Hedge Monkey Herbs

27/09/2019

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20/06/2019

Natural Hangover Relief Tincture
The most common problem is the pounding headache caused by the alcohol, this is due to the blood vessels opening up too much in your head with increased blood flow which triggers the pain nerves, and also the diuretic effect creates dehydration. Feeling or being sick is a result of the drink irritating your stomach and central nervous system. Let’s not forget the general fatigue and feeling like crap which is due to the increase in acid in the blood and a possible increase of acetaldehyde. Plus alcohol has a depressant effect. Impurities and additives in alcohol known as congeners really help to ruin the morning after.

The combinations of tinctures I have used address the combined effect on the body of alcohol.
• Wood Betony (Stachys betonica) helps with headache, nervous debility, dizziness, lack of energy, liver and weak stomach.
• Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinalis) helps remove the toxins from the body by being a diuretic which does not strip the body of Potassium and aids the liver.
• White Willow Bark (Salix alba) allows the body to create Salicylic acid which is the basis of aspirins, so helps with the overall aching but without causing stomach issues.
• Meadowsweet (Filipendula almaria) this is included as it reduces stomach acid and re-flux while also adding an extra bit of pain relief.

You should also drink plenty of water, get some Potassium back in your body by supplement or better still eat a Banana which is high in Potassium. You may also find that Vitamins B, B6 and C will help as the alcohol can lower these. The tincture is good taken in Honey as it will help with your energy levels.

Please be “Drink Aware” and even though you may feel better from using the natural hangover relief you may still be over the legal drink drive limit so give your body time for this to reduce.

Please share this post far and wide thank you

Dave Moody The Hedge Monkey Herbalist.

06/05/2019

Nettle tincture is a good way to use this amazing herb which in my opinion is a wonderful herbal tea but many people are missing out on this due to not liking the taste of the tea. If this is you then try the tincture especially now summer is approaching as it is natural anti-histamine so a perfect aid to relieve hay fever and allergies.
I wrote a detailed post on benefits of Nettle in 2017 you can read that post by clicking on this link.

https://www.facebook.com/hedgemonkeyherbs/photos/a.209643232724515/471860386502797/?type=3&theater

Thanks for reading, please share the post.
As usual if you think you have any serious health issues please seek medical advice.
Dave Moody the Hedge Monkey Herbalist

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Nettle Leaf Tincture 50ml at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

20/04/2019

If you have room in your garden for a tree big or small then The Woodland Trust is a good place to get them.

Plant a tree with the Woodland Trust

19/04/2019

Cramp Bark is useful for any muscle pain and menstrual cramps.

Cramp bark is also used as a kidney stimulant for urinary conditions that involve pain or spasms. 50 ml Cramp Bark Tincture. Keep out of reach of children.

05/04/2019

Could the To***co Plant have any health benefits?

There is no denying that the use of the To***co Plant (Nicotiana tabacum) as a recreational herb has and is still killing millions of people across the world. It is one of the most deadly plants known to man. So why would I even think that there could be medical benefits from this plant.

Important Warning
The following is solely for educational purposes and any modern day to***co product will cause addiction and death so under no circumstances try any of the historic “cures” contained in this post.

I was looking through Culpeper’s Complete Herbal written in 1826. His entry for English To***co caught my eye. His description suggests he grew (Nicotiana tabacum).

This is what To***co was used for by him, causing extreme vomiting, Rheumatic pain ,bleeding piles, aching teeth, obstructed bowels, killing worms, those who are affected by cold diseases, kills head lice and other vermin, smoking a pipe shifts phlegm.

I then did a bit of research on Herbalism and To***co use over the centuries; I came across this article which made me think that the To***co plant may be of use externally. After the plant has been used in the west for nearly 600 years we might find there is still a use for this plant as a healing and not harming plant.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1079499/

Dave Moody the Hedge Monkey Herbalist

03/04/2019

Yarrow Tincture added to ebay, you can find a range of Hedge Monkey Herbs Teas, Tinctures & dried herbs by using the "shop" button.

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Yarrow Tincture 50ml at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

15/03/2019

Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca)
The herb is part of the Mint family Lamiaceae (Labiatae). This herb is an excellent heart tonic. This is evident from the Latin Cardiaca, Leonurus relates to Lion because the plant is also known by the common name Lion’s Ear.

An old saying probably from the middle ages was “Drink Motherwort tea and live to be a source of continuous astonishment and frustration to waiting heirs”

Motherwort is used by herbalist to help with Heart conditions that are caused by Angina on effort, Tachycardia from an over active thyroid, Hypertension.

The common name Motherwort is thought to have come about because it is an extremely effective herb for women that suffer from absent or painful menstruation, flushes caused by the menopause and pre-menstrual tension.
Due to this it should never be taken during pregnancy.

Motherwort combines well with other herbs for any of the above conditions.

Motherwort is quite slow in its actions on the body and needs to be taken over weeks to get the full benefit of the herb.

Culpeper wrote of the herb “There is no better herb to take melancholy vapours from the heart, to strengthen it, and make a merry, cheerful, blithe soul, then this herb. It makes women joyful mothers of children, and settles their wombs as they should be, therefore we call it Motherwort. It is held to be of much use for the trembling of the heart, and fainting’s and swooning’s…..”

This information is for educational purposes.
Dave Moody the Hedge Monkey Herbalist.

Image: ID 76301114 © Nadezhda Andriyakhina | Dreamstime.com

06/03/2019

This album contains tinctures that I make. If you would like to buy any message me.
As I make more the gallery will grow.

25/02/2019

I get asked a lot why use herbs instead of prescription medicines.
Most people do not realise that a huge percentage of prescription medicines are plant based. The pharmaceutical industry cannot pattern a plant, so they extract specific phytochemicals from the herbs. They will artificially where possible create a synthetic substitute for the actual chemical in the plant.
The problem with this is that they lose the properties that the whole herb has and create a medicine with countless side effects and often then class an herb as toxic.

Herbalist create medicine from the whole herb and do not extract single elements, natural herbs when used in this way often counter act any side effects and have side effects for the want of a better term that are beneficial to other body systems.
A good example is Dandelion it works as a really effective diuretic but the problem with diuretics is that they strip the body of Potassium. Dandelion taken as a whole herb either as a tea or tincture replaces the Potassium the body loses.

White Willow bark contains salicin a type of salicylate which the digestive process converts to salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is what aspirin is made from but when the body creates the salicylic acid you get the anti-inflammatory and pain relief without the side effects of taking salicylic acid directly which is what aspirin basically is and can cause stomach ulcers.

The gallery shows just 123 drugs that you may be prescribed that were derived from plants.

If you would like to discuss how herbs can help you with your health issues then message me.
Dave Moody The Hedge Monkey Herbalist

This album shows 123 modern drugs that are derived from plants

25/02/2019

This album shows 123 modern drugs that are derived from plants

16/11/2018

Winter Wellness Herbal Tea
This is a blend of 3 herbs that will help protect you against colds and flu through the winter months and it tastes really good as well.
A blend of Elderberries, Echinacea & Rosehip, these herbs have been used to fight against colds and flu for thousands of years.

• Elderberries are full of flavonoids which help to stop a virus from replicating.

• Echinacea has an effect on the immune system by triggering White Blood Cells also known as T-Cells, these cells attack a virus. So the herb has a similar effect as an antibiotic but it supports your body’s own ability to deal with infections as opposed to killing the virus directly.

• Rosehip adds natural Vitamin C and sweetens the blend, Vitamin C is a must if you want to try and prevent or increase the time you get over colds and flu.

A cup of Elderberry, Echinacea & Rosehip tea a day helps support you in the winter months but you may find you want to drink 2 or 3 as it tastes so good.

If you do catch a cold or flu then a cup every 4 hours will lessen the time it takes to get well again. The tea can be sweetened if you find it a little too tart, I prefer to sweeten it with a spoonful of Honey but you can use whichever sweetener you prefer.

If you would like to buy some Hedge Monkey Herbs Winter Wellness tea , tea bags or loose blend then follow the links to my ebay page in the comments..
• 50 grams loose blend £2.80
• 20 Teabags £3.20
Wishing you well this winter
Dave Moody the Hedge Monkey Herbalist

Send a message to learn more

31/10/2018

Happy Halloween from Hedge Monkey Herbs.
Things you can do with your Pumpkins beside carving like the one pictured, a spooky creation by my wife.
Pumpkins flesh is a good face mask for dry skin and wrinkles, just puree the Pumpkin and apply to the face.

The seeds are excellent treatment for Tapeworms, grind the seeds and mix with Honey.

They are also good for an enlarged prostate gland and have a male hormone effect on the gland.

The seeds either eaten or made into an infusion (tea) are good to relieve Cystitis, Minor Kidney dysfunction and as a diuretic.

Pumpkins are rich in Vitamin B, Vitamin A, Calcium, Iron, Phosphorus and Zinc. They contain the nutrients Linoleic acid and Cucurbitacins.

So not only fun for carving but great for your wellbeing.

Information provided by
Dave Moody The Hedge Monkey Herbalist

If you think you have a problem with your Prostate please see your Doctor and use Pumpkin as a supplement to any treatment recommended by the Doctor.

23/10/2018

This week I'll show you how to make your own infused oils in just 7 days.

What you will need.
• 50 grams of dried herb or spice.
• 50 – 80 ml of Vodka
• Blender
• Jar and bottle
• Oven proof dish.
• Fine metal strainer/muslin cloth
Steps
1) Place 50 grams dried herb in a jar.
2) Dampen with Vodka.
Leave for 48 hours.
3) Add 500ml of oil and blend. Return to jar and shake occasionally over 5 days.
4) Empty herb and oil into an oven proof dish heat in oven at 75 degrees for 3-4 hours, this will evaporate any alcohol. Remove from oven allow to cool for 10 minutes.
5) Strain through fine sieve or muslin cloth.
6) Bottle & label
7) Enjoy

The oil can be used in herbal salves and creams if you used botanical herbs. If you use culinary herbs and spices they can be added to food or enjoyed with French stick as a dipping oil.

Infused oils in 7 days brought to you
by Dave Moody The Hedge Monkey Herbalist

02/10/2018

Simple Safe Natural Alternative to Petroleum Jelly you can make at home.
This week I thought I would share with you an easy to make moisturising ointment. The base of this is just 2 ingredients oil and wax.

The ointment can be used as is for moisturising dry hard skin or medicated with herbs to create your own homemade ointments. It is also a good barrier ointment.

Let’s look at making the basic ointment; you will need a 100ml of Olive Oil and 12 grams of Beeswax, a suitable small saucepan or double boiler.

Pour the oil and wax into the saucepan and heat very gently over a low heat stirring to dissolve the wax. Once the wax is dissolved give it a few minutes on the heat and keep stirring.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes and pour into a suitable glass or earthenware jar.
Once completely cool put the lid on the jar and label.

Well I think you will agree that was pretty simple.

A few important tips do not boil the oil which you should not need to do as the wax melts around 63 degrees Celsius and the oil boils around 200 degrees.

The ointment should be good for about 6 months but I tend to go by the best before date on the oil.

To make a medicated ointment you will need the basic ointment ingredients plus 15 grams of the dried herb.
The process does take longer so allow 3 hours to make this.
You are going to add the herb to the wax and oil and then pour this into an oven proof glass or ceramic bowl. Place this in your oven on a low heat setting no higher than 75 degrees and then stir it occasionally over the 3 hours.

After 3 hours allow to cool slightly and then strain the contents through a wire sieve into a glass jar.

Do not let the oil boil if it looks like it is getting too hot then reduce the heat of the oven or open the door for a little while to reduce the heat.

Here are some of my favourite herbs and their uses.
• Pot Marigold flowers – Antifungal and Antiseptic good for athlete’s foot, general sores, dry skin.
• Lemon Balm – One of the best treatments for cold sores and you know what you are putting on your lips is not toxic if it gets into your mouth.
• Elder Flower – Is an excellent and soothing addition for dry skin especially eczema.
• Plantain – A wonderful addition for old sores and it will help draw out splinters. I have used this for styes with really good results.
• Cayenne Pepper - For painful Arthritic and Rheumatic joints.
Simple homemade ointment brought to you by
Dave Moody the Hedge Monkey Herbalist

25/09/2018

Herbal Cough mixture you can make at home.

It’s that time of year when the air temperature starts to fall, this can bring on coughs. This is a simple cough mixture you can make at home it is vinegar and honey based (Oxymel) so will keep for a few months, so make it now and you’ll have it ready for when it is needed.
You will need:
• 1 onion
• 4 teaspoons dried Thyme
• 1 cup Cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup of Honey

Directions:
Peel and chop the Onion. Put the Onion and Thyme in a small saucepan and cover with the cup of Cider vinegar. Bring to the boil and simmer gently until the liquid is reduced to a around a quarter.
Strain through a fine sieve, coffee filter or muslin cloth. If you can squeeze the contents then do.
To the warm infused vinegar add the Honey, stir well. Allow to cool and bottle, stick a label on the bottle and keep in the fridge. The mixture should last for at least 3 months stored this way.

Dose:
Take 5-10 ml (1-2 teaspoons) every 4 hours until cough has gone. Shake the bottle well be for use.
If cough persist for more than 5 days then you should see a doctor.
Cough relief brought to you by Dave Moody the Hedge Monkey Herbalist.

05/09/2018

Greater Burdock (Arctinum lappa)
Description: Greater Burdock is a biennial plant that reaches a height of up to 2 metres, and is native to Europe and Asia; it can also be found growing in the United States. It has large, alternating, heart shaped leaves that attach to the stem. The flowers have purple flowers on the tip of prickly globe shapes bracts and are 1 to 3 cm across, composed of purple disc florets surrounded by several rows of overlapping hooked bracts. The flowers dry out and become brown in the autumn when the seed is produced.

Burdock has been used for hundreds of years by herbalist. It is a wonderful herb for the treatment of eczema, psoriasis and dandruff when taken internally and used externally. Burdock is an excellent “blood cleansing” tonic and aids the function of both the liver and kidneys. It has an antibiotic effect against staphylococcus which is a bacterial infection that affects the skin, nose and throat.
Herbalist may use Burdock to help clients with any of the following problems. Arthritis, gout, boils styes, seborrhoea, cystitis, anorexia nervosa, diabetes and lowering cholesterol levels.

Burdock is also used to help with pre-menstrual tension.
The wide range of uses is not surprising as the phytochemicals contained in Burdock give it a wide range of actions these are adaptogen, alterative, anti-fungal, hepatic, lymphatic, diaphoretic, diuretic, laxative, hypoglycaemic, orexigenic (increases appetite) and bitter.

It combines well with Dandelion root. You may have drunk as a child or still do Dandelion & Burdock fizzy drinks not sure of the health benefits from this due to sugars and preservatives used but probably no more harmful than other fizzy drinks.

You can make a decoction from the roots of both plants and enjoy the taste and health benefits.
The root is mostly used but the young stems and leaves can be eaten as a vegetable. Burdock contains good levels of Iron, sulphur and B vitamins.

The burs of the burdock inspired the Swiss inventor George de Mestral to invent Velcro, he became curious about the nature of the burs after finding them stuck all over his dogs coat when they’d been walking near some burdock plants.

25/08/2018

Not just using Ecosia as a search engine will help plant more trees across the world but by buying clothing from them also gets trees planted. Hedge Monkey Herbs makes nothing from encouraging you to by their products or use the search engine but we think it is a brilliant idea and applaud what they do.

21/07/2018

All set up and ready

18/07/2018

This seems on the surface a good idea, we probably can't replace trees as fast as cut them down and we tend to plant straight rows of trees and without the natural diversity in species that nature does. With that said any help is better than none.

18/07/2018

Hi all, not posted for a while as I've been busy making soap for this Saturday's Craft Fair at Yandles, see the images with this post for details.
Tracey Nicholls who has a stall for her unique handmade jewelry has kindly let me use a bit of her space to sell my soaps.
If you are in the area why not come and say hello.
Dave Moody
The Hedge Monkey Herbalist

18/07/2018

20/06/2018

This information is from an American site but really good advice regarding foraging
https://learningherbs.com/skills/foraging/?utm_sq=fp2ti8kngj

Foraging for edible or medicinal plants? Here's how to have a fun and rewarding experience without harming the environment or yourself.

19/06/2018

Common Mallow with a Bee visiting at Cape Cornwall

31/05/2018

Wood Avens (Geum urbanum)
Also known as Avens, Colewort, St. Benedict's herb and Herb Bennet
You may have seen this pretty little yellow flower growing in hedge rows by the sides of paths or even in your garden. It can look a little straggly and grow to about 18 inches tall. It flowers throughout May and June. The flowers do not stay long before you see the burrs which will stick to your clothes and contain the seeds.
The herb has been used by herbalist for a long time and is considered a safe herb that you could wild craft and use for the ailments listed below. You should always have permission to collect wild flowers from the land owner and avoid collecting where there are a lot of traffic fumes and any risk that the land has been sprayed with chemicals.
I’m lucky as it grows in shady parts of my garden so know it is safe to collect.
Avens traditionally have been used as an infusion (herbal tea) to treat Ulcerative Colitis, Diarrhoea, Diverticulitis and Crohn’s disease.
It has anti-haemorrhagic, anti-inflammatory actions on the bowel and intestine. Avens is also a gentle astringent, stomachic and antiseptic.

Culpeper used the herb for a lot of complaints and wrote “It is good for the diseases of the chest or breast, for pains and stitches in the side, and to expel crude and raw humours from the belly and stomach, by its sweet savour and warming quality. It dissolves the inward congealed blood happening by falls or bruises.”
He also wrote “The root in spring time steeped in wine, doth give it a delicate savour and taste; and being drank fasting every morning, comforteth the heart and, is a good preservative against plague, or any other poison.”

You can make an infusion from either the fresh or dried herb, using the fresh herb use 1-2 teaspoons steeped in half cup approximately 125ml boiling water for 15 minutes and drink 3-4 times a day. Half the herb quantity if using dried herb.
You can also use the infusion to bathe bruises and as a face wash for spots and to improve your complexion.

The information provided is for educational purposes
Dave Moody the Hedge Monkey Herbalist.

23/04/2018

Lady's Smock or Cuckoo Flower
Latin name Cardamine pratensis
This once common spring flower is not as common as it was due to the loss of meadows. It likes damp meadows and I came across these on the Somerset Levels.
Herbalist do not use this plant much if at all now a days, so you may not find it in modern herbal books.
The only herbal that I own that has an entry for it is "Culpeper's Complete Herbal & English Physician" published in 1826. Lady's Smock was a common meadow plant then.
He says of it "They are under the domination of the Moon, and very little inferior to water cresses in all their operations; they are excellent good for the scurvy; provoke urine, and break the stone, and excellently warm a cold and weak stomach, restoring lost appetite, and help digestion."
From this I would say that it is a bitter herb but one that is best looked at and enjoyed for its beauty and left for others to enjoy.
The flowers are white to pale lilac in colour.

If you do come across a wild flower and not sure what it is then feel free to post an image of it and I'll try and help you identify it. Where it was located is also helpful i.e. damp pasture, woodland etc.

15/04/2018

Hedge Monkey Herbs followers in Somerset may want to check these woods out as there is nothing that makes you feel more spring like than a walk in a Bluebell wood.

The arrival of bluebells truly marks spring, providing a gorgeous sea of blue across the Somerset countryside. We pick 9 places to admire a beautiful display of this delicate flower in the county

06/04/2018

Cowslip (Primula veris)
Another early wild flower I saw this week was Cowslips a sign that spring is upon us. I like them for their beauty and don’t harvest from the wild. You can buy dried Cowslip flowers and roots but I do not sell them, they are used by other herbalist and have been for a long time. They are not so common in the wild as they once were so buy cultivated if you can and not wild crafted.

As with many of our spring flowers Cowslip can be used to treat Bronchial conditions as well as whooping cough. Herbalist may use it also to treat anxiety, nervous headache and sleeplessness.
This would be taken as an infusion (herbal tea) of the dried flowers. To make an infusion you just put 2 teaspoonfuls of dried Cowslip flowers into a teapot and add a cupful (250ml)of boiling water allow to stand for 5-10 minutes and strain. You can sweeten with honey often helpful if treating bronchial conditions.

The root can be gently boiled in water for 20 minutes, strained and drunk in the same way as an infusion. Herbalist may use it for a number of conditions including varicose veins, sciatica or lumbago.

Nicholas Culpeper (1616 - 1654) a herbalist famous for writing the Complete Herbal and many other books on British wild medicinal plants. Here is his recommendation for a cream to restore beauty made from the flowers.

“An ointment being made with them, taketh away spots and wrinkles of the skin, sun-burning, and freckles , and adds beauty exceedingly”.

The information provided is for educational purposes by Dave Moody the Hedge Monkey Herbalist.

18/03/2018

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

Regardless of the weather the countryside is emerging from winter with the awakening of the first spring flowers. Coltsfoot strong scaled stem and bright yellow flowers are showing defiance to whatever elements are thrown its way.

Besides giving hope that it should be getting warmer as the days grow longer. Coltsfoot seems to know that humans will be suffering coughs, especially dry unproductive ones that seem to hit us just when we thought we had escaped the winter coughs and colds. If you are or have ever been a smoker you will know the type of cough I’m talking about as it is often called a smokers cough.

If you are thinking to yourself I could have done with this a couple of months back or last week then now is the ideal time to pick some and get it dried so you have it to hand in the future.
Coltsfoot works as a relaxing expectorant but also has demulcent, antispasmodic, antitussive, anti-catarrhal properties and stimulates the immune system.

You can make a tea from the flowers and or leaves on their own or mixed. Coltsfoot plants flower first then the leaves come after so you cannot collect both at the same time. Either flowers or leaves can be used on their own but if you can collect both it gives you the benefit of whole plant medicine which I practice as a western herbalist.
The leaves were once smoked in herbal to***co mixes to aid bronchial conditions but this is not something that tends to be done much now because of other toxic chemicals that are produced when burning plant material.

Safety Considerations
Coltsfoot does contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids which can cause hepatotoxic, genotoxic or carcinogenic effects. If you are careful regarding the amount of Coltsfoot you use then the risk is quite low but still exists as there is not high concentrations of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in a tea made from 1 – 2 teaspoons of flowers or leaf as hot as possible and drink a half to one cupful 3 times a day. Do not use Coltsfoot for more than 4 – 6 weeks per year.
Do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding.

Coltsfoot is a powerful herb and should only be used for a severe cough as there are many other herbs which can be used that are gentler.
The information provided is for educational purposes by Dave Moody the Hedge Monkey Herbalist.