08/08/2026
After taking a few weeks of rest from the clinic, and while working quietly behind the scenes on projects and collaborations for this Autumn and Winter, I still make time to connect with the herbs.
There is something deeply grounding about gathering them, sitting with their scents, tying them into bundles and hanging them to dry, knowing they will accompany me through the darker, colder months ahead.
At the moment, I’m preparing Rosemary, Mugwort, Lavender and Sage bundles.
Some will be used as herbal teas to warm me up in colder months, while others will be added to my herb fumigation pot to cleanse the home and clear stagnant or negative energies.
Rosemary - Herbalists have long used it particularly in connection with digestion, liver support and micro-circulation to the brain . In European folklore it also became a plant of remembrance, protection and fidelity, appearing at both weddings and funerals.
Mugwort- One of those wonderfully mysterious herbs with a very old relationship with people. Traditionally used as a bitter digestive herb, emmenagogue and strongly connected in European folk tradition with travellers, protection and the threshold between the everyday and unseen worlds. It has also gathered associations with dreams and divination over the centuries.
Lavender- A beloved herb traditionally associated with calm, rest and sleep, as well as being used for its wonderfully aromatic qualities. In folk traditions, lavender has long been connected with cleanliness, protection, love and peace within the home.
Sage- A treasured household and medicinal herb for centuries, traditionally used particularly for digestion, hot flushes and for the mouth and throat. Its folklore is entwined with wisdom, longevity, protection and purification — a plant that has held an important place in both the kitchen and the home medicine cupboard.
I love remembering that our relationship with herbs is about so much more than a list of properties. It is about knowing the plants. Growing them. Gathering them at the right time. Preserving them. Learning their stories and remembering how powerful they can be.
