Health
Eco Active Blog
​Sustainability in Action

Herbs for Health​
How to use cleavers for a refreshing tea 
By Sarah Hillyer
On this beautiful sunny day we have been out picking local cleavers for a refreshing tea. For once, it’s possible to forage from the hedgerows alongside country lanes as there are no polluting cars about! You probably picked Cleavers as a child and threw them to stick on your friends’ clothing; the Velcro-like hairs will stick to anything! ‘Sticky Willie’, Goosegrass or Galium Aparine is a wonderful spring herb that is full of minerals and vitamins.
 
Many foraging books and blogs recommend eating it like spinach. I use it as a spring tonic to cleanse and support the lymphatic system. It can pick up metabolic waste materials from cells, and also provide a healthy environment for our white blood cells. Hence a really important immune boost.
 
It is often used to help with mumps, tonsillitis and swollen glands. It has been known for centuries as a cleansing herb as it aids the removal of metabolic waste from the body and cleanses the skin. It is also a gentle diuretic so will help with kidney and bladder inflammation.​

Making Tea with Cleavers

You will find it growing everywhere along the hedgerows. Pick until the seeds appear in late June. To make a refreshing tea chop up a handful of cleavers and place them in a teapot or cafetière. Cover with boiling water and leave for  5 to10 minutes. Strain and drink.

​Cold Infusion

Wash and chop a handful of cleavers. Place in a jug with some slices of cucumber and lemon. Cover with water and leave in fridge overnight. Both are best made fresh but will last in the fridge for a day. Enjoy and know you are supporting your health.

Immune System
Give your health a boost
​By Sarah Hillyer
This week would have seen the first of my herbal workshops at the Centre. It is certainly an an interesting time for us all.  Mother Nature seems happy enough and there are herbs in abundance. I love my teaching as many of you know, so here is a ‘taste’ of what I would have talked about in this beautiful spring weather.
 
Spring is the time to cleanse the body but also re-energise us. All the herbs mentioned here are easy to find and are full of nutritious minerals  and vitamins. They are also very safe as teas for all ages.
 
Nettles
In early spring these little beauties can look red as they are full of iron. If you want an iron tonic, soak some nettle tops in spring water overnight. The water will turn quite dark. Strain and drink.
 
By May the nettles are growing fast. This is the time to harvest them for a urinary tea. Take care only to have one tea a day as they are a powerful diuretic. I use them to reduce water retention and bring down BP.
 
Ground Ivy
This little creeping plant is full of essential oils. It is flowering now. When you rub and smell the leaves you will note thyme, eucalyptus and other essential oils. It makes a lovely refreshing tea and has helped my sinuses cope with early hay fever.
 
Hawthorn Flowers
This beautiful tree is now in full bloom everywhere. There are over a 100 different species and they blossom at slightly different times, so if you miss one week because of rain, you should be lucky the next. The flowers make a delicious tea which will calm the heart and help to reduce anxiety. Just what we need at this time!
Hawthorn is a powerful but very safe heart herb. It will help to regulate your heart beat and strengthen the heart muscle.
 
So do go out foraging and make some fresh herbal teas. Try combining a couple of herbs together.  A handful of fresh herb in a pint boiling water is a good guide. ​

About Sarah

​Sarah Hillyer is a herbalist working in Sussex and Hampshire. Sarah has a degree in Phytotherapy (herbal medicine) and a Diploma in Nutrition.
Sarah teaches Herbal Workshops and Natural Wellbeing at The Sustainability Centre.

​Guidance

Never consume wild food unless you are 100% sure of its identification.
For more foraging guidelines please see British Local Food below.

Links

www.southdownsherbalist.co.uk
https://britishlocalfood.com/foraging-etiquette/