Step back in time to Plymouth’s last Victorian chemist. Established in 1864, it was known as Mr Park’s Chemist shop. It sadly closed its doors in 1983, but the contents were rescued and are on show at the Park Pharmacy Trust’s museum and library at Thorn Park.
We have been invited by Dr Jan Knight and Jonathan Gale, who are wonderful hosts, and guardians of this incredible collection. Stepping into this lovely little lodge building is an intriguing joy; there are bottles of all elegant shapes and sizes, colourful concoctions, wooden drawers filled with pharmaceutical fancy, pill-making equipment and beautifully hand-written 19th century prescription books. It is an apothecary treasure chest. http://www.parkpharmacytrust.org.uk/
And so, in our chalking of the plants around the building, and in the nearby park, our focus becomes medical. It seems that every plant is a botanical healing pharmacy 💚 🙂
Campanula Poscharskyana, Trailing or Serbian Bellflower. Apparently, in Tibetan medicine they are used in the treatment of constipation and peptic ulcers. The roots have anti-inflammatory properties and support the respiratory, digestive and immune system.
Brassica nigra has a rich history in traditional medicine for digestive, respiratory, and anti-inflammatory uses, whilst modern research identifies its antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and anticancer potential. Mustard seed supplements are used for coughs, congestion and muscle aches, however overuse can irritate the skin or stomach, so dosage guidance is recommended. It’s healthy and flavoursome effects come from glucosinolate compounds that release pungent oils when crushed.
Sorrel (Rumex acetosa) is a leafy herb known for its sharp, lemon-like tang derived from natural oxalic acid. Traditionally used to support digestion and provide refreshing, nutrient-rich greens, sorrel appears in soups, sauces, salads, and herbal preparations throughout Europe.
The bristly leaves of the Helminthotheca echioides, can be eaten raw when young, or steamed when older. They have an earthy, slightly chicory taste. They also aid digestion. Its leaves and flowers can also be steeped to create soothing teas for coughs, colds and sore throats.
Broad leaf plantain, Plantago major,
has edible leaves and seeds, which can improve digestion, enhance wound healing, and lower inflammation. This plant has antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. In Scandinavia, it’s known as ‘groblad’, meaning ‘healing leaf’, and remains one of the most common go-to remedies for minor wounds. Dioscorides, the Greek physician and herbalist, wrote about plantain in the 1st century in De Materia Medica, recommending the leaves for dog bites. https://thebuffaloherbalist.substack.com/p/plantain-plantago-major-healing-benefits
The Common Daisy goes by many other names including: English Daisy, Day’s Eye, Brainwort, Bairnwort, Bruisewort and Poor Man’s Arnica. The latter two names highlight its use in treating bruises.
It’s medical uses, however, are numerous covering: wound healing, respiratory and digestive treatment, improving circulation and immune system and removing toxins from the body. https://theschoolofwildmedicine.com/common-daisy-medicinal-uses-bellis-perennis-medicinal-uses
So even the trees are medicinal 🙂👍. Yew tree, Taxus baccata, is a medical paradox, as it cannot, under any circumstances, be used as a home remedy as it is toxic, but its medical value is important as a source of taxane-based cancer drugs. It’s one best left to the experts.
The Walnut tree provides: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic laxative, astringent, diaphoretic, sedative, emetic, blood tonic, alterative, anthelmintic benefits. Wow! What a list!
The Walnut leaves are used to treat eczema, herpes, sore throats, and heal indolent ulcers, boils, hives, and sores.
Did you know that Hawthorn trees are good for the heart? 🤔 Yes, they are!
Their berries contains potent antioxidants, such as flavonoids and oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), which help dilate blood vessels, improve blood flow, and protect the heart against oxidative stress. You can use the dried berries, leaves and flowers to make tea, tincture and jelly. Find out more at: https://theschoolofwildmedicine.com/hawthorn-medicinal-uses-the-secret-powers-of-hawthorn-revealed/
It certainly is. Native American tribes have long recognized the healing value of the Giant Redwood tree, Sequoiadendron giganteum. The bark was sometimes used in poultices for skin irritations or minor wounds. The leaves and bark were prepared as infusions and consumed as teas for internal ailments. Redwood essential oil, derived from the leaves and twigs, when diffused or inhaled, help clear airways and ease breathing, similar to other conifer essential oils.
These beautiful blue flowers are Love-in-a-mist, Nigella damascena. Its healthy benefits include reducing symptoms of: pain, high body temperatures, catarrhal infections, flu, asthma, upper-respiratory conditions, gastrointestinal parasites, diabetes and cholesterol.
This medicinal secret garden has more than 152 plants, that provide essential food and energy for wildlife, and provide a free medicine cabinet for all our ailments.
There is still so much we do not know about plants, which is why we must do more to protect and nurture them in our own gardens and parks. We need to embrace their propensity to pop up between the paving stones, and clamber up the walls 🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼
We will be returning to Park Pharmacy Trust later in the year, so if you fancy learning how to make your own medicines, keep following and join us 😉
#RebelBotanists 