Jan 112020

I’ve been sending out lots of detox and liver support herbal tonics this month, for people who are doing either dry January, or Veganuary – and a few determined individuals who are doing both!

Toxic overload

Everyone knows that alcohol takes its toll on the liver, and so too do animal products. Meat and dairy products from animals that have been intensively reared are loaded with antibiotics, hormones and toxins from commercial animal feeds. Even pasture-raised, free range animals are subject to toxic overload, as toxins in the environment (grass/air), such as dioxins (which imitate and therefore disrupt hormone function), collect in fatty tissue (of animals and the humans that consume them!)

Herbal detox

As well as the non-consumption of alcohol and animal products, the other thing you can do to help optimise liver function and detox the body, is to take a herbal tonic. It’s best to do the whole diet and lifestyle thing at the same time, as herbs work best when we are supporting the body in other ways. The less challenges the herbs have to contend with, the easier it is for them to do what they do best. Which is help the body to cleanse and rebalance itself, achieve and maintain the best possible state of health.

Love your liver

My herbal detox tonic contains milk thistle (well known for its liver-cleansing capabilities), globe artichoke (liver and kidney support, and helps reduce unhealthy cholesterol levels), and schisandra berry (a fantastic liver herb which herbalists use for acute and chronic liver disease and chemical damage; it’s also what we call a ‘nervine’, so it helps to relieve stress and anxiety, basically calming the nervous system), rosemary (also improves circulation, mental alertness and memory), and barberry (a ‘bitter’ renowned for improving digestive function).

Quality assurance

My herbal detox tonic is made from concentrated liquid extracts of these medicinal plants. They are far more potent than anything you can buy over-the-counter. And they are from reliable, professional sources. The rosemary is cultivated and distilled by myself, on my own land on the Lizard peninsula in beautiful, rural Cornwall.

How to order

If you’d like a bottle, it’s £10 +£5 p&p for a 10-day supply (100ml), £20 + £5 p&p for 20-day supply (200ml). I will need to ask you a few general health questions before dispensing, regarding any health issues, including allergies, you may have, and any medication currently taking.

Please email me at deannegreenwood@me.com to order or for further details.

Spring detox

cleavers, Deanne Greenwood Medical Herbalist, Foraging, herbal detox, Herbal home remedies, Home herbal remedies, Lizard Herbs, lymphatic herb, Making Tincures No Responses »

Apr 222019

Hi! I have been a bit off grid, due to moving house – to somewhere wild and beautiful, and bursting with medicinal plants – hence no herbals posts for a while. But today I gathered my first crop of the season from the garden – loads of lush cleavers (Galium aparine) that literally wrapped itself around me. (It’s very sticky – aka ‘sticky willy’; also goosegrass!)

Oh how I love this plant for its detoxifying and immune-boosting properties. Perfect for a herbal spring detox.

Foraging For Food and Medicine

dandelion leaf, Deanne Greenwood Medical Herbalist, Foraging, Healing places, Herbal home remedies, Home herbal remedies, In the news, Lizard Herbs, Self-help No Responses »

May 042017

Wild foraging

I do loads of foraging for medicinal plants to make herbal remedies, but also to add to salads and use in cooking. Yesterday, I’d run out of garlic, so dug up some Three-cornered Leeks, which are all over The Lizard (southernmost point of England) at the moment, used the bulbs in my cooking and the lovely white flowers to decorate (and munch on because they’re as tasty as they are pretty). Another favourite to add a lemony zest to salads is sorrel – the young leaves are particularly succulent in the Spring.

Urban foraging

You don’t have to live in a rural area to forage, though. This week, there was a wonderful photo feature in the online Guardian about foraging courses being run in different parts of the country, including urban areas such as London! It turns out one of the joint course leaders, Alex Laird, is a medical herbalist I did work experience with at The Haven Breast Cancer Care centre, when I was a student. She is an amazing teacher and guide. So if you fancy doing a bit of foraging, I’d encourage you to check out this Guardian feature here and/or visit the Foraging Courses website here .

A soothing herbal remedy for coughs and sore throats

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Sep 142014

elderberry, thyme and liquorice cough linctus made by medical herbalist Deanne Greenwood, who practices in Falmouth, Helston, Penzance and The Lizard in Cornwall. This weekend I’ve been gathering lush fat, juicy elderberries from around The Lizard here in Cornwall, to make Elderberry, Thyme & Liquorice cough linctus. Works wonders for sore throats, too, and as a general winter pick-me-up. Elderberries are packed with vitamin C and other antioxidants, and I’ve added tincture of thyme for its antiseptic and antibacterial properties, and tincture of liquorice as it’s a great expectorant for bringing up phlegm, and also a soothing demulcent for sore throats and chests. It’s utterly delicious, and it works! You can make your own elderberry linctus at home, adding in herbs such as ginger root, cinnamon or liquorice sticks to taste and for added medicinal purposes.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Place 500g elderberries in a saucepan. If you’re adding additional herbs such as chopped ginger root (no need to peel), cinnamon or liquorice sticks, tie these up firmly in a piece of muslin, on a long piece of string, and dunk them in with the berries.

2. Cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat and, when cool, remove the bag of herbs.

4. Squeeze the juice out of the berries through a jelly bag, or a sieve lined with a piece of muslin.

5. Add enough water to make the liquid up to 500ml.

6. Return to the pan, add 500g of granulated sugar and heat gently, stirring continuously, until all the sugar has dissolved.

7. Cover, allow to cool, stir in 2tbs of lemon juice and then pour into sterilised bottles. (You’ll have up to 750ml of linctus depending on how well you squeezed the berries.)

I find this keeps very well in the fridge for 2-3 months, providing you are rigorous with sterilisation.