Editorial

All change

Kyra Pollitt

This month we embrace change. As we transition from spring to summer, we welcome the lovely Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) as our Herb of the Month. Marianne Hughes investigates its medicinal properties, whilst Hazel Brady rises to the challenge of its form. The ability of pigment to form from sunlight and chemical change is the magic process behind the gorgeous cyanotypes gracing these pages (Artist of the Month: Angela Macmillan). Meanwhile, Claire Gormley is interested in another chemical change— the oxidation that brings us fine wine (The Chemistry Column). And because we all know the best are matured, Ann King offers recipes for that grandest of changes, the menopause (Notes from the Brew Room). Herbs to support the workings of the womb are explored in Anthroposophical Views, while Mandy Haggith’s poetry constructs a bloody and barren palace of the menses (Red Squirrel Press Presents…).

Foraging through Folklore looks on the brighter side, presenting a cornucopia of luck unlocked by the Clover, and Amanda Edmiston opens an old and treasured book to bring us a glimpse of her own fourleafed charm (Botanica Fabula).

Rose Morley talks us through the soothing changes Red Clover flower essence can invoke (Flower Power), while Patrick Dunne rails at the lack of rapid change in the face of the new IPCC Report (The Climate Column).

Our Assistant Editor in the Field, Ella Leith, brings us more hopeful news of a project restoring sustainable land practices in the Scottish Highlands. On the other side of the world, Suhee Kang and Patrick M. Lydon (In Focus) delight in the pocket-sized changes that can make all the difference to both environment and soul. Callum Halstead’s Sage Advice this month will help you transform your own little pocket of earth into a verdant, year-round paradise.

Finally, Kyra Pollitt (Book Club) previews Mo Wilde’s forthcoming memoir of a year spent existing solely on a wild food diet because, as another fêted rebel once observed: the times, they are a-changin’...

Honorary Executive: Catherine Conway-Payne

Editorial team: Kyra Pollitt, Ella Leith, Maddy Mould, Anastasia Joyce

Proofing: Graham Turner

Finance: Marianne Hughes

Distribution: Senga Bate

Herbology News is printed on FSC certified, carbon neutral, recycled paper, using non-polluting vegetable-based inks, made from renewable sources.