Arlingham WI: Medical flowers in your garden with Caroline Sheldrick

THE business of the evening was led by Chris.

Activities on offer include a walk at Eastcombe, making a silk infinity scarf and a visit to Acton Court in August.

Our monthly luncheon will be at Egypt Mill on Tuesday, March 14, and it was decided to give the flowers to Sybil.

Our speaker this month was Caroline Sheldrick, who gave an interesting talk on ‘Medical flowers in your garden’.

She began with culinary herbs of the Labiatae family, some of which were used by the Roman army for medicinal purposes; garlic for example being well known for its antibacterial properties and ginger being well known as a medicine.

Lavender also came over with the Romans and can kill diphtheria and typhoid bacteria as well as being good for mild burns; handy to keep near the barbecue!

Many of the herbs mentioned are quite strong so only a little is needed as in the case of thyme, fennel and hyssop.

This is definitely an example where more is not better.

Thyme is good as a gargle for sore throats with its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal properties and is also good for digestion as is fennel, which is the main component of gripe water.

Hyssop has a long history and is even mentioned in the bible and is used as a purge but is also good for colds and bronchitis.

Many of these herbs can be used in different ways, for example dried (druga) from where the word ‘drug’ originates, infused in water, infused in oil and made into a cream or steeped in alcohol and made into a tincture.

The next group of plants are the ornamental plants such as the Californian poppy, which is a gentle sedative relieving anxiety, sciatica and shingles.

Most people will have heard of Echinacea - one of the few plants to have undergone exhaustive clinical trials.

Used by the native Americans, it works by increasing the white blood cells in the body and is an immune-enhancer used for skin diseases and even TB.

Any plant with the Latin name ‘Officinalis’ means that it was used by the monks as a medicine hence our word ‘Office’.

The last group is the wild plants such as dandelion, used as a diuretic and stinging nettles.

As well as cleansing they can also reduce blood sugar.

A handy tip is that if stung and no dock leaves are available then sage or rosemary work just as well.

If you are interested in herbal products then Caroline advised that ‘you get what you pay for’ so buy the best quality from a health food shop.

The March competition for something green was won by Chris with a four-leaf clover, second place went to Linda and third place to Sue.

The raffle was won by Maureen.

Refreshments by Beryl and Kay were much appreciated.

Arlingham WI meet on the second Thursday of each month at 7.30 in Arlingham Village Hall.

New members are most welcome - just come along on the night.