Herb walks /Education

As a medical herbalist i believe that an important part of my role is to to raise awareness about the great benefits of Herbal Medicine. I am passionate about teaching Herbal Medicine and love teaching about Herbs to groups of adults and children. The benefits of this study are that it both:

* Empowers the individual about how they support their own health, and
* Increases awareness of the natural environment and the healing nature of plants that  we live in close proximity to.

Children present their harvest of Wild rosehips

I particularly enjoy teaching in the field, whether in the local nature reserve, on the Downs or in your garden, medicinal plants grow everywhere, and on all our doorsteps.
A combination of field observations, harvesting, tasting and making remedies taught alongside an appropriate level of theory, make these workshops a memorable learning experience.


Schools 
One to two hour sessions can be booked in which we will make a tea to taste, and a remedy to take home. Theory relating to the plant chemistry and its effects on the body will be taught, alongside the practical work. Anatomy and physiology will be incorporated into the teaching.
I prefer to start the session harvesting local plants and year round if you have a wild area of land nearby, we will be able to find medicinal plants to taste, perhaps nettle tea in spring, elderflowers in summer, rosehips in the autumn and horseradish in the winter. Otherwise i can bring fresh and preserved plants to the venue.
Most Medical herbalists are women and the subject can be very popular with teenage girls i believe in encouraging them to consider the benefits of studying science to a higher level.
I recently taught a group from Wallands school in Lewes how to make a  Rosehip cough syrup with Thyme and Liquorice. The proudly left with a labelled bottle each and a certificate in:
"Excellence in Herbal Medicine making ". The certificate also had instructions for the parent and explained the nature of the syrup.

Boys pressing the mensruum, before sugar is added, all the children had a turn. The press was not strictly necessary to the process, but i thought the children would like to engage in some engineering , as well as a test of strength.

 Testimonials
Haskel came to the Community Allotment and held a workshop with our Y4 schools group at the Lottie project (www.commoncause.org.uk). He demonstrated wide ranging science based and local knowledge and his session was fun and interesting...aiming the project at exactly the right level; he even had us laughing as we remembered using rose-hip seeds as itching powder.
The end result was that the children have an increased and safe awareness of foraging for plants to use as herbs and with medicinal properties and had hands-on experience of making cough syrup that they were thrilled to take home and try out.
Tanya Lewis BEd (Hons), Lottie Co-ordinator.

Adults
I take regular Herb walks during spring, summer and Autumn, and so far these have explored: Lewes railway land nature reserve, Landport bottom, Lewes town centre-urban herb walk , and Isfield Church to Culpeppers childhood home -celebrating the work of Nicholas Culpepper- revolutionary and herbalist, the first man to translate the London dispensary into English.
I am happy to give talks or walking talks for any group or organisation.
I can also organise workshops for making remedies:teas, syrups, cordials, tinctures, ointments, creams and macerated oils, with products to take home and the confidence to make your own remedies.
Remedies to be made
Below are examples of remedies that can be made in a two hour and sometimes a one hour session. The price listed next to each product is for each individual product per child and is in addition to the teaching fee.
· Fizzy bath bombs - £2.00
· Lavender shower gel - £2.00
· Herb bath sachets - £1.00
· Lip balm ( - £2.50
· Calendula ointment - £2.50
· Comfrey ointment £2.50
· Calendula cream - £3.00
· Comfrey Cream - £3.00
· Daisy bruise Cream  - £3.50
· Geranium and Frankinsence hand cream - £5.00
· Perfume body spray - £4.50
· Nit repellant spray - £4.00
· Cold & flu tea bags - £1.50
· Tummy ache tea bags - £1.50
· Slippery elm lozenges - £2.50
· Calendula oil - £2.00
· Comfrey oil - £2.00
· Garlic ear oil - £1.50
· Elecampane root cough syrup - £2.50
· Rosehip, Licorice & Thyme cough syrup - £2.50
· Onion syrup - £2.50
· Elderberry syrup - £2.50
· Elderberry Immune tonic - £2.00.
· Comfrey poultices - £1.50
· Honey & Orange body scrub - £2.50
· Clay cleansing mask - £2.50
· Elderflower Champagne (non-alcoholic) - £2.50
· Avocado Moisturizer - £3.50
· Dandelion Tincture - £3.00

All ingredients are fresh, high quality and organically sourced as far as possible.
Price is per child per potion - for groups larger than fifteen, there is a 10% reduction per potion. Please also note that if herbs are provided (eg. grown / harvested on site) that the cost will be reduced.
 Teaching Fee
I charge  £50 per hour for teaching groups of up to 15 children, if your group is larger  please call to discuss.