Happy Dandelion Day!

April 5th is National Dandelion Day! 

The Spring season is the perfect time to turn your attention to this humble hardy plant. 

Dandelion is derived from the French 'Dents de Lion', translated as 'Lion's Teeth', suggestive of its sharp toothy leaves & warm yellow lion's mane of a flowerhead. Despite its sunny appearance and majestic name, this nutritional powerhouse is often one of the least cherished in the garden - considered an ugly weed and the unwanted persistent guest of many a gardener. 

To the herbalist, the common Dandelion is a plant to be respected and revered, a welcome friend reappearing in its glory every springtime with its nutritional gifts. To me, the tenacity of the Dandelion is a strong indication of its potent abilities. Its latin name, Taraxacum officinale is suggestive of its many healing virtues recognised at least since ancient Greek times. The genus Taraxacum is derived from the Greek taraxos (disorder) and akos (remedy).

The Dandelion is rich in vitamins & minerals, especially vitamins A, B, C, D and potassium. Traditionally it is used as a remedy to heal liver, digestive, immunity & skin imbalances.

The bright yellow flower heads and petals may be plucked to make into wines & jams, sprinkle as a garnish to brighten any dish, infused into oils for creams & ointments.

The young leaves may be added to spring tonic teas, soups & salads - its bitterness improving appetites, digestion and elimination through the liver and kidneys.

The regular application of the sap has been used remove warts and blemishes. The root may be chopped & roasted, used as a tasty, nourishing and cleansing coffee substitute.

There is something so light-hearted and liberating about blowing a Dandelion's seed head into the wind and watching them float and dance merrily into the breeze.

I hope you will feel inspired to celebrate and appreciate the noble and mighty Dandelion.

If you have any favourite dandelion home remedies or experiences you would like to share, I'd love to hear them...

Wishes for Happiness, Health & Delightful Dandelion Day to you all!

With Dandelion Sunshine & Warmth,

Fiona

New Spring Beginnings... An Invitation to Nourish and Flourish!

In celebration of new beginnings, this post is full of juicy offerings to enhance your quality of life, happiness, health and wellness, sharing this springtime goodness with all of you...

This month I am delighted to be exploring new herbal horizons and expanding my practice in Edinburgh, starting at two lovely new clinics: Bristo Yoga Therapy Room & Neal's Yard Remedies. I am grateful to be integrating my work with the talented teams of holistic healthcare practitioners also based there, and looking forward to a fresh start, brimming with new ideas, possibilities and potential for health and healing.

In anticipation of Springtime, I am delighted to announce the arrival of my new newsletter due out this Spring - the Nourish & Flourish Newsletter.

This brand new free monthly emailed newsletter will be filled with seasonal holistic health care articles and herbal first aid tips, including the latest special offers from myself and holistic health practitioners, remedy recipes, health and wellness book reviews, and news about my upcoming herbal events and other local happenings in Edinburgh to help you nourish & flourish.

This newsletter is being created to bring great benefit to you and your loved ones' well being, so I would welcome you to share your wisdom, contact me with your feedback, requests for articles, herbal information, and please do share any news of local holistic health events, your own wellness top tips, anecdotes and stories of the healing power of nature.

To thank you for joining me on this journey, with your first newsletter I am also giving away a free report of my Top Ten Tips to Nourish and Flourish Naturally. I know that if you implement just one or two of these tips that they can have a deeply transformative effect on body, mind and soul. So I hope you enjoy them and that they may support you on your personal quest for wholeness and fulfillment.

Finally, if you are considering a health and wellness overhaul to see in the Spring with the power of herbs and nature and wish to visit me for a holistic herbal healthcare consultation, I look forward to welcoming you, and any of your friends and family with a £10.00 Gift Certificate towards your first herbal consultation at either of my new herbal clinics! 

Simply click here to sign up for your free monthly Nourish & Flourish Newsletter, free health and wellness report on Top Ten Tips to Nourish and Flourish Naturally and £10.00 Gift Certificate off a herbal consultation before end of May '12. 

You're very welcome to share with your friends...

Flourishing wishes,

Fiona

P.S. For Facebook users, you are welcome to come to say hello and receive more regular updates by 'liking' my Nourish and Flourish FB Page.

P.P.S. Fancy entering Spring by nourishing your soul on a light-hearted course about Healing with Herbs & 5 Element Theory in a beautiful remote peaceful valley at Samye Ling Tibetan Centre? Some spaces still available to join us for a blissful health retreat on the Indigo Medicine Tea Party weekend on Fri 29th March to Sun 1st April 2012.

The Tree Year 2011 - Introducing my Silver Birch

This year is the International Year of the Forests 2011...  

Back in February I searched the net to see what events are going on to celebrate this wonderful tribute to our beloved friends - the trees - and came across a brilliant project: http://thetreeyear.wordpress.com.

 

The idea is to choose one tree and observe it throughout the year, sharing posts on The Tree Year blog and facebook page of your inspirations, drawings, photos etc. 

Although 2011 is already at the half way point, I have been faithfully visiting a lovely tree close to where I live in Edinburgh's Holyrood Park. Well, better late than never, to finally share with you the tree that I have been following since February. How much changes in 6 months!

Introducing to you... the beautiful, graceful... 

Silver Birch

My first meeting with a naked Silver Birch standing proudly
in a snowy meadow against a grey winter sky.

My dog Whisky comes with me on my walks to visit the tree.

I wonder what Silver Birch Bark tastes like?

The distinctive bark of the Silver Birch.

The 2 large branches reaching upwards and smaller branches and twigs
radiating off them remind me of trees' reputation as the "lungs of the earth".

A shot of the tree framed by the twiglets of a neighboring birch
on a slightly warmer winter's day.

Looking elegant and mysterious under the dark and light of the scottish clouds.

There's a perfect branch for sitting on after a long walk. Resting against the trunk,
you can see the top of Arthur's Seat, a popular destination for Edinburgh's walkers. 

The view down the valley is pretty good too.

The silvery bark make birch trees stand out in the winter landscape.

Silvery snow white limbs basking in the sun of a cold winter's day.

Waving hello to its fellow birch friends a little further up the hill...

Coming soon, in my Silver Birch's Tree Year... 

"Spring is on its way" 

Keep posted for more musings and medicinal uses of the majestic Silver Birch!

Spring Herb Walk at Holyrood Park

I have been requested to guide a herb walk by the lovely folk on my most recent Introduction to Herbal Medicine course, so the walk will start from here: 

Meeting in Holyrood Park at 11am Saturday 9th April 2011 at the bench between the swan & duck pond (St. Margaret's Loch) on the Queen's Drive and the car park on Duke's Walk. 

Click here for  >  Google Map Directions. 

Info for Herb Walkers

All welcome! We will do a moderate and mildly hilly walk, stopping often to observe and talk about the medicinal plants growing in the area.

This walk will last about 1.5 - 2 hours (11am -1pm) so you may want to bring some water and a snack, or even a packed lunch to have as a picnic afterwards. Please wear suitable walking shoes or boots. Remember to come dressed and prepared for unpredictable scottish weather!

If you wish to join, please contact Fiona to give her an idea of who's coming and to swap mobile numbers in case of any delays or last minute cancellations. 

Cost of walk is by donation. 

(Suggested £5 - £15 / As much as you can afford or think it's worth)

Watch this space for herb walk posts to see what we encounter on the day!

Best herbal wishes,

Fiona

Welcome to Nourish & Flourish!

Welcome to a wonderful new resource for exploring pathways to nourishing body, mind & spirit and flourishing on life's journey - guided by Fiona Morris, a Traditional Medical Herbalist.

Inspired by healing people, plants and places, join a growing community to share our knowledge about natural medicine, herbal health care, holistic therapies, connections with nature, and much more.

Discover links and articles to open your heart and mind, info about courses, workshops, talks, walks and other nourishing happenings...

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