Angela Tunstall

My little parsley field - 𝑃𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑚 𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑢𝑚. I completely love parsley and this patch gives me a harvest all year long. 🌿 It’s very easy to look after. Occasionally, when the leaves look a bit pale, I throw some seaweed down. But beyond some watering and weeding out of old plants, I leave this patch to self seed and do its own thing. 🌱 Parsley is full of iron (more than spinach), vitamin C (more than oranges) and high in vitamin A. 💪🍊 In traditional herbal medicine the tea is thought to help with water retention and urinary infections. I only very recently tasted it in tea and loved its earthy freshness. Give it a go. ☕️ #herbal #growyourownfood #tea #botanicals #herbalmedicine

Preparing for a ‘Festive brew’🫖🎄 Dried apple slices are great for making festive and winter brews. During the 1930s apple tea became popular In Turkey where it is known as ‘elma çayı’ (apple tea) and is served in small tulip-shaped glasses as a traditional welcoming drink. Apple peel contains fibre, vitamins, minerals (magnesium, potassium), and antioxidants. Several studies have shown that the antioxidant capacity of apple peel is up to four times higher than apple flesh. The apple contains most of the apple’s vitamin E and K, up to half the apple’s content of vitamin C and a large quantity of the apple’s folate. Dipping the slices in water that has a squirt of lemon juice in it stops them from discoloring during the drying process. 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢, apple, is in the 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘦 family and has a native distribution from Afghanistan to Central Asia and Xinjiang.

While making recipes for an upcoming tea workshop, I found I had accidentally put together a Jamu. This is an Indonesian herbal tincture made from local plants and herbs (turmeric, ginger, galangal, tamarind, and various leaves and spices) which originated in Java’s royal courts more than 1,300 years ago. The Jamu spread to villages through travelling healers and families would pass down their recipes by word of mouth. Jamu means a “prayer for health” in old Javanese and is seen as a holistic preventative medicine for the body, mind and soul rather than a cure. Jamu can be extremely bitter so you may like to add a little sweetener like honey or liquorice to this recipe Ginger Zingiber officinale Zingiberaceae (India to S. Central China) is known for its warming, anti-nausea and digestive properties. Turmeric Curcuma longa Zingiberaceae (SW. India) This beautiful, orange rhizome with its earthy, lemony taste is considered a cure-all. In the Ayurvedic medicine literature its importance becomes obvious as it is given around 53 different names including Jayanti, meaning one who is victorious over diseases. Avartaki or lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus Poaceae (South Asia) This tough clump forming fragrant grass is rich in folate, potassium, and magnesium, as well as vitamins A and C (particularly important for immune function). The plant has traditionally been used for its calming effects, to ease congestion and breathing issues and for its antibacterial and antifungal properties Makrut lime Citrus hystrix (tropical Southeast Asia) Makrut lime leaves have a distinctive double-leaf formation, with two leaves joined at the base, resembling an hourglass. They are used in traditional medicine to soothe inflammation-related pain, including sore muscles and joints.#herbal #tea #herbalmedicine

Make a nutritious salt mix🧂 This recipe primarily uses ingredients that have been recommended in a lot of traditional medicine practices to help with digestion, but I find all sorts of other reasons for including them. 𝘼𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙖 Angelica root is known as a warming tonic that can reduce anxiety and has an amazing earthy, musky smell. 𝙐𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙖 Nettle seed contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals and in traditional herbal medicine is thought to help the body cope with stress. 𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙨 Juniper cones (botanically not berries) are useful for their piney, citrusy flavour. (Juniper is not advised during pregnancy or for people with kidney disorders) 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖 𝙛𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙨 var. 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙖 I love the clean sharp taste of shiso leaves. The herb is used in China and Japan as an antidote to seafood poisoning and to relieve cold symptoms amongst other things. 𝘼𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙖 Black fungus is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to help support immune system function. 𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙪𝙢 𝙡𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙖 Burdock is thought be a protective charm against evil spirits! A herbal essential! #herbal #salt #growyourownfood #herbalife

Tea recipe☕️ Ingredients and traditional medicine uses. Corn silk (Zea mays) anti-inflammatory, used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for bladder infections. Hawthorn flowers and leaves (Crataegus monogyna) considered a heart tonic and thought to have a calming effect. Flowers 🌼 Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) has been used for coughs and to soothe the respiratory system Rose, used here for its scent and beauty as much as anything. Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) soothing and calming (don’t use Chamaemelum nobile unless you want a very bitter tea) Mallow (Malva sylvestris) contains mucilage - a sticky gel-like substance that is soothing to the digestive system. Linden flower and wing-like bracts (Tillia spp.)traditionally taken in tea for its sedative and digestive effects. Nettle leaf (Urtica dioica) packed full of vitamins and minerals. Liquorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) to sweeten the tea. Liquorice root is known in traditional herbal medicine practices as an adaptogen which is a herb that helps the body to respond to stress 😥 Happy tea making! 🫖 #tea #herbalife

Been having a great time researching and preparing combinations for a herbal tea blending workshop next week🫖☕️🌿 Morning Star anise fruit (Illicium verum) Spearmint leaf (Mentha spicata) Cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum verum) Ginger root (Zingiber officinale) Liquorice root to taste (Glycyrrhiza glabra) Mid-morning Lemon balm leaf (Melissa officinalis) Lemon verbena leaf (Aloysia citrodora) Rosemary leaf (Salvia rosmarinus) After lunch Fennel seed (Foeniculum vulgare) Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) Rose petal (Rosa spp.) Liquorice root to taste Tea-time Hibiscus flower (Hibiscus sabdariffa) Coriander seed (Coriandrum sativum) Peppermint leaf (Mentha x piperita) Bed-time Rose petal Lavender flower (Lavandula angustifolia) Mugwort leaf (Artemisia vulgaris) The after lunch blend is an unashamed theft of a blend given to me called Heavenly Herbs and it really is !! 😇🪽 #herbal #tea #growyourownfood #herbalmedicine

Infusing jojoba oil with jasmine flowers picked from a Jasminum grandiflorum vine.🌿 Fill a pot with flowers Cover with jojoba oil Put on lid and label with the date Shake the pot and smell every two or three days to check that the flowers aren’t going off. After about five days strain off the oil and repeat the process. To get a stronger oil keep repeating this Eventually you will have a good base oil and can add your choice of essential oils. #perfume #naturalperfumery#herbal

Thought you might like to see some pics of the wonderful workshop the garden team led by Angela held for RCP staff last Wednesday. Everyone loved it❤️ Using dried flowers and leaves from the RCP garden, everyone got creative making beautiful bookmarks🔖🌻🌿 Pressing plants is a centuries-old exercise that can help you take a closer look at nature. Thanks Robin and Karl for all your help before and during the event, art teachers extraordinaire! Thanks Sasha and Tom for helping with the set up and tidy up (and enthusiastic participation!) Thanks Cleo and Pauline for collecting and pressing all those beautiful flowers, and for doing all the gardening that morning! Not forgetting amazing Katie Birkwood, RCP rare books librarian, who brought along a copy of William Coles’ book ‘Adam in Eden, or Nature’s Paradise...’ published in 1657. 📖 Amongst the pages someone, possibly hundreds of years ago, had slipped bits of plant material relating to the text; something people still do to remember and identify plants found along the way📖🌿 #royalcollegeofphysicians #medicinalgarden #plants #herbarium

Walking around the amazing collection of plants in the Arid house at Oxford Botanic Garden I was stunned by this beauty, Euphorbia abyssinica, a succulent tree-like euphorbia endemic to Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea also known as Desert Candle or Candelabra Tree. This one is thought to be about 200 years old. Plants like this store water in their stem tissue to cope with long periods of drought and Euphorbias also contain a toxic, milky sap in the bark, stem, leaves and fruit that will irritate and blister the skin or cause irritation and temporary or permanent blindness on contact. It is fascinating to read about how it has been used in Ethiopia: -Mixed with butter as a topical treatment for fungal skin infections. -By traditional healers in the treatment of malaria and visceral leishmaniasis (look it up) -As firewood and timber for furniture and roofing. And more. -Studies have shown the sap to promote rooting in cuttings of threatened species like Boswellia papyrifera. #botanicalgardens #euphorbia #herbalmedicine

Lunchtime tea/infusion Fresh herbs used: Red dead-nettle, Lamium purpureum (dead-nettle = no sting) has been used in traditional herbal medicine for its anti-inflammatory properties. It is full of vitamins, a great early crop for salads and grows easily. Stinging nettle, Urtica dioica, is also full of vitamins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin K and boron. Unsurprisingly it is a powerful spring tonic providing us with greens early in the year. You can also make it into a nitrogen-rich tea to feed your plants. Flowers of primrose, Primula vulgaris. Flowers of forget-me-not, Myosotis sylvatica Grow both of these edible flowers to attract pollinators and add beauty to your food. Dried herbs Leaves of Lemon verbena, Aloysia citrodora, (dried in 2024) have a strong citrusy taste, and are often drunk as a tea to help with digestion and reduce stress. Slices of Lemon, Citrus x limon, for their vitamin C content and uplifting taste. Or: Slices of Orange, Citrus x sinensis , also for the vitamin C content which helps our immune system, and also because this earthy tea taste will taste better. Try drying some citrus for year round use. I was given some 15 year old citrus peel when I visited China and the intensity of the citrus flavour and smell is extraordinary. Put all the ingredients into a teapot, pour on recently boiled water and leave to infuse for at least 10 mins before pouring Happy brewing!

Garden for the insects 🦟 🦋🐝🐞🕷️ On my walk to work yesterday I spotted herb robert, Geranium robertianum, and petty spurge, Euphorbia peplus, spilling out of a window box in Drummond St.🪴 These hardy little wildflowers are often regarded as weeds but are in fact food and nectar-sources for many invertebrates including bees, hoverflies, moths, butterflies, beetles and wasps. 🦋 I also got talking about insects to Thiago @vonoactor who told me a horrifying story about his visit to the Amazon last year 🌳 He’d been warned to take insect repellent with him but shockingly, found that he had very little need for it. #insects #organicgardening #nature

The history of the Cuban health system is fascinating, especially in the way that traditional medicine practices have been integrated with modern pharmaceuticals.🌿💊 Strolling through the streets of central Havana, we stumbled on the Museo Farmacia Habanera, a pharmacy and museum showing the history of Cuban pharmaceutical science. 🔬 The pharmacy was founded in 1853 and named La Réunion because, for the first time in Havana, allopathic and herbal medicines were made available under one roof. Walking into the cathedral-like interior, with its stained-glass windows, tall, dark, wooden shelving and seemingly endless polished counters, it was easy to imagine a time when it was the world’s second largest pharmacy, bustling with people coming not only for medicines but for a place to meet and chat. Inspiring! Thanks to Reinold, Kiki, Liam and the band at Lorenzo’s for the music 🎶 #herbal #cuba #apothecary