Want to see a medical herbalist outside of Dilston Dispensary hours?

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Here is a list of Medical Herbalists and a Herbal Pharmacist who are affiliated with Dilston Physic Garden.

Davina Hopkinson Medical Herbalist BSc MNIMH. davinaherbalist@gmail.com.
Davina gained her degree in Herbal Medicine at Lincoln University, having also completed a 2-year course in complementary therapies. Davina has her own herbal practice she runs from home or if required visiting patients in their homes. As well as practising herbal medicine Davina likes to spread the “herbal word” by giving talks, leading herbal walks and organising herbal workshops – teaching people how to make their own medicines from garden and hedgerow plants. Davina also runs Potion Club, Herbal Treasure Hunts & workshops for children and schools at Dilston Physic Garden.

Ross Menzies Medical Herbalist BSc(hons)psychology DBTH MAMH. rossherbalist@gmail.com.

Ross is an experienced herbalist and has been in practice in Hexham for 15 years supporting patients with many acute and chronic health imbalances. He works using primarily native herbs and prepares many of his own medicines. He has also studied kinesiology and NLP. Ross has had a close association with Dilston Physic Garden for many years and regularly runs courses there.  He has tutored on a professional herbal medicine diploma and has edited a professional journal.  Ross also runs a nature based therapeutic project for people with mental health difficulties.   At the core of all he does is an understanding that nature can be profoundly healing, be it through plant medicines or simply by creating space and stillness to engaging with it in a meaningful way.

 

Jill Schnabel Medical Herbalist BSc(hons) PhD MNIMH. jill.schnabel8@btinternet.com.

Jill studied agricultural science (BSc) and plant pathology (PhD) before qualifying as a medical herbalist in 2004. She now practices herbal medicine in Newcastle upon Tyne and Northumberland.  After working as an advisor with the National Centre for Organic Gardening, she moved to the North-East in 1993 where she co-founded a successful organic vegetable growing cooperative.  As an adult education tutor she has taught a diverse range of courses in organic gardening, plant folklore and herbal medicine, at both university and community levels.  “My enthusiasm and love for plants was inherited from my grandmother and mum, and continues to weave a constant thread through my life and work. My approach to plant medicine is eclectic and encompasses historical, cultural, scientific, emotional and spiritual dimensions.”

 

 

Sarah Hughes Medical Herbalist, Nutritional Therapist BSc Hons, NT Dip, MA, CNHC, mNIMH, mBANT. info@healthynewcastle.com.

Sarah is an experienced medical herbalist and nutritional therapist who has practised for over a decade in both Ireland and the north of England.  Sarah sees patients of all ages and at all stages who present with a wide range of health issues and is based at the Stonegate Medical Clinic in York.

Sarah has lectured on the Medicinal Plants and Functional Foods MSc at Newcastle university and speaks regularly on BBC radio Newcastle. She also teaches foraging courses for Taste the Wild who are a foraging company based in North Yorkshire.

 

 

Milena Kopkowska Pharmacist, trained in dispensing herbal medicine. milena.kopkowska@gmail.com.

Milena works part time in a community pharmacy in Durham but also advices and dispense safe effective plant medicines according to your needs for minor ailments. As a pharmacist she has knowledge about both herbal and synthetic medicines and therefore can help you explore different treatment options. Milena qualified as a pharmacist in Poland where herbal medicines constitute a substantial part of the pharmacy stock and are commonly used by doctors, as in much of Europe, for the management of minor ailments. Since moving to the UK, Milena says “many common health problems may not be adequately addressed in the main stream UK health service. Since UK doctors don’t prescribe herbal medicines, and pharmacies often don’t offer them, the public don’t know about them”.

Memory Test Study

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Want to see if plants can boost your memory ?

And receive a free pass to the North’s best kept secret garden?

Dilston Physic Garden, local medical herbalists Ross Menzies and Davina Hopkinson and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew offers an exciting opportunity to take part in a second natural Memory Test Study in West and South-East Northumberland. 

  • Do you think your memory is not what it was?
  • Are you concerned about the current epidemic of dementia?
  • Would you be open to the idea that medicinal plants could help, bearing in mind that modern drugs like aspirin come from plants?
  • Are you between the age of forty-five and seventy-five and live in West or South-East Northumberland?
  • Would you say yes to any of these questions?
  • Then why not volunteer in a simple safe 4-week medicinal plant study?

To take part simply email nic@dilstonphysicgarden.com. Trial is open to anyone between 45-75years, provided you are not diagnosed with a condition such as Alzheimer’s. The trial is being conducted to test the effects of safe common plants that are reputed in history to improve our memory by Dilston Physic Garden, local medical herbalists Davina Hopkinson & Ross Menzies, Wesnes Cognition & Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, with support from Wesnes Cognition, Make My Day Better and The Ridley Family Charity.

Dilston Physic Garden  Corbridge  Northumberland  NE45 5QZ  T:07879 533 875

Two Summer Art-in-Wellbeing Workshops

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Join a summer art-for-wellbeing workshop by our new artist-in-residence Sarah Greaves

Saturday June 8th and/or Saturday July 6th 10am- 4pm 2019

These two mid-summer workshops are a chance to draw and paint outdoors in bright summer sunshine – let’s hope! But even if it rains the Herbology House in the Physic Garden is the perfect place to observe whatever the weather and the garden offer us – growth, light and shadow, the perfection of a single leaf or blossom at the pinnacle of its existence.

The flexible structure of the day is designed to allow time and space for you to have quiet time alone in the garden, or to spend time with others, sharing thoughts and experiences, and to record observations, thoughts and reflections in whichever way you choose.

No artistic skill needed – honestly! Just the ability to look closely, to be open, and perhaps to be a bit adventurous with the materials.

Art materials and paper are provided, but you might like to bring your own, also. Tea & coffee also provided, but please bring a packed lunch, and come prepared with warm clothes – even though it will be midsummer!

£30. To book or for any queries contact Sarah sarah.a.greaves@gmail.com 01661 855111.

Sarah is an art psychotherapist and practising artist and says she is a compulsive though very amateur gardener, “so the role gives me a place and a space to combine doing the things I love most”. Through her profession Sarah says she is aware of the healing power of creative work, and also conscious of the healing energy that being in a green, living, environment gives and says “there is now research to prove what most of us knew anyway!”.

Through her residency Sarah plans to organise different types of workshops at Dilston that encourage people to use visual art to connect to a garden’s healing energy, and to find different ways of being with the fascinating plants that thrive in this physic garden. Aiming to reach different groups in the community who might benefit from spending time in the physic garden, and to plan workshops around their needs, the thread running through the workshops will be ‘Contemplative Drawing’, quiet days spent relating to different aspects or parts of the Physic Garden, and sharing the reflections that this brings.

Summer uplift

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Plants to lift mood, balance mood swings & relieve depression
Plants we list in Botanical Brain Balms have science to show how they lift mood, alleviate mild depression (severe depression should not be self-treated) and level out mood swings. The widely recognized anti-depressive St John’s wort leads the way, but other traditional mood-boosting plants, successful in human studies, include turmeric from the Middle East, saffron from the Mediterranean and skullcap from Canada and the US. Our list also includes, with lesser evidence, chai hu from China and, for restoring hormonal balance, particularly for women, there’s black cohosh from the US and the less closely studied clary sage from Europe, and rose from the Middle East.
Here we look at rose.
What the plants need to do
A long-held notion surrounding depression is that it involves a response triggered by low brain serotonin levels and that drugs which restore this mood-boosting brain signal will also help to restore good mood. Consequently, common anti-depressant drugs are those which are able to maintain high levels of serotonin in the space where nerve cells talk to each other (the synapse). These chemical drugs are collectively called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). They include fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline and paroxetine and are the most widely prescribed drugs today in the US, overtaking blood pressure drug prescription.
While some anti-depressants act on serotonin others act on signals like noradrenaline and dopamine, for example the SNRIs (selective noadrenaline reuptake inhibitors), monoamine oxidase inhibitors and TCAs (tricyclic antidepressants used more for severe depression).
Mild anxiety and depression are the most common of all mental health issues today, with one in five of us experiencing at least one episode of depression in our lifetime, so we need to be aware of different treatments and ask ourselves these questions. Do we fully understand what goes wrong in the brain-body-emotion axis during depression? Do SSRIs really work better than a placebo (an inert pill)? And are the side effects of SSRIs, which include nausea, dizziness and sexual problems, acceptable?ROSE, APOTHECARY’S ROSE
Rosa gallica var. officinalis
A much-loved garden plant, the rose is being rediscovered for health and wellbeing as a result of scientific research on the aromatic oil. The apothecary’s rose is a hybrid variety of Rosa centifolia (Provence rose) and R. canina (dog rose). Hips, used traditionally, continue to provide benefits that are science-based.

About the plant
Apothecary’s rose is a perennial shrub growing to 1.5m (5ft), with sharp thorns, serrated leaves and delicately scented, deep pink flowers. Native to the Middle East, it’s been cultivated around the world for centuries. Hybridization gave rise to the strongly scented damask rose (Rosa x damascena) and Provence rose (Rosa centifolia) from which essential oils are commonly extracted. The dog rose (R. canina) with sweet scented white or pink flowers and more delicate stems and sharp thorns is found in the wild and self-seeds. Neither need much attention except to control their tendency to spread.
History and folklore
Renowned for lifting the spirits, this queen of flowers is used in folklore to make or mend alliances and as an aphrodisiac. Used by the Romans in festivities where petals were eaten, roses were valued in monastic gardens both spiritually, as symbols of Christ’s blood, and for their healing powers. Traditionally used as an anti-depressant – the 1st-century Arab physician Avicenna prepared rose water, while 16th-century British herbalist John Gerard said “The distilled water is good for the strengthening of the heart, and refreshing of the spirits, and likewise for all things that require a gentle cooling.” Hips are used as a sedative in herbal medicine and the essential oil (“attar of rose”) is used in aromatherapy as an anti-depressant, a sedative and for pain relief in arthritis.
What scientists say
In humans
Initial studies show rose scent increases measures of parasympathetic (rest) activity and induces feelings of contentment. Essential oil relieves anxiety during labour and depression and anxiety in post-partum women (with lavender). It relieves pain in children, menstruation, lower back and migraine in controlled trials. It improves sleep quality in coronary care patients and sexual function (in males and females) in major depression. Rose water reduces anxiety in renal patients and hips improve wellness ratings and lower blood pressure and back pain in other pilot studies.
Lab studies
The petals, essential oil and hips (wild; R. canina) are anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, anti-convulsant, hypnotic, analgesic and neuroprotective in lab tests.
Key ingredients

The expensive pure essential oil is a complex mix of plant terpenes including the calming and uplifting citronellol, geraniol, linalool (also in lavender) and nerol (also in bitter orange). As with lemon balm oil, beware of imitations spiked with other oils or chemicals. Hips contain flavonoids and polyphenols.

How to take it
The essential oil in commonly used in aromatherapy. Rose buds make one of the best botanical teas and fresh rose petals can be added to salads and hips make perfect jellies and syrups on toast, with cheese or red meats. Rosewater (extract of flowers) can be used in cocktails such as gin fizz.
CAUTION Always consult a registered medical herbalist before taking any plant at a medicinal level, inform your health care provider if you are taking medication or have any medical condition and do not stop taking prescribed medication. Be sure of the identity of your plant and take only at the recommended dose.
Safety

Buds, petals, hips, and essential oil in diffusers are safe, with no reporte side-effects or contraindications, including for children.

References
This is taken from Botanical Brain Balms, Filbert Press. Available buy at Dilston Physic Garden and book shops.

Listen to and see the physic garden on the TV/radio

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Watch physic garden curator, neuroscientist Professor Elaine Perry talk about Dilston Physic Garden on HexhamTV

 

Listen to physic garden director, pharmacognosist Dr Nicolette Perry talk to Jo Good on BBC radio London

 

Listen to Dr Nicolette Perry on HealthyLife.net

 

Take two minutes out, relax and watch Dilston Physic Garden filmed by Oliver Fowler

 

 

Children’s Potion Clubs 2019 – to set you up for life

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Delve into the magical world of herbs with 4 Potion Clubs over the summer. Each can be enjoyed on their own or as part of a series. With medical herbalist Davina Hopkinson in charge the clubs are full of surprises. Davina has created a new fun and fascinating club for children (guide 8 – 12 years) who want to delve into the intriguing world of plants. This is the chance to discover, in a fun and magical way, the health benefits of plants – an exploration that will set them up for a lifetime!

With 4 interactive sessions in 2019, each one unique, in April, May, July and August, learn all about local plants you find in the garden, hedgerows, woods and fields and go out to forage for some of them. Each month explore which plants are growing and how they can be turned into potions to look after your body and your brain – like the spring tonics to give your body a kick start after winter, or the roots and berries of autumn to make cold and flu remedies, or plants to help you stay calm and concentrate better like lemon balm.

From plants to help sore tummies and even help you sleep, we’ll choose a plant of the month, explore what it does, how it does it and turn it into a real life effective potion! You’ll be able to record your recipes in your own potion book, along with your thoughts and artwork.

With some scintillating history (herbal medicine does go back 60,000 years!) and telling of mysterious magical folktales, there’ll be plenty of safe health-giving body-protective potion-making.

£15 or £25 for two children, with a discount for booking the whole course. Please bring your own packed lunch.

For further information and to book get in touch with Davina davinaherbalist@gmail.com 01661 842897

Dates of Potion Club 2019 :

10am to 2pm 

Each can be enjoyed on its own or taken as part of a series of 4.

Thursdays 18th April

Thursday 30th May

Thursday 25th July

Thursday 29th August

Botanical Brain Balms

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The new book by Nicolette Perry and Elaine Perry, director and curator at the physic garden, is on sale now in The Physic Shop at the reduced price of £13. This book is for anyone interested in using plants to make the best of your brain & mind. An authoritative and accessible guide to 56 plants – a truly unique overview of medicinal plants that clearly explains the best evidence for the efficacy of plants for the brain.

Beautifully illustrated, Botanical Brain Balms is a fascinating guide packed with safe and natural ways to improve the way you think and feel.

Planet Birdsong

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Planet Birdsong arrive at the physic garden this June with an opportunity for a 90 minute school event held at the physic garden on the afternoon of Friday 8th June. To see a lesson plan and powerpoint for the session click here.

Please get in touch with the physic garden if you are interested in booking this place for your school group – info@dilstonphysicgarden.com.

A school visit highlight from Planet Birdsong’s Heritage Lottery Funded residency in Nidderdale: https://youtu.be/0g9LaVmA4HI

‘Planet Birdsong is a UK based charitable initiative inspired by the wonderful world of bird songs and calls. Bird vocalisations are an international language that transcends geographical and species boundaries. Planet Birdsong explores the role of technology and data collection in connecting the maximum possible number of citizens with the natural world. We cross the boundaries between countries along migration routes to deliver maximum conservation value. Our initiative is multi-disciplinary, facilitating communication between scientists, conservationists, musicians, educators and IT professionals. Read more: http://www.planetbirdsong.org.’

Picture

Potion Club EXTRA

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As well as regular Potion Club over the summer at Dilston Physic Garden medical herbalist Davina Hopkinson has created a new fun and fascinating course for children aged between 8 and 12 (guide) who want to learn more about the intriguing world of plants for medicine.
Potion Club EXTRA brings 6 unique and interactive sessions in 2018 that are monthly on Saturdays, starting in March through to September 2018 (except one Sunday and excluding August).
Delve in to the magical world of herbs. Learn all about local plants you find in the garden, hedgerows, woods and fields. We’ll be going out to forage for some of these. Each month we’ll explore which plants are growing and how they can be turned into medicine. Like spring tonics to give your body a kick start after the long winter months, or roots and berries in autumn to make cold and flu remedies.
We’ll choose a plant of the month and explore it – what it does, how it does it, and see how to turn it into a real effective potion! Different plants can be used for parts of our body – like to help digestion, boost our immunity and even help us sleep – we’ll discover just how these plants can be used to help healing.
With a little scintillating history (herbal medicine goes back 60,000 years!) thrown in, there’ll be some telling of mysterious magical herbal folk tales and of course plenty of safe remedy making. Each month children can enjoy filling in a their own Potion Book where they can add their own thoughts and artwork.
Cost for each Potion Club EXTRA is £15 or £25 for two, with a discount for booking the whole course. Please bring your own packed lunch. For further information and to register your interest in future Potion Clubs or home education groups contact Davina on 01661 842897 or davinaherbalist@gmail.com.
Dates* of Potion Club EXTRA 2018 :
10am to 2pm 
Saturday 17th March
Saturday 21st April
Sunday 13th May
Saturday 16th June 16,
Saturday 14th July
Saturday 22nd September
*please note these dates are provisional

St. John’s Wort: Demon exorciser | Dilston Physic Garden |