Sit and Drink Pennyroyal Tea

Been doing a spot of "Herballing"  today, in the manner of a Greek or Arabic physician of days gone by, or rather an overheated man with no idea what he's talking about.

We have a couple of plants well known for their medical qualities growing at work at the moment. There's plenty of feverfew around, a plant still used for treating migraine and headaches. But more dramatically, there's a lot of pennyroyal around at the moment too, with its distinctive circles of blue blowers impaled on a stem looking like the smoke rings roadrunner leaves when he shoots off.

It is growing in thickish patches on dry scrubland and mud at the moment, and the powerful peppermint smell its leaves give off when crushed is unmistakable when you walk amongst it. Red tailed bumbles love it.

It is a plant with a dark history. It's ability to induce abortions was known about  in Classical times - Aristophanes jokes about it in one of his plays. Cleopatra knew what it was for. Women have died taking it.

And Kurt Cobain of Nirvana famously sang about it.

Si

All text and  images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 18.07.18

Winter Cress is Visiting

You may have noticed a picture on my blog of a tiny yellow flowered plant that has mysteriously sprung up in my garden. First there was one, which I photographed, but now more and more have sprung up along the short path to my front door to my gate.

A little bit of research, and a lot more instagram help, has revealed this to be winter cress, an actually edible little plant that has been blown in on the breeze from somewhere.

Good little find! It has cheered me up to find it in my little postage stamp world!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 11.04.17