Lynne Allbutt

Nature's Medicine Cabinet

I have been lucky enough to have been training with Caroline Ingraham recently, learning how animals use plants to self medicate (zoopharmacognosy).  I spent a couple of days with her in Bristol, where we worked with animals at a Rescue Centre (Horse World) letting them select the essential oils and herbs that they needed.  An added bonus for me is already having knowledge of the plants and their properties and being able to recognise them in their indigenous surroundings.  
Under Caroline's watchful eye, Yogi, my own Westie, self selected rosehip shells which are good for tissue repair (she was spayed a fortnight ago) and spirulina for boosting the immune system; a filly foal that had never been handled self selected neroli essential oil used for separation and Frankincense for fear; an aggressive Hinny (horse x donkey) that had been abused by its male owner selected violet leaf and ylang ylang; a donkey with a skin problem chose the bright orange sea buckthorn oil and cooling peppermint and a feral cat with respiratory problems selected garlic and yarrow.  Watching the animals select the oils they need is absolutely amazing and I have been inspired to create my own Herbal Remedy Flowerbed at the cottage.   The fabulous thing is most of the plants are already here; plantain, dandelion, Valerian and even cleavers would normally be classed by many gardeners as weeds, but here at the cottage they are now respected medicines. 

(Photo: Horses will self medicate if allowed, see Animal Aromatics below)

Lynne Allbutt for Western Mail (Media Wales) 5th June 2010

Animal Aromatics

 

Caroline Ingraham is renowned in the animal World for pioneering the study of domestic animals self medicating with herbs and plants.  Known as Zoopharmacognosy, Caroline explains, “It’s is the oldest therapy on the Planet; its where life began.   If left to our own devices we would be able to heal ourselves naturally and many wild animals still do.”

 

Caroline began her career training with the great Robert Tisserand in the use of essential oils and their uses.  “I was extremely impressed by the effects of the oils and in particular when I was cured from recurring cystitis with a few drops of Juniper in hot water.  I later rescued a really ill dog from Battersea Dogs Home; she hadn’t eaten for days and the Vet wanted to put her to sleep.  I had never treated an animal with the oils but massaged Frankincense into her belly and within an hour she was eating.  She made a full recovery as did another dog I had that got bitten by a Rattle Snake in California.   The snake bite cause massive internal bleeding which is often fatal.  My dog was bleeding heavily from the nose and I gave him carrot seed oil as I knew studies had proven it reduced blood loss.  Immediately the blood slowed to a slow drip and by administering more at regular intervals, he too made a full recovery.  The oils are simply miracles in a bottle,” she adds passionately.

 

And it’s not only domestic animals that the dedicated animal lover has treated.  “The Sheltered Trust (as seen on the Elephant Diaries on BBC TV recently) asked me to fly out and treat a very sick elephant for them (see photo). I had to go immediately as the vet was planning on putting her down the very next day.  She had fallen into a putrid water well and had the most horrific injuries that had also gone septic.  Hyenas had mutilated her trunk and she was in shock. Elephants can only have two courses of antibiotics due to possible complications so there was nothing more the vet could do for her.  I put Green Clay on the wounds which dried them up, drew the bad stuff out and kept the flies off.  The elephant also selected huge quantities of garlic essential oil to boost her immune system.  The vet gave her a reprieve that very afternoon.  Five days later, she was playing with a stick and the wounds healed completely within 11 days.”

 

So what is the difference between plants eaten for food and plants eaten for medicine?  “If an animal eats vegetation for calorific effect,” answers Caroline, “the food is stored as fat or energy; the body retains food.  If a plant is eaten for medicinal purposes, as soon as it has done its job the body detoxes it to prevent poisoning.  All animals know instinctively what they need to feel better and to maintain good health and will therefore select their own oils.  They also know the correct individual dosage they need,” adds Caroline, “which is why we shouldn’t add the supplements to their food bowl.  We need to remember and respect how our four-legged friends would have lived in the wild; dogs often drink from muddy puddles as they need the algae in the water.  Despite being domesticated, animals are still intuitively able to identify the plants chemicals they need for perfect health and the hedgerows are simply Nature’s Medicine cabinet!”

 

Find out more about Caroline’s courses, case studies and the books she has written by popping into www.ingraham.co.uk

 

From Lynne Allbutt's column in the Western Mail (Media Wales) 5th June 2010

The Cute Carrot Excavator

During this wonderful weather, everyone wants my job.  Well, I don’t think it’s the work they want, just the opportunity to be outdoors.   Nobody’s quite so keen in the winter!
As predicted earlier in the season, my water butts have been a God Send, making the most of the odd downpour we’ve had and the effort involved in putting leaky pipe through the veg beds has definitely paid off.   I have learnt the hard way though not to use a sharp pronged fork for weeding.  After having to repair two punctures I will only be hand-pulling weeds from now on.
I have also been filling gaps in the veg beds to keep up the continuation of produce.  Buying  young plants from Garden Centre’s is an easy way to do this at this time of year and I’ve planted some new young cauliflowers to replace those damaged by the birds.  It’s not ideal but it works.
I’ve also sown more carrots as the last row were evidently prematurely harvested by Yogi, the terrier-ist. Sowing carrots later in the season means that you are less likely to have problems with the carrot fly though not necessarily energetic and enthusiastic Westie pups!

From Lynne Allbutt's column in the Western Mail (Media Wales) 26.06.10

Germaine Greer's Rose Blight!

Germaine Greer, the controversial, agenda-setting author and acclaimed academic, will be talking about her book “Shakespeare’s Wife” at the Family Shakespeare Festival in Mid Wales on the evening of Saturday 3 July www.livingwillowtheatre.co.uk

Very little is known about Shakespeare’s family and indeed his wife (it is widely believed that he considered Ann Hathaway to be a mistake and didn’t even mention her in his will) but whilst setting that story straight, did you know that, using the pen name Rose Blight, Germaine also used to write a gardening column for the satirical magazine Private Eye?

By Lynne Allbutt for the Western Mail (Media Wales) 26.06.10

Wonderful Willow

• The bark of the Willow tree contains salicylic acid, used to make Asprin; it also has other medicinal uses from anti-inflammatory properties to relieving heartburn and stomach ailments.
• The Willow has great literature gravitas; taking centre stage in Wind in the Willows and also having major roles in Hamlet and even Harry Potter’s adventures.
• Botanists admit the Willow family are a puzzling group; there are over 90 distinct types of Willow in the UK alone.
• Some of the arctic (pictured) and alpine species of Willow barely reach 2” in height though provide excellent ground cover.

Lynne Allbutt for Western Mail (Media Wales) 26.06.10

Hamlet and a Horticultural Haven

Nearly twenty years ago, artistic directors, Philip Bowen and Susanna Best (pictured) founded ‘The Shakespeare Link’ after meeting and working together at the Royal Shakespeare Company.   It soon gained charitable status and today the couple run The Shakespeare Centre which humbly embraces the magical surroundings of Mid Wales as its base.

One of the wonderful creations at the organic small-holding  is the Shakespeare Hay meadow.  Phil explains, “Over the years farmers have used copious amounts of nitrogen to maximise the volume of crops for harvest.   We quickly realised that in order to create a Hay meadow we would have to seriously reduce the amount of nitrogen in the soil.  After much deliberation, we took the drastic step of completely removing 6 inches of topsoil with a JCB to leave us with the impoverished soil conditions we needed.  We then sowed a meadow mix and planted little wild flower plugs that had been sown and grown on by volunteers through the winter.  One volunteer actually raised and planted over 400 little plug plants.  All the plants we have used are mentioned in Shakespearean plays and we like to think it’s now the sort of sight that he may have seen as he travelled between Stratford and London.”

Another inspirational creation at the Centre is their Living Willow Globe, ‘Y Glob Byw’.  “We wanted it to be based on the Globe Theatre in London so rang to ask if they had a book about the design and building of the Theatre, they said it was out of print but they had a children’s book that showed how to make a model of the Theatre.  We simply used that,” recalls Phil.  “We ended up utilising 2,000 rods of willow that I had already had struck based on a plan of Hampton Court Maze.  The Living Willow Theatre holds 130 people and is a scaled down, living version of the Globe.” 

When I mention from experience that willow structures can be a bit bolshy requiring ‘tough love’ as maintenance.  Phil agrees, “We have two volunteers, Nick and Rhian who take care of that in the spring; they spend a couple of weeks on ladders tying in, pruning and generally sorting it out.”
He continues to speak proudly of the volunteers, “We have all ages, people have stages and rhythms in their own lives and they come and go at different times.  The younger volunteers are available out of term time and on weekends and the retired people are usually around in the week.  I am waiting for the summer break to put the youngsters to good use digging trenches to extend our green electricity system,” he shares with good humour.  “Another of our volunteers recently built his first dry stone wall completely from scratch and he’s in his 70’s.”

“Many of the volunteers are Shakespearean enthusiasts and we stage a wide variety of events, including ‘Walk the Willow Way’, a Nature Trail where we link the environment with the words of Shakespeare; we have even translated and presented several   plays and sonnets in Sign language,” he explains.  “We are like a big cauldron here in the Heart of Wales and I like to think people can come and stir us as they like.  We are also grateful for the funding we receive from private family trusts like Cadbury’s, as well as Glasu and WAG, it gives us status and a feeling of respectability, which we quite like!”

The Family Shakespeare Festival is being held at the Mid Wales Shakespeare Centre near Llandrindod Wells from 2nd- 4th July.    You can buy tickets through the theatre website at www.livingwillowtheatre.co.uk, or from the box office on 01597 811 487

Written by Lynne Allbutt for the Western Mail  (Media Wales) 26.06.10

Pot Hole Gardening

Graphic designer Pete Dungey recently found himself in the News with one of his creative and rather topical projects.  Still a little bemused by it all, he explained how Pot Hole Gardening grew!  “Part of our University project was ‘Subvert the Familiar’, where we had to attract attention to something you would normally not notice, or even avoid,”  he explains.  “I was struggling to find an idea and was running out of time so it also had to be something that could be done quickly.  I do a lot of lengthy bike rides, cycling from Brighton to Paris and Brighton to Zürich to raise money for a Prostate Cancer Charity and was aware of the increasing number of pot holes appearing in the roads and thought I could use them to create Pot Hole gardens.  I started in the smaller streets around Oxford and then around Brighton.  Each morning I would just go to a local garden centre or DIY store and buy a couple of bags of compost and the most colourful plants they had.  It was all done during the daytime and a lot of pedestrians and motorists stopped to see what I was doing.  I didn’t get any negative response at all, just a lot of encouragement,” he grins.  “Some of the Pot Hole gardens have been featured on the cover of magazines in New York and even Australia.” 
“No, there isn’t any maintenance,” he laughs when asked, “they weren’t intended to last long; some lasted a couple of days and some just a few minutes but they put a smile on people’s faces.  The most memorable quote was from the post lady on her round, who said, “If we planted one of these gardens in every hole, it would be like having a forest in the road!”
“My parents are keen gardeners but I only do a bit now and then; gardens aren’t really a priority in student accommodation he adds good humouredly.  “Though Alan Titchmarsh also features in another of my projects, Alan Keys.”
But it seems the pen will be mightier than the spade for Pete as he chooses Graphic design over Garden design.  “Like all graduates, I’m currently looking for a placement or internship,” he admits, “I’d really like to work abroad; hopefully this will be a  bloomin’ good start!”
Enjoy more of Pete’s work at the Brighton Illustration and Graphics Design Show (BIG 2010) at Rochelle School, Arnold Circus in London from the 8th – 12th July or pop into his website at www.petedungey.com

Lynne Allbutt 12th June 10

Herb Appeal

The National Institute of Medical Herbalists are running their annual Herbal Medicine Week this week (19th-25th June) raising awareness of the benefits of herbal medicine .  There is a growing interest in herbal remedies and whilst my own Herbal Talks and Walks are fully booked for this period (check my website for future events)  there are several events and walks being held in Wales.  Pop into www.nimh.org.uk or call 01392 426822 for more details

My own Garden Medicine Cabinet was put to good use this week as a visiting friend unfortunately got stung on her head by one of my bees.  I crushed up a Greater Plantain leaf (see photo) to rub on the site of the sting (after removing the actual barb) and then made a tea from the bark of the guelder rose tree in the garden, to relieve her headache.   Both remedies worked quickly and effectively, impressing the both of us.  She is now keen to learn more about herbal remedies and hedgerow foraging, though has no desire to keep bees.    

From Lynne Allbutt's column for the Western Mail 19.06.10

Top Tomato

The tomato that won Jason Mohammad's Taste Award in Sardinia (see Up the Garden Path with Jason Mohammad) would have probably been the Pachino tomato grown on the island of Sicily.  A little bigger than a cherry tomato, it is considered to be the best flavoured tomato in the World and therefore much sought after.  However, there are protected rights on the tomato seeds making it very difficult to obtain; unless you have a salad in Sicily or Sardinia of course.

From Lynne Allbutt's column for the Western Mail 19.06.10

Up the Garden Path with Jason Mohammad

Popular BBC TV and Radio presenter Jason Mohammad admits not having a lot of time to spend working in his own garden but adds, “I have lovely gardening memories as a child.  We had a big back garden of our own and lived next door to my grandparents.  Granddad was a very keen gardener and got us to do lots of work for him.  He had a massive veg garden and we used to do all the harvesting, I remember picking beans and peas and digging up potatoes, getting stinking dirty of course,” he laughs.  “There was a big lawn we played football on and a big greenhouse that was full of tomatoes and marrows, I’ll always remember the amazing smell.”

The cheerful Radio Wales Phone-in presenter continues, “I do grow my three favourite herbs, thyme, rosemary and curry leaves and I am the Chef of the house, I love cooking.”

“I’d love to grow more herbs and salad leaves as well as veg.  As a kid, I remember eating at my Nan and Granddads and my parents was always brilliant at this time of year.  My favourite meal is still new potatoes straight out of the garden with loads of butter and a chicken salad.  Though my most amazing taste memory is probably a tomato I had when on holiday in Sardinia; I have never tasted anything so lovely, it was like eating a totally different food.”

Jason continues by confessing to be a ‘bad touch’ in the garden, “I manage to kill a lot of things though I have got a lovely clematis that’s my pride and joy and I take full credit for planting and looking after it.  I do like the garden to be neat and tidy and look nice.   Mum made some lovely hanging baskets for us last year.  Even those needed a lot of looking after, though they did survive and looked gorgeous.  I don’t think I’ll have quite so many this year and I’ll use the spare brackets for candles in lanterns.”

 The doting Dad of three, Lili, Max and Poppy continues, “My own garden is overrun with children’s toys; trampolines and slides. It is literally like a playground, so I can’t do much.  I think gardening is hard work.  Even though I love being outdoors and keeping fit, I play footie twice a week and cricket, I would rather relax in my garden than work in it.  With three young children and being so busy in work, any spare time I get to spend in the garden is spent watching the kids play and listening to the Test Match Special.”  
“But even though I don’t have the time or space to do much gardening now, I’d like to think I’ll do more later.  Hopefully in a few years, I’ll be nipping down to my allotment with my flat cap on,” he teases.
You can join in with Jason at midday every week day on his BBC Wales Radio Phone In.

Taken from Lynne Allbutt's column Green Scene in the Western Mail (Media Wales)  19th June 2010