Notes from the Brew Room Ann King

Awakening salve Ann King

As the light begins to return, and nature gradually unfurls and stretches from winter hibernation, it is tempting to rush into doing— without pausing and respecting the slow pace around us. Many of us have spent longer periods indoors, in artificially heated environments which are both draining and intensely drying— particularly on the skin, our biggest sensory organ. We also tend to drink less water, adding to mild dehydration from the inside out. So, it is hardly surprising that sensitivity, overall dryness and, in extreme cases, splitting or cracking are common skin complaints at this time of year.

Healthy skin acts as a protective barrier against pathogens and bad bacteria, so treating our skin carefully is an important preventative measure. This month— when our skin is a little more fragile than normal and perhaps prone to fungal infection —we have a salve which will both effectively moisturize and serve as an antifungal and antiseptic antidote to any scratches and scrapes acquired. Of course, the best prevention is a slow and mindful changing of gear, but a pot of salve is handy in case of any wildcrafting mishaps.

Old Man’s Beard (Usnea spp) has antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral properties and is rich in polysaccharides— making it a good choice for a rescue salve. Olive oil (Olea europaea) is used here to create a nonpenetrating barrier, whilst lubricating and purifying. Cocoa butter (Theobroma cacao) moisturizes, being moisture-retentive and hydrating, whilst the Shea butter (Vitellaria paradoxa) absorbs slowly and is intensely moisturizing. The Pine (Pinus sylvestris) is added predominantly for the fragrance; an olfactory grounding note invoking a gradual awakening in safe surroundings. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) instils a sense of peace and calm, complementing the earthy tones of the Pine. Ingredients 4 tbsp infused Olive oil 1 handful of fresh Usnea 1 tbsp grated Beeswax or ½ tbsp candelilla wax pearls 1 tbsp Cocoa butter 1 tbsp Shea butter 6 drops vitamin E oil 5 drops of Lavender and 5 drops of Pine essential oils 4x 15g containers

Method 1. Dry the Old Man’s Beard (Usnea spp.). We prefer to place a paper towel on top of a cooling rack, then leave in a well-aired, warm and dark space for a few days. Once dried, the Usnea can be powdered using a spice or coffee grinder. This powder should then be heated gently with the olive oil, in a double boiler, until hot to the touch, but not boiling. The mix should then be allowed to cool naturally before reheating gently once again. Ideally, this process should continue a few times over a couple of days to get the maximum extraction. The resulting Usnea infusion should be strained through fine mesh or muslin into a sterilized jar, ready for the next step. 2. Add the infused oil to the three chosen fats in a double boiler, heat gently and stir until combined. 3. Have the containers ready, with the lids off. Add the essential oils and vitamin E to the base salve, and pour into the containers. Be aware that the volatile oils will evaporate, so it is important to get the lids on relatively quickly. Label and leave to cool completely.

Sausage skin

Sarah Murphy

I first heard of the strangely named Sausage Tree (Kigelia africana) from an Australian friend, who had one in her back garden. As a herbalist, she had heard traditional healers’ stories of it helping all manner of complaints— from ‘improving one’s manhood’, to soothing the maddening itch of eczema. Since then, I’ve had several unexpected and delightful encounters with this curious tree, which have led to us becoming firm friends. The first time I ‘met’ a Sausage Tree was on a visit to Israel. A family member introduced me to an impressive and beautiful specimen standing proud and tall at the end of the street. With its bulbous fruits dangling from long fruit stalks, like the pendulums of some gigantic grandfather clock, it truly was a sight to behold. Although her children had passed it every day on their way home from school, she told me, and might otherwise be tempted to shelter from the heat under its canopy, they were always careful to walk around the tree and never under it. As the ripe fruits can grow to a metre long and weigh up to 12kg, they were naturally keen to avoid any possibility of one dropping on their heads. Returning half-way round the world to Cornwall, I was amazed to discover that a much smaller specimen was happily housed in one of the tropical biomes at the nearby Eden Project. I paid a visit as soon as I could. Ever since, I’ve made it my mission to learn all I can about this remarkable tree, in the hope that more people might benefit from its many, untapped gifts.

Although relatively unknown in the West, extracts from the fruit, leaves and bark of Kigelia africana have elsewhere long been employed in the treatment of a wide variety of health complaints. Traditional healers (Bello et al, 2016) dry the fruit and grind it into a powder, which is then used as a poultice to help heal wounds, abscesses and ulcers. In Zimbabwe, a decoction is made from the bark and used as a mouthwash to relieve toothache (Gelfland et al, 1985). In West Africa, a preparation made from the leaves is used to treat snakebites (Nabatanzi et al, 2020). It is worth noting that the pulp of the unripe fruit has strong purgative properties and is highly poisonous if ingested (Watt, & Breyer-Brandwijk, 1962). A number of scientific studies—including research conducted at King’s College Hospital (Moi, 2007) and collated at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Plants of the World Online), increasingly support anecdotal claims that preparations from the fruit extract, applied topically, may be beneficial for common skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

As studies show that there has continued to be a significant rise in the number of people visiting their GP’s offices seeking help for the symptoms of eczema (Simpson et al, 2009), it is certainly worth exploring alternative solutions to commonly prescribed steroid creams that with overuse, are known to thin the skin. Several biologically active compounds have been identified from K. africana; however, more studies are required to fully characterize its phytochemistry (Arkhipov et al, 2014) Of the three plant parts, fruit extracts have found the widest applications in the treatment of fungal and bacterial skin infections. This may justify their wider usage in skin care formulations (Nabatanzi et al, 2020). Extract of the fruit has also been shown to have antiinflammatory and analgesic properties, which may explain its efficacy in providing relief for the symptoms of eczema (Kamau et al, 2016).

As a small batch herbalist, I don’t have the resources at my disposal to conduct clinical trials into the efficacy of Sausage Tree extracts, but the patient testimonies on my website provide some clinical evidence that my own topical preparations can really help.

As increasing pressure is placed on our National Health Services, people are becoming more interested in self-help alternatives to GPprescribed skin care medications (Owen et al, 2001). I’m hopeful that, in the future, further

research to scientifically validate traditional uses of K. africana will take place, and it will come to be viewed not just as a beautiful and unusual ornamental tree, but as a valuable medicinal crop.

References Arkhipov, A.; Shalom, J.; Matthews, B. & Cock, I.E. (2014) ‘Metabolomic profiling of Kigelia africana extracts with anti-cancer activity by high resolution tandem mass spectroscopy’, in Pharmacognosy Communications, 4: 10–32 Bello, I.; Shehu, M.W.; Musa, M.; Zaini Asmawi, M. & Mahmud, R. (2016) ‘Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth. (Sausage tree): Phytochemistry and pharmacological review of a quintessential African traditional medicinal plant’, in Journal of Ethnopharmacology, (189):253-76 Gelfand, M.; Mavi, S.; Drummond, R.B. & Ndemera, B. (1985) The Traditional Medical Practitioner in Zimbabwe. Gweru, Zimbabwe: Mambo Press Houghton, P.J and Jâger, A.K. (2002) ‘The sausage tree (Kigelia pinnata): ethnobotany and recent scientific work’, in The South African Journal of Botany, 68 (1):14-20 Jackson, S. and Beckett, K. (2012) ‘Sausage Tree Kigelia pinnata: An Ethnobotanical and Scientific Review’, in Herbalgram, The Journal of the American Botanical Council, 94:48-59 Kamau, K.J. (2006) ‘Antipyretic and AntiInflammatory Properties of Methanolic Extracts of Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth. and Acacia hockii deWild in Animal Models’, Master’s Thesis, School of Pure and Applied Sciences, Kenyatta University Moi, G. (2007) ‘Chemistry and biological activity of Kigelia pinnata relevant to skin conditions’, PhD thesis, Kings College London Murphy, S. (2019) ‘The Sausage Tree – A traditional remedy for eczema and psoriasis’, blog post, www.alchemilla.co Nabatanzi, A.; Nkadimeng, S.M.; Lall, N.; Kabasa, J.D. & McGaw, L.J. (2020) ‘Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Activity of Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth. (Bignoniaceae)’, in Plants 9(6) Special Edition: Medicinal Plants, 753. Owen, D. K.; Lewith, G. & Stephens, C. R. (2001) ‘Can doctors respond to patients'

increasing interest in complementary and alternative medicine?’, in British Medical Journal (Clinical research ed.), 322(7279): 154–158 Plants of the World Online (Kew Science): www.powo.science.kew.org/taxon Simpson, C. R.; Newton, J.; Hippisley-Cox, J. & Sheikh, A. (2009) ‘Trends in the epidemiology and prescribing of medication for eczema in England’, in Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 102(3): 108–117 Watt, J.M. & Breyer-Brandwijk, M.G. (1962) The Medicinal and Poisonous Plants of Southern and Eastern Africa. 2nd ed. London, UK: Livingstone. www.alchemilla.co

Images: Sarah Murphy