Fenland Natural Health will promote use of herbal medicine at workshop in Sutterton

Many of us often reach for over the counter medication when we’re feeling under the weather, but what if everything we needed was in our back gardens?

A holistic health service in Lincolnshire aims to promote the use of plants being used as medication, and members hope that people will start to view it as a first resort, rather than their last.

The Fenland Natural Health organisation, based in Spalding, is run by herbalists Emma Barker, Lois Campbell, and Ghislaine Headland-Vanni.

Emma Barker, who is also a lecturer for the clinical herbalism course at the University Centre at Lincoln College, said: “We set up Fenland Natural Health because we wanted to promote the use of herbal medicine and all of it’s benefits. All three of us gained a degree and specialise in this field of work and we are keen to share our knowledge with the public.

“It’s all about connecting people with nature. We’ve lost touch with our roots and the connection we used to have with the planet we live on.

“I think that if more people were connecting and understood all of the benefits that we can get from the plants, then there would be a lot more respect for the environment.

“We host a monthly herb club, workshops and medicine walks across Lincolnshire to open peoples eyes so they can see what is growing around us all the time.

Some of the illnesses Emma explained that plants can help overcome include hay-fever, colds, the flu, chronic conditions such as Multiple sclerosis (MS) and chronic fatigue – there are also other herbalists in the UK who specialise in herbal remedies for cancer patients.

She said: “Often people will come to us after trying different remedies that didn’t work and I think we are always a last resort. Some of the patients who come to see us may be taking a lot of orthodox medication prescribed by their doctors, so we have to be very careful with what we suggest for them to take.

“We are definitely not anti-medicine and we hope to promote taking herbal medicines, as it can boost your immune system and reduce the length of time of suffering for.

“I think we do take it all for granted and rely on doctors too much when a lot of the things that can help us are readily available in our back gardens and around us all the time.

“Our main ethos is to increase the awareness of all of these plants and make people understand that we could be taking better care of ourselves by using the resources we have on our doorsteps.

“By putting on the different workshops and activities we are making sure people know how to do it safely. The knowledge that we used to have has been lost in modern day, so it’s all about refreshing them with that information and going back to the old methods and ways that are actually quite effective.”

Fenland Natural Health group will be hosting a Spring Herbal Medicine Workshop on Saturday, May 4, from 2pm until 5pm at Sutterton Village Hall.

The workshop will teach attendees about traditional herbal remedies that can be made from Spring herbs. Guests will learn how to forage, use the herbs in their day-to-day lives and find out the best methods for drying them. There will also be some herbal taste testing and the chance to make traditional herbal remedies to take home and put to good use.

Emma said: “We make a range of different things but it always changes depending on what plants are available for the season we are in.

“In the spring I tend to make tonics because there are a lot of good herbs to put in it, such as nettles, dandelions, cleavers and yarrow.

“We decoct the herbs with lemon juice, ginger, cinnamon or cloves to make it taste nice or we would add apple cider vinegar to preserve it, after that we would tell people to take two teaspoons every day to encourage healthy circulation and liver function.

“We also make hay-fever syrups with dried elderflower and salves for dry skin, which normally have English marigold and chickweed in them as they are soothing and calming for the skin.”

All of the herbs and ingredients for the workshop are provided by Fenland Natural Health. Attendees will also get recipe sheets and information to take home so that they can recreate them in future.

Make sure to bring your own jam jars and bottles for the products to be put into. Tickets for the event cost £45 per person.

The monthly herb club runs from February until November and costs £5 to attend. It includes a presentation on herbs, taste testing and hand making tea, and is led by the specialists.

For more information or to book your tickets for the herbal medicine workshop, visit the Fenland Natural Health website or Facebook page.