Medical Herbalist - Ingrid Sykes

26/05/2023

www.ingridsykesherbalist.co.uk

Supporting the body to restore and maintain a health through Herbal Medicine. Conditions seen include issues with digestion, hormones, circulation, skin. Based in South Norfolk

10/05/2023

Hawthorn and the HeartHawthorn supports blood vessels generally, but it has a particular affinity with the blood vessels of the heart… that means those blood...

10/05/2023

Nettle, the humble plant with incredible healing properties! Not only is it a nutrient-dense food, but it's also a potent herbal medicine that can help with allergies, inflammation, and even hormonal imbalances. Nettle is a natural diuretic, which means it can help to reduce bloating and swelling 🌿

One of the easiest ways to incorporate nettle into your daily routine is by making a nourishing tea. Simply steep a few nettle leaves in hot water for 5-10 minutes and enjoy! You can also add a touch of honey or lemon for added flavour 🍵

If you're feeling adventurous, try this simple and delicious nettle pesto recipe:

Ingredients:
🌱2 cups fresh nettle leaves (carefully washed and blanched)
🌱2 cloves of garlic
🌱1/4 cup pine nuts
🌱1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
🌱1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
🌱Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions:
🌱In a food processor, combine the blanched nettle leaves, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese.
🌱Pulse until the ingredients are coarsely chopped.
🌱While the food processor is running, gradually pour in the olive oil until the pesto is smooth and well combined.
🌱Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
🌱Serve over pasta or as a dip with crackers or vegetables.

This nettle pesto is a delicious and nutrient-packed way to enjoy the health benefits of nettle, which is high in vitamins and minerals like iron, calcium, and vitamin C. Enjoy! 🌿

09/12/2022

Christmas tree festival at East Harling Church. Baubles of medicinal herbs. 🎄💕

20/04/2021

Chickw**d (Stellaria media)
This lovely plant is very common in gardens and verges throughout the spring. Sprawling and often growing among nettle and other ‘w**ds’ chickw**d has a tiny, delicate, star shaped flower.
The plant is quite succulent and is therefore cooling. It is used externally to soothe hot and itchy skin, bites, stings and burns. Use the crushed plant directly or make an infused oil or vinegar.
Chickw**d is high in saponins and as such is an anti inflammatory herb. Internally it is used for bronchitis, gastritis and other respiratory and digestive problems. It also has reputation for aiding weight loss.
Eaten as a salad, chickw**d is rich is vitamins A and C and a variety of minerals, it can also be made into a pesto.

11/03/2021

What’s in a Spring tonic?

The idea of a Spring tonic is not new. Before supermarkets stocked food products available all year round, we used to eat seasonally. Throughout the winter, the only vegetables around may have been squash, dried beans and root vegetables, so the appearance of new, green shoots in the spring would’ve been a welcome sight. Below are three abundant and common early plants (or w**ds) that anyone can find and use.

The first is nettle which children learn to identify from an early age. Nettle has been used for millennia both as a food and medicine and a useful fibre for clothes and rope. Nettle is rich in iron, calcium, vitamin A and C. Medicinally, nettle is used for a wide range of ailments including anaemia, arthritis, allergies, inflammation, fluid retention and skin problems. Pick the fresh tops (obviously use gloves) and wash well. The sting is destroyed by heat, so cook as a replacement for spinach or other greens making into soup or adding to other dishes. Very young leaves can be made into pesto or simply drink as a tea or infusion. Nettle tastes earthy and green.

The second well-known plant is Dandelion, most people are familiar with the yellow blooms but the leaves appear first with a distinct tooth shape. Dandelion contains many minerals, especially potassium and is also rich in vitamins A, B, C, D. Young leaves boiled up as tea, wilted as greens or eaten fresh in a salad help to detoxify the blood and lymph by supporting and increasing elimination. The bitter flavour aids digestion and gently improves the functioning of the liver, gallbladder, digestive and urinary system.

The third herb is cleavers or goose grass also known as sticky w**d, it is one of the first traditional spring tonic herbs to sprout. Cleavers has a reputation as a lymphatic herb which means it helps the body to process waste from the tissues by increasing drainage to the lymphatic system which is then excreted by the kidneys. It is a good remedy for swollen glands, tonsillitis and earache and also the urinary system. Cleavers are best drunk as a cold infusion; pour cold water over a handful, leave overnight and drink every morning. If eating in a salad, it is best to eat it young before it becomes tough and hairy. Cleavers taste cooling and little like cucumber.

Take any of these daily on their own or in combination. Or make a tincture by combining equal parts, covering and liquidising with vodka, leave for 2-3 weeks then strain and take 1 or 2 teaspoons daily.

Always pick away from land with heavy road use, pesticides or dogs.

21/01/2021

https://www.ekhuft.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/news-centre/latest-news/east-kent-researchers-trial-black-elderberry-liquid-as-a-treatment-for-covid-19/

The liquid is known to have anti-viral properties and the team is the first in the UK to trial it for Covid-19.

18/09/2020

Hawthorn berries also tincture (mince them and add vodka). Pectin is high, so use wide mouth jar and shake regularly. Add this to your Hawthorn flower tincture for all round seasonal medicine.
Hawthorn is an amazing heart herb, that is complex and finely tuned: cardiac glycosides help to regulate heart beat and efficiency.
Great for blood pressure anomalies (it is amphoretic, so regulates) great for circulation and good tissue perfusion (add red/purple berries as antioxidants).
Emotionally, Hawthorn is for ♥️. What a gift from a hedgerow near you! 🌱♥️

12/05/2020

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp) a member of the Rose family Currently in full bloom, especially in the hedgerows with clusters of heavily scented, white flowers. Steeped in the folklore of Pagan and Christian traditions with strong associations of magic and ritual.
Medically, Hawthorn is a brilliant heart and circulatory tonic, restoring and strengthening the heart muscle and supporting circulation of the blood. Flowers, leaves and berries are used to treat heart disease, arteriosclerosis, and support circulation. The plant can hlep to normalise blood pressure, so can be used for both high and low blood pressure.*
Emotionally Hawthorn soothes the heart, reducing anxiety, calming bad dreams and insomnia. ♥️

* use under supervision of a qualified herbalist if taking beta blockers.

Below is a tincture I have started today with the flowers.

24/04/2020

Onion poultice!
This is a surprisingly simple yet effective kitchen remedy. Other great topical remedies include Mustard foot baths, steam inhalation (plain or with an infused chamomile teabag). Chest rub/balm - like Vicks - on torso and soles of the feet.

PLEASE READ THE NOTES BELOW A Tribute to the Onion - A testimonial of how I healed from pneumopathy with a simple remedy. With kind permission from Julie Bru...

02/04/2020

I made up a herbal tea mix with a focus on lungs and immunity. It contains the following: Plantain, Yarrow, Olive leaf, Spearmint, Elderflowers, Thuja, Sage and Hawthorn leaf. Most of these, I bought from a herbal supplier (except for last years Elderflowers) and i just added violets and citrus peel -that I picked/dried last week.
With the exception of olive leaf, all these common plants are appearing now, or will be soon in gardens, meadows and hedgerows, so I will be looking forward to a fresh version soon. 🌿♥️

24/03/2020

We are currently living in unprecedented and often bewildering times. Despite the global scope of COVID19, it feels like our personal worlds are shrinking in a variety of ways. There is a great deal of uncertainty and loss which generates fear and panic. There is also much that you can do for yourself and your family, to support your immunity and some of it is already in your kitchen cupboard and/or garden.
I have been hesitant to write about specific herbal treatments, however, there are some common features that have emerged from China and Europe of the effect the virus has on the body. Therefore the herbal approach is to support the body to counter these effects and build resilience.

WARMTH- Stay Warm and Move regularly with gentle exercise.

Make Fire Cider: Use equal amounts of fresh (1 tablespoon) or dried (1 teaspoon) - adjust the chilli according to tolerance. Include all/some of the following:
• Pungent plants like garlic, onion, horseradish.
• Spices such as ginger, clove, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne pepper/chilli, black pepper, cloves
• Aromatic herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage, basil and marjoram.
• Add a whole, chopped lemon and some honey. Fill a wide mouth jar and top up with cider vinegar. Either strain after 1-2 weeks or speed the process up by heating (bain-marie) for 60 mins.
• Add honey or glycerine to taste.
• Take a teaspoon several times a day in hot water.

• If you do not have vinegar, you can make a hot water infusion to be drank warm throughout the day.

Aromatic steam inhalation: Use fresh or dried herbs
Pine needle and citrus peel tea: Use your daily walk to gather some pine needles (NOT yew or Cypress) and save and dry your citrus peel.
Keep hydrated
Keep channels of elimination open (kidneys, liver, skin).
Ensure you are getting plenty: Fruit and vegetables, Garlic and onions. Vitamin D, Vitamin C and Zinc. Fresh air and exercise where possible.
Relax and try to get good sleep