Boto-Illustrators

Last week was actually a two-part bonanza lesson. Fresh from our dabbling in seasonal remedies we went straight into the sharp end of the stick in botanical illustration.

Jacqui Pestell, Botanist, illustrator-extraordinaire and RBGE lecturer arrived from the Diploma class laden with reams of paper, pencils, rulers, rubbers and, yes, sticks. Placing giant pelargonium leaves in watery jars along the table in front of us, she then took us through a succinct lesson in elementary drawing techniques for botanists.

The tricks are quite simple:

Considerations:

·         Position plant to see front, back, stem, and joins so as to tell the most information.

·         Tell a story showing different aspects of the plant’s life cycle.

·         Prepare specimen without altering natural structure of the plant

·         Draw flower, side and full view, a section, a cut-through and seeds.

Techniques:

·         Use a sharp HB pencil. Keep an emery board to the side.

·         Sit straight and anchor your elbow to release the wrist.

·         Applying pressure on the pencil gives tonal gradation

Preparation:

·         Look at the main characteristics of the plant

·         Use a ruler to measure specimen to determine how many cms long the main stem is, where it bends and where the big leaves are.

·         Use angles of pencil and ruler to inform line

·         Look at overall shape and inner detail

Now botanical illustrations adorn most bedrooms, loos and the halls of Kew, they sometimes make it to a coffee table book and copious jars of old fashioned cold creams sport their images. By definition, botanical illustration is part of scientific inquiry, so cannot find favour in the category of ‘true’ art (let’s leave Tracy Emin out of this line of thought for the moment). We can therefore deduce that this art form must easy and so accessible to all – even a team of blossoming Herbologists…..

But from the moment Jacqui stopped demonstrating and we lifted pencils to make simple outline drawing of the pelargoniums, the class fell to pieces.  It took some of us 10 mins to draw one line, others (no names here) used more rubber than lead in their compositions. Some masterpieces covered 4 square inches and others moved to the recycling bin with alacrity.

In good old classroom style, the minute Jacqui left the room to attend to her real illustrators, the suppressed moans and sighs of frustration formed words and turned the air nearly blue, only some serious pencil sharpening, tea and positive therapy in the form of semi-hysterical laughter kept us to our task.

The results?  Remarkable for their verisimilitude, don’t you think?

 

Chasing the Winter Blues

Last week we went back to our roots (literally) to learn about winter herbal remedies. The western pharmacopeia is full of ancient and new herbs that help us to overcome wintertime afflictions, coughs, colds and flus.  A battalion of remedies exists to ward them off (or at least keep them at bay) including syrups, lozenges, balms, teas and tinctures.

We started with the Holistic Evergreens: Holly, Yew, Ivy, Mistletoe and Pine (all very Christmassy!)

Holly (Ilex) – The berries (favourites of those gluttonous wood pigeons) are somewhat toxic, but not deadly and if dried, ground and powdered create an effective antiseptic dusting powder used in winter to help dry sticky or seeping wounds.

Yew – (Taxus baccata) the oldest growing plant in Europe (Fortingall Yew?) is one of the classic herbs that has been in use since ancient times (first noted in Avicenna’s work of 1021 AD) and commonly found in cemeteries in Europe). The leaves and berries can be toxic, but both the bark and a fungus producing Taxol growing within the inner bark have proved extremely efficacious in treating cervical cancer.

Ivy (Hedera helix) – is very high in saponins and is used as an expectorant in bronchial treatments as it will stimulate a cough. It is also used topically as a vulnerary and studies show that Falacarinol, a plyyne produced from the leaves, can help to prevent breast cancer.

Misteltoe (Viscum album) is actually a semi-parasitic plant that grows in a wide variety of trees. It is classified as a Schedule 3 plant as it is so potentsive having a strong effect on the circulatory and respiratory functions.  However, combined with garlic and hawthorn in herbal preparations it can be used lower blood pressure.  Research has also indicated it as a recuperative supplement for post-cancer operation patients.

Scots Pines (Pinus sylvestris) – Pine needle tea is packed with tannin rich antioxidants and full of oligomeric procyanidins which are fantastically good for you (and also found in Sea Buckthorn and Grape seed extract oils).  These are also now used as a supplement for those recovering from cancer as the help to kick start the immune system and remove those ever-roaming free radicals…

EARLY BLOOMERS are those lovely plants that spring forth with new life far faster than the sun rises in northern climes.  They bloom like mad when no others will dare and gain the affection of starving bees and insects in reward.  Like the evergreens above, they provide a seasonal cabinet of good cures:

Magnolia – is an ancient genus, evolved before bees were around so its the beetles that benefit from this show of flowers. The bark is used as a tonic in traditional Chinese medicine, great for times of ‘over-indulgence’.

Fragrant Winter Hazel barks such as from Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)  have a high tannin content which is astringent and used in familiar over-the-counter lotions for treating insect bites, acne and aftershave. Winter Hazel bark (Corylopsis glaucescens) is antiseptic and a vulnerary too.

Wintersweet (Chimonanthus) is one of the few where the flowers and leaves are used rather than bark. The flowers encourage salivation and a slake a great thirst, but are also used to help with colds and treat depression. Traditionally leaves and roots are poulticed and used to treat rheumatism, aches and agues.

Winter Bush Honeysuckle (Jasminim mediflorium) produces flowers that are good to use on dreamy people. They can also be made into an infusion to treat coughs.

Winter Flowering Jasmine (Jasminim multiflorium) flowers are a diaphoretic which can be used to reduce a fever. They actually do this by raising the body temperature causing vasodilatation which brings blood to the surface and helps to detoxify the system.

Winter Flowering Viburnum (Viburnum farreri opulus) – was often called Cramp Bark as it was used as an antispasmodic.  Its fruits are used in Chinese medicine and there is some reference to it being used to treat asthma. Funnily enough, Viburnum was the wood  Otzi the Iceman’s used for his arrows too.

White Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles) bears fruit that is highly astringent but also contains great dose of that essential winter wonder, Vitamin C. They are often made into jellies and liqueurs (after they are bletted). Both fruit and seeds are mucilaginous and can be used as a demulcent.

Winter Cherry (Prunus serotina) bark is used as a traditional western cough medicine. The leaves however contain cyanogenic gylcocides which is poisonous to animals (and humans, we assume).

Seasonal Remedy Herbs 

Along with our lovely garden harbingers of spring, are a number of other herbs that can be used alone or in combination to combat coughs, colds, warm the body and boost the immune system. They are:

Balm of Gilead (Populus gileadensis)

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

Elecampane (Imula helenium)

White Horehound (Marrubium vulgare)

Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)

Iceland Moss (Centaria islandica)

Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza  glabra)

Lobelia (Lobelia inflata)

Marshmallow (Althea officinalis)

Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

Pleurisy root (Asclepias tuberosa)

If you don’t have time to concoct any of these, try going to a Chinese market and buying a bottle of King-To Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa – a fantastic herbal remedy known to sooth coughs, sore throats and even help with asthma -  highly recommended by Catherine too!

Glasshouses

Our journey this week took us beyond the classroom again, this time into the gardens and glasshouses of the RBGE’s amazing living collections. 

We started with an introduction to the ecology of woodlands; native ones in particular, to gain an understanding of the alliance of minerals, soil and light in creating habitats for native, introduced, alien and endemic species.  Our native plants and their habitats form a relatively young ecosystem, born out of the devastation wrecked by the Ice Age 12,000 years ago.  The plants that have re-established a presence in Britain have done so through a variety of methods from slow and steady inch-by-inch expansion to re-possession by stealth (via birds and humans). In fact up until 1500 AD we had only 1200 species in Britain – now we have 6,000-10,000 - thanks to human introduction.

A terrain, whether acid or alkaline, creates a microcosm of interdependency and community among its residents. The peat bogs exist in tandem with the Scots pine forests – each as acidic as the other – and nurture a plethora of like-minded plants, and we assume animals. Sunlight lingering on the tree tops, delivers bright lightwaves of read and blue, absorbed transformed into photosynthesis, whilst at the bottom of the forest floor, subterfuge is used to grab the remaining green light, as plants twist and twine a channel to the top or cling to another's height to gain light and life.

We finished our morning with a stroll through the gardens, to explore micro-environments of Scottish natives and to revel in the outburst of colour and scent released by the nearby Witch hazels (Hamamelis virginia). Sneakily taking a few small flowers we returned to our lab to create our first spirit specimens.

Our afternoon took us deep in the glass palaces that house the flora of continents, islands and kings. The fight for light continues with palms racing for the heights and creeping tendrils weaving up pillars and posts. Pink begonias blaze with colour in the January gloom, bewildered because surely it is summer in South Africa… and North American immigrants, the clever cactii maintain their spiky defenses to ward off invasive insects, heat and Rosewell aliens.

In the great forests of the largest glasshouse are the equatorial bananas and gingers conducting a simpler wars of brilliant colour, purple fruits and enormous leaves. Gentle breezes they find no more, but the misting wands of the nations gardeners keep them happy through the winter days.

Honey Farm

Now, between my lunar calendar, biodynamic calendar, Chinese 5 Elements chart, bio-rhythms, meridians and menstrual cycle, I was beginning to feel a wee bit overwhelmed (wee as in the understated, Calvinist, Scottish vernacular). A little light-hearted relief was therefore warmly welcomed in the form of a field trip to the Honey (no, not Funny) Farm!

Our group, reduced by the absence of Catherine, our trusty leader, and Amy (who is making first-class films in another sphere) all met for a pre-trip herbal tea (aka coffee) at the RBGE and then left the classroom behind.  We were greeted by our minibus driver (identity unknown)  who arrived late, accompanied by his daughter who had been beaten up by neighbours - so it was a slightly bewildering drive down the A1, as he careened through traffic, mobile in hand, Radio Forth blasting… perhaps his meridians weren’t aligned either.

An hour later, having missed the turning by 5 miles, a backseat revolt was initiated and we finally repointed ourselves towards our goal: a rambling farm track past barns of double-decker London buses, ancient tractors and rusting trailers to arrive the Chainbridge Honey Farm.

Willie S Robson owner and patron of Chainbridge was raised into a family that has kept bees for over a hundred years, he hums, thinks and works like a bee. His love of his black honeybees (indigenous to Scotland – not foreign imports) is infectious. He is in harmony with his hives; he knows what they know, feels the weather as they do, frets over lost habitats and wards off disease and mites through proper old fashioned bee husbandry.  They appreciate it and return their gratitude by producing 65 tonnes of honey a year.

Heather 

Frances and Heather, Willie’s daughters, took us through the honey harvesting, cleaning, bottling and labelling process in their shining new Danish steelware facility. Imbued by the scent of honey everywhere, we were more than ready to sample a slice of their wonderful honeycomb fresh from the hive.  Beautiful thick, gooey golden nectar it is too. Fortified, we toured the beeswax and candle making rooms and finally arrived at the heart of the potions and lotions kitchen. Here we found an enlarged version of our own classroom – replete with giant mixers, mashers, strainers, heaters and oils - 60 litres big in this instance. Frances talked through their labelling and explained how the helpful Food Safety agency won’t let them describe any of their products as ‘healing’ or even 'soothing for dry’ skin,

Raw Beeswax

But healing and soothing it is. Honey has antibacterial and antiseptic properties and if applied to a wound will destroy bacteria and encourage the growth of new tissue and skin.  It is also known to have a beneficial effect on the immune system and is an anti-inflammatory. Different honeys have different characteristics such as Manuka honey from New Zealand where honeybees are surrounded by Tea Trees, the oil of which is a renowned antiseptic. Merged with beeswax, oat oil, and delicate scents, honey is also a wonderful treat for the skin.

Beeswax vats

Bee Farm Paparazzi

Sated and sticky, we headed north of the border again - driver calm, radio low, gently pulled by the rising moon back up the coast to home.

Chemical Elements

David Pirie, Medical Herbalist at the Tara Trust in Edinburgh came to the Gardens this week to give us instruction in plant chemistry; specifically the actions of primary and secondary metabolites. In a Socratic tradition our first proposition was to argue the premise of the topic – is it the chemical constituents of plants that are solely responsible for any physiological changes (and by extension, healing) in the body? Or is it the plant’s energy that affects healing? For intstance, South America herbalists match the sound resonance of a plant to a person before prescribing anything…so here we go

It actually all comes down to your gut reaction. Or rather the GIT (gastro intestinal tract) and how the metabolic process transforms foods /herbs in transit through the stomach, liver and bloodstream into the chemical compounds that nourish and heal.  Each plant’s chemical structure has a different action on the body, is released in different ways, works at its own pace and leaves when its ready.

Dr William Withering
with Digitalis

Dr William Withering discovered this in his seminal work with Dropsy patients prescribing the hitherto deadly Foxglove (digitalis). He realised that each patient required not only a different dosage depending on their tolerance but critically that dosages should decrease as heath improved. (The first dose of any toxic plant will make you nauseous – this set the dose for each individual).

Plants contains thousands of chemicals, categorised as metabolites: primary ones necessary for a plant’s survival and propagation; and secondary metabolites which are non-essential but that add a colour, flavour, aesthetic or action that contributes to its overall form. We often use only one part of a plant to deliver a specific healing action, but many herbs are best used holistically, balancing a potentially dangerous or toxic effect of a primary metabolite with a secondary one.  

 

It is these secondary metabolites that we turn to supply the key active ingredients in the healing process. They can be categorised most broadly as:

• Acids
• Alkaloids
• Carbohydrates
• Glycosides
• Isoprenoids & terepenes
• Phenols
• Amines
• Rubber Polymers
• and so on...

David expounded on these further, breaking down each into its primary action and uses (anti-inflammatory/ antiseptic/ mucillangenous, etc), its relationship with key internal organs, what plant were sources and any potential complications. 

Naturally we wandered in our discussions, pondering how smell might be the most powerful influence on the human brain, what influence emotional memory had and new thinking in psycho-neuro-endo-immunology….

Last session of the day took it all and gave us one last twist – how elements of taste should also be considered in understanding treatments. The Chinese believe that a person’s life energy (Qi) runs along meridians in our body, linking and affecting all our organs. Each organ in turn is associated with an element (Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Metal) a season, an emotive state and a taste (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and pungent). By understanding the relationship of these elements we can adjust the Yin/Yang balance to maintain and obtain optimum health. 
 

Divine Intervention

Back to school – hooray!  Last week’s snow, frost and lack of trains, planes and automobiles kept us from the shimmery gates of the RBGE. Today we bundled back in and let the sun shine gloriously upon us through a sea of snow banks.

Our previous homework assignment had been to ‘draw the constellations’ in readiness for today’s topic – Biodynamic Gardening. Great rolls of lining wall paper were drafted in and I spocked out Hugh’s ancient protractor and Rosie’s bag of coloured pencils to accomplish the task. 

Fortunately Fate has smiled on me as I had found a most wonderful book – Celestial Charts ~ Antique Maps of the Heavens (by Carole Stott) as Oxfam earlier in the week. Having spent the week reading it and not doing my homework, I decided I should refocus and opened my Faire son Potager a la Lune.  This was a mistake - I had to read that too and by the time I got through it, was thoroughly bewildered by the multiplicities of lunar considerations one should take into account before sowing, cultivating or harvesting a bean that I was ready to throw the trowel in…

Duncan Ross, however calmly led us through the labyrinth of Tropical, Sidereal and Biodynamic gardening techniques that have emerged from Rudolph Steiner’s seminal work on the subject. Consulted by farmers and producers in the early 1920’s Steiner's philosophy was that the sun, stars and moon all affect our lives and influence growth, health and productivity of all living things around us.

The Biodynamic movement has its roots (sorry) in both ancient planting methods and in new interpretations of the effects of the lunar and solar calendars. More precisely, how the moon passing through the constellations affects life on Earth as well as it’s own gravitational pull.

In practical terms, Steiner’s philosophy also involves a bit of ancient lore and (some would argue) mysticism.  Where organic gardening focuses on the health of the soil, biodynamic takes it a bit further and gives consideration to the nature of each plant, the biodiversity of the garden, associated animals and their enhancement with cosmic preparations.

To illustrate this we clambered up to our practical beds where we filled a cow’s horn with fresh manure and buried it 3 feet deep, there to mature and gestate.  Come March we will dilute the contents of the horn with water, potentise it and disperse this across the newly dug beds. Throughout the year we will also add floral water potions to the compost to give it true bio dynamic qualities.

We ended our day with a dose of hot ginger tea and explored the beauty of Floris Books’ Stargazer’s Almanac, which shows the night skies from an Edinburgh perspective.

Happy Hogmanay!

Snow, snow, snow!

Pitch black darkness greeted a very white and luminous landscape this morning. We’ve had snow tumbling down since Sunday and it looks like it’s setting in for a long term cosy.

Thinking I would bundle up and make the train got less and less likely the longer I waited.  Finally reason regained the upper ground and I decided to stay put. And so it appears did everyone else – class was canceled and we all breathed a huge sigh of relief.

I took the opportunity to dig through Wikipedia and summon up answers to questions on base oils and borage and (as usual) got dragged down routes I didn’t know existed.  (You could live quite happily in a snowy kingdom if you had the internet by your side.)

Research did prevail and I got started on a few nodes of knowledge. Wiki providing a rigorous scientific resource with Google complimenting it on images.  Losing several hours, I got lost in the Ancient Greeks and their use of olive oil, Mediterranean herbs and calculating planting time by the constellations.  South America yielded beds of roses and rosehip seed oils that deliver eternal youthfulness and scar reducing qualities. And finally castor oil beans revealed their complicity as a key tool in Mussolini’s torture of prisoners….

Time for a walk!