Ginger Nettle foraging

17/06/2026

Most people look at horsetail and see a w**d.

I see a plant carrying out an ecological function.

This regenerated wetland meadow is home to a remarkably diverse range of species, and horsetail is simply one part of that story. It isn’t dominating the landscape or taking over. Instead, it exists as one member of a botanically diverse ecosystem.

Horsetail is often described as a dynamic accumulator. Its deep root system interacts with the soil profile, helping cycle minerals from deeper layers while supporting the gradual regeneration of soil structure and biology. It’s also commonly associated with disturbed and compacted ground, appearing where nature is beginning the long process of repair.

Every plant has its purpose.

Every plant has its time.

If we’d stop digging up the soil, and restore the proper biology, everything would be fine.

This video was filmed in the exact location where I’ll be leading tomorrow’s urban foraging walk. We’ll be exploring habitats like this, learning about edible and medicinal plants, ecology, and the stories hidden within our local landscape.

As a said in the video if your on benefits and want to come gimme a a msg and come along

DM for details.

16/06/2026

“Here we see the Ginger Nettle in his natural environment, stalking his favourite prey… Solomon’s seal.”

After a wee bit of harvesting, I talk through one of the ways I propagate Solomon’s seal by taking part of the rhizome while leaving the growing tip attached to a section that can be replanted elsewhere.

Towards the end of the video, I also show how you can tell which direction the plant is travelling underground and just how shallowly the rhizome sits beneath the soil surface.

A simple method that has helped me gradually spread and establish healthy patches over the years.

16/06/2026

One of my favourite places, one of my favourite plants… and no, I’m still not telling you where it is.

This feral patch of Solomon’s seal began as only two or three plants. Over the years I’ve encouraged it to spread naturally through the woodland, creating a healthy population that can withstand responsible harvesting.

Today I’m moving some of it to a safer location after spotting fire nearby. Rather than risk losing part of the patch, I’ll relocate a few plants and give them a new home elsewhere in the woods.

Solomon’s seal is a remarkable medicinal herb. Traditionally valued for supporting the musculoskeletal system, it is also both astringent and demulcent, helping to tone tissues while soothing and moistening mucous membranes at the same time. In medical astrology it is associated with Saturn and the body’s structures and boundaries.

And, as usual, the woodland conversation was interrupted by a bumblebee.

WildPlants PlantMedicine TraditionalHerbalism NatureEducation Bumblebee

15/06/2026

“This saved my thumb.”

While working at a market and psytrance gathering, I had a serious accident with an axe and nearly chopped the end of my thumb off.

In the aftermath I turned to yarrow and Hedge Woundwort, two plants with a long history of use in traditional herbal medicine. In this video I talk about the experience, the plants I used, and why Hedge Woundwort became known as one of the great wound herbs of the British countryside.

I also tell the story recorded by the herbalist John Gerard, who encountered a farmer badly cut by a scythe. The farmer refused Gerard’s treatment and instead used Hedge Woundwort. Gerard was reportedly amazed at how rapidly the wound healed.

One stroke of luck was that I had already tapped a birch tree before the accident happened. I drank the sap deliberately because I knew it had traditionally been used to support the body through stress and exhaustion, and I wanted to ward off shock. At the time I didn’t feel as though I was in shock at all. Looking back at photographs, however, I looked like a pale, long-haired ghost. It’s funny how obvious some things become in hindsight.

Stories like these remind me that our ancestors didn’t just see plants as scenery. They knew them as food, medicine, and allies in times of need.

Have you ever used a plant remedy that genuinely surprised you?

14/06/2026

Felt like the kulpi kulpi guy, selling my potions today .bluebutterfly.centre had an absolute blast

14/06/2026

“This saved my thumb.”

After nearly chopping the end of my thumb off with an axe at a market and psytrance gathering, I turned to some of the oldest medicines we have.

In this video I talk about how yarrow and Hedge Woundwort helped me after the injury, and why Hedge Woundwort has such a long reputation as a wound herb. Its acrid, musty smell was traditionally considered by herbalists to be a sign of its medicinal virtues.

I also share the story of the herbalist John Gerard, who wrote of a farmer badly slashed with a scythe. The farmer refused Gerard’s help and instead treated himself with Hedge Woundwort, leaving Gerard astonished by how quickly the wound healed.

One fortunate thing was that I had already tapped a birch tree before the accident. I knew exactly what I was doing when I drank the sap and was using it to help prevent shock. At the time I didn’t feel particularly shocked, but looking back at photographs, I looked like a pale, long-haired ghost. The body sometimes tells a different story than the mind.

Have you ever turned to plants when you needed them most?

14/06/2026

13/06/2026

This place is like Hogwarts.

The paths keep changing.

Every time I walk through Wishawhill Woods and the woods around Craigneuk, there seems to be a new track, a different route, or a path that wasn’t there the week before.

A lot of that comes from local youngsters riding motorbikes through the woods and creating new trails. Some folk get quite frustrated by it, but I’ve never been too bothered. People need places to spend time, explore, and have a bit of freedom.

Maybe that’s because I grew up in Craigneuk myself.

Years ago, during one of the most difficult periods of my life, these woods became a refuge. I spent countless hours here, sitting, learning, and trying to make sense of things. I basically lived here. In many ways, these woods helped shape the person I became.

The journey from the lad I was back then to the person many of you now know as Ginger Nettle happened, in no small part, amongst these trees.

What fascinates me is that despite all these changes, this remains one of the most biodiverse places I know.

There are plants here that I rarely find elsewhere. Red-listed bird species. Countless insects and fungi. It’s absolutely hoaching with deer. Every season brings something new to discover.

One of the principles of permaculture is that diversity thrives at the edges. Where habitats meet and where change is taking place, life often becomes richer and more abundant. Nature isn’t always tidy. Sometimes you’ll even find temporary monocultures in the wild, but diversity has an incredible ability to return.

So when I see a new path through the woods, I don’t just see the track. I see another part of a living landscape that is constantly changing and adapting.

Maybe that’s why I keep coming back.

These woods changed my life. Perhaps that’s why I still see magic in them.

12/06/2026

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