunately no dogs are allowed. To book: email info@arnsidesilverdaleaonb.org.uk For further information: 01524 761034 Andy who came on our herb walk in Avenham Park last week was kind enough to take photos of the medicinal plants we found. Really enjoyed the day Join local herbalist Veda West for a gentle walk around Humblescough Farm, where you can discover the medicinal and culinary uses of many commonly found plants. The walk will last approximately one hour and will be followed by a herbal tea tasting session and light refreshments. Cath Hopkinson will also introduce you to a range of Neal’s Yard beauty products. Date: Sunday 14th June 2-4pm Cost: £8 per person. Tickets available from Veda or Humblescough Farm Please wear walking boots/wellies and outdoor clothing 
Join local herbalists Veda West and Graeme Tobyn on a gentle walk around Avenham Park, where you can discover the medicinal and culinary uses of commonly found plants. Dates:
Time: 11am-1pm Meet at Avenham Park pavilion. Wear sensible shoes
Herbs which help you sleep
Obtaining adequate sleep is essential for good physical and mental health. The amount of sleep needed varies from person to person - most people need between 7-8 hours a night. Some people may experience trouble falling asleep or wake too early, however, others may wake up a lot and have trouble falling back to sleep, or awake feeling un-refreshed. Problems sleeping not only cause excessive tiredness during the day, but trouble thinking clearly or staying focused, and can make you feel depressed or irritable. Causes There are many causes of insomnia which include:
If you have difficulty going to sleep or staying asleep it is important to get a diagnosis from a qualified health care practitioner as you may have an underlying health condition which needs treating. The following information discusses self help measures you can take (good sleep hygiene) which may help to you sleep better, however, as mentioned any underlying health conditions or psychological conditions need treatment from qualified healthcare practitioners. Self Help
Sprinkle up to 5 drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow (more than 5 drops can make you feel stimulated) Teas Herbs which are classed as nervines may be helpful: German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) or Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) - 1-2 teaspoons per cup of boiling water. Infuse for 5-10 mins. Drink in the evening before bed. Try to use fresh or from a good supplier as bought tea bags are generally not so effective. Lemon balm should be avoided in those who have hypothyroidism. Herbalists may also consider: Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) - Hypnotic (sleep inducing) which helps to promote a natural restful sleep. Especially indicated for a restless sleep resulting from exhaustion Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) - (however, some people find it quite stimulating) Lemon verbena (Lippia citriodora) - a gentle sedative (especially good if you arelaxalso have indigestion) - Use 2 teaspoons to a cup of boiling water. Infuse for 5-10 mins drink before bed Scutellaria laterifolia. Nervines can also be used to gently aid sleep - Vervain (Verbena officinalis) - calming and relaxing to the mind and body. If insomnia makes it hard for you to function or cannot be resolved through self-help then talk to your local medical herbalist for further help. Hop Pillow ''For a pillow about 32 x 23 cm: 4 handfuls dried hops flowers 4 handfuls dried lavender flowers Put equal handfuls of dried hops and lavender flowers into a cotton pillowcase, and seal the end. USE: Place the pillow under or beside your head to induce sleep.' (Grow your own drugs) Baths A few drops of lavender essential oil can be added to an evening bath to aid relaxation. NOTE As with all health problems it is strongly recommended that you consult a medical herbalist to create a specific prescription to meet your individual needs. If the advice given does not meet your needs consult a medical herbalist or a doctor, or other health care professionals. The information is for educational purposes and is not in place of a consultation with a medical herbalist who are trained in diagnosis and treatment, but also know when it is appropriate to refer. The doses are for adults; children need smaller doses and not all herbs are suitable to use. Consult a medical herbalist. At the beginning of this year, on BBC2, to coincide with the usual New Year dieting crazes, a series of three programmes showed a scientific experiment concerning dieting, led by some of Britain’s leading obesity scientists. Called ‘What’s the Right Diet for You’, it involved 75 guinea-pigs – people who were obese and willing to undergo various tests and instructions to see if they could lose weight - who had been entered into the experiment after their genes, hormones and psychological profiles had been assessed.
Now if dieting is to be successful, the experts argued, it must be tailored to the individual. People are overweight because of over-eating, but different people over-eat for different reasons. The experiment involved dividing participants into 3 different groups. These types of over-eaters are: ‘Feasters’, who, once they start eating, cannot stop. ‘Constant cravers’ have ‘hungry genes’ which lead them to eat throughout the day. In the third group of ‘emotional eaters’ are people who eat for psychological reasons, those who use food to manage their emotional state Feasters, it is thought, produce less of a hormone that tells them when they have eaten enough; this is GLP1, one of a number of gut hormones that tells the brain when sufficient food has been consumed. When all the participants arrived at Liverpool Hope University for the days of the experiment, a celebratory evening meal was laid on as part of the welcome. Little did they know that this was the first test! Food was continually available so that diners could eat as much as they liked. They did not yet know that, on the basis of their assessments, they had already been arranged into their groups. The programme showed that the feasters lived up to their designation by eating much more than the other two groups. The individualised strategy for weight loss for festers involves a diet incorporating increased protein and low GI foods, which makes your feel fuller more quickly and for longer, to counteract the lack of signals of fullness from the gut hormones. Foods such as meat, beans, lentils, grains and cereals will deliver this. It was interesting to note that pasta (and quality bronze pasta is now available in Britain) was recommended but potatoes rejected. Another, more traditional way to increase a sense of fullness from a normal portion of food is to chew it thoroughly. People who eat too fast, the scientists confirmed, tend to eat too much. Thus the suggestion to use chopsticks for eating more slowly might help those particularly desperate (maybe just being mindful of what you are doing is all that is needed: not watching TV while you are enjoying a meal and employing some conscious chewing of food). Eating more slowly increases the levels of the fullness hormone GLP1 and well as giving less time to eat something more! Constant cravers were identified from genetic tests. They crave food and pay more attention to sources of food in their immediate environment. The diet that should work for them is the 5:2 diet, where they can eat normally for 5 days then follow a calorie-restricted 2 days. At least they only have to face the diet for 2 days a week! The emotional eaters were at the beginning put through a fake driving test to raise stress levels and to see what their reaction was – which was increased food intake afterwards compared to other groups. These dieters will benefit from joining weight-loss groups because the emotional support does help them to lose weight. In the programme a group of large men and women who were emotional eaters had to abseil down a lighthouse, despite protestations and tears, to show themselves they can overcome adversity and obstacles and to increase their belief in themselves. All groups in the experiment initially lost weight but then the dieting became harder. Participants were finding that their weight loss reached a plateau where no more pounds were shed, or in some cases they even put on weight again. The scientists in the next experiment busted the myth that slim people have a higher metabolic rate. Actually, the opposite is true: if you are bigger, your have a larger heart and other organs which require more energy to work. Thus when you have lost weight, you need less to run your body and unless you reduce your food intake again, you will stop losing weight. Consequently, the new habits on these diets are lifelong changes to eating. For the constant cravers, it is the genes responsible for their over-eating that cause the difficulties in continuing to shed the pounds. Normally, as fat is lost from the body, the levels of a hormone called leptin also decreases and this signals to the brain that fat stores are decreasing and need replenishing. Everyone experiences this. However, those with these ‘obesity genes’ experience a trick – the genes tricks the brain into believing that the levels of leptin are lower than they really are, so that the brain signals that fat stores need replenishing urgently. In one test, half the group breakfasted, half did not. Those who missed breakfast craved the fatty, sugary high calorie foods when shown images of these and of healthier foods. It turns out that for 75% of all dieters, having breakfast is part of a successful diet, because it helps you to make healthier choices of foods later in the day. For the emotional eaters, lapses in the diet usually lead to a common psychological response, that of over-eating again. These dieters need the coping strategies not to regress, not to abandon their diet, after a lapse. To do so is an example of ‘catastrophic thinking’. In one experiment, those who thought they had lapsed by eating the cake offered to them went on to eat, at a second round of cake, 8 times more than those who were told a white lie that the cake was low in fat, sugar and calories in order to lead them to think that they had not broken their diet. So, the message is: we all have lapses, don’t give up! These strategies seemed to be successful for the participants. Also, a final point was made concerning exercise. Exercise helped all 3 groups to keep the weight off, but it does not help people to lose weight when they first start, if they are not putting an end to over-eating. Walking up stairs, going by foot rather than on the bus or in the car, helped to burn as many calories as getting to the gym once or twice a week. Rather than looking at a diet itself – whether it’s the latest fad or some superfood or other – look at yourself and try to work out what approach may be suit you! To follow up try www.bbc.co.uk/rightdiet where you can take a test to find out which type you are. However, I found the questions rather simplistic and was not convinced of the outcome! Graeme Tobyn When using comfrey correct identification is important - only use Symphytum officinale. Symphytum officinale is a perennial herbaceous, which grows 50-100 cm in height. The leaves are long, have winged stems and each leaf joins the junction below. The flowers are either yellow/white or violet/red campanulate corolla. The calyx reaches halfway up the corolla. The seeds are shiny. Medicinal Use: Comfrey is a demulcent, expectorant, soothing astringent, vulnerary, accelerates mitosis, and is anti-haemorrhagic. A medical herbalist may use comfrey as part of a prescription for a number of conditions: its demulcent action makes it beneficial for gastritis and colitis and as an expectorant and demulcent it may be used alongside other herbs for respiratory problems. Externally comfrey can be used to promote wound healing and fractures. From personal experience comfrey is beneficial in the treatment of bruises and minor burns - as a child my mother would apply comfrey root ointment to bruises. It was invaluable and witnessing the successful application of comfrey on a number of occasions has led to my deep belief in the healing power of plants. Comfrey is one of my favourite plants and never fails to impress me! Comfrey contains allantonin which stimulates tissue repair by enhancing cell proliferation. However, external application of comfrey on deep wounds may lead to tissue forming over the wound before it has healed deeper down trapping infection; abscesses may then form, hence it is important to only use on clean wounds. A consultation with a medical herbalist is needed before using internally. Traditional Uses: Dioscorides prescribed Comfrey tea to treat respiratory and gastrointestinal problems. According to Culpeper 'This is a herb of Saturn and I suppose under the sign of Capricorn, cold, dry and earthy in quality'. Uses: Comfrey oil or ointment can be applied to sprains.  Symphytum officinale is commonly known as comfrey and is a member of the Boraginaceae family. The leaf is used both internally and externally, while the root is only used externally. Another name for comfrey is knitbone, as it was traditionally used to aid the mending of broken bones. Both the Latin and the common names relate to comfrey's ability to heal bones: Symphytum is derived from the Greek for 'to unite' and comfrey is derived from con firma meaning the bone is 'made firm'
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AuthorVeda West BA BSc MNIMH Archives
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