Growing interests

Her interest in herbalism led Calne Central NWR member Christina Stapely to a career in healing, and she now teaches, runs workshops and writes on the subject. Judith Charlton finds out more.

How long have you been an NWR member, and what prompted you to join?

I joined in the 1970s as a stay-at home mum living in Barnard Castle. My mother-in-law advised me, ‘Don’t become a vegetable!’ so this was my solution. I lapsed for a while but joined again when I moved to Wiltshire 15 years ago.

For you, what has been the best thing about being a member?

Friendships, and the wide range of interests. I sometimes go to a meeting thinking I won’t find much enthusiasm for the subject, only to find there is so much more to it than I had imagined. I have enjoyed giving talks, and we have had some fun afternoons trying on the historic costumes that I use in my workshops at the Weald and Downland Living Museum, including underwear!

Another excellent outcome of NWR membership came quite recently. While planning my research for a second volume of The Tree Dispensary, which will cover non-native species, I felt I needed a companion for my trip to Oman to see the frankincense trees, and while on an NWR outing talked with another member about this. We hardly knew each other at the time – just from attending meetings – but she immediately offered to go with me. Sally and I are firm friends now and the following summer went to Chios together for the mastic harvest.

I see that your books on herbalism and your BSc in Phytotherapy came later on in your life. What led to your interest in the subject?

I already had an interest in herbalism, but when I moved south I was lucky enough to have a third of an acre in which to establish a herb garden. People were interested in the garden, so I would hold workshops, and write what I had told people in my books so that they could refer back to it. As time went on I found that I was earning money from the workshops, as well as talks and writing, and could afford to expand my knowledge by buying old herbals, of which I now have a large collection.

As for my BSc, when I was younger I had wanted to train as a nurse but found I couldn’t because of my health: I have

The Boswellia tree, which gives frankincense resin problems with my joints. So, the desire to become a healer had always been there. As soon as I started the course, I realised this was what I should have been doing all along.

You now teach, write, and run workshops and courses. Which do you find the most satisfying, and why?

Following my studies, I also worked as a healer but I retired from this five years ago and now teach at the School of Herbal Medicine. I love sharing my knowledge with other people and especially being able to see young people coming into the field.

You also grow herbs etc in your teaching garden. Is this mainly for teaching purposes or do you also use your produce? And what for, chiefly?

Everything I plant in my garden has to have a harvest, in other words it has to have a use. The range is huge: for cookery, home medicines, dyes, cosmetics – herbs can be involved in every aspect of life. I take plants to show to people at my talks, and I used them in my practice – it was helpful to be able to show a patient what they were to be treated with.

Priests, when visiting the sick, were advised to cover their mouth and nose with a thick piece of bread soaked in vinegar

One of your workshops is about ‘Surviving Epidemics Through the Centuries’ – what do you think are the main differences between our current experience of pandemic and the experiences of those in the past? Are we better placed for survival or are we our own worst enemies?

This is one of my workshops at the Weald and Downland Living Museum. I show some of the products that people used to protect themselves, and I have a book from 1485, Pestilence, which details precautions. Some are remarkably similar to those we have now, such as washing hands and face, and keeping one’s house well aired; and there is even a recommendation for priests, when visiting the sick, to cover their mouth and nose with a thick piece of bread soaked in vinegar.

As well as vinegar, angelica root, myrrh, rosemary and various other herbs were known to have anti-bacterial properties – in fact I took to spraying my shopping with rosemary water when I unpacked it, much nicer than sanitiser!

The importance of mental well-being was also recognised: ‘Be of merry heart, for that promotes health!’

I think one of the differences between then and now is that people had very different expectations. Average lifespan was much shorter and death was taken for granted. More people had a faith, and accepted what came to them as their lot.

And they weren’t constantly bombarded with bad news from around the world: they just got on with their own lives.

Another of your courses is on ‘Aging Successfully’, an important subject for all of us! What is the one (or two) most important thing we can do to help ourselves?

I was inspired by my uncle who, in his 80s, got together with a woman in her 90s who, as well as teaching him canoeing, drove a sports car and had a regular spot playing piano for the ‘old people’ in the local care home. I am convinced that the most important thing to remember is ‘Use it or lose it!’ for both mind and body. It has also been shown that those who have the support of a group, whether a faith group or one such as NWR, statistically will live longer.

Your latest book is about trees, specifically native European trees, and their history and uses in cookery and crafts, as well as medicinal use. What was the inspiration for this book?

I have always grown trees as well as herbs, in fact I have 19 of the trees that are in the book. I am also always looking for new subjects for my workshops and, when I started to do some on trees, I discovered that there were no resources that weren’t encyclopaedic, so I decided I should write one myself.

What is the tree, or part of a tree, that you find yourself using the most, and what for?

All parts of the elder tree can be used for something. Many of us will have made elderberry port, and elderflower cordial or champagne: but did you know that the berries can also be used to raise bread as, like grapes, they have yeast on their skins? They can also be dried like currants, used to make syrup, and mixed with crab apple juice to make jelly sweets – I like to think that the Celts could have enjoyed these gum drops! Cosmetic uses include aromatic waters, and ointments can be made from both flowers and leaves. As well as being used to flavour vinegars, the flowers can be used medicinally to take down fevers, while the berries are good for the immune system, and can be made into a tincture for colds and coughs. All parts of the tree will give dyes of varying hues and, finally, you can use the flowers to keep pests from your lettuces – the smell puts them off.

Some of the many uses of the elder tree, from gum sweets to jelly

Photo: Christina Stapely

Many people are suggesting that tree planting could be one of the solutions for combatting climate change. Do you agree, and what can we all do to help?

Tree planting is definitely one of the solutions, and I am happy to say that some of the profits from the book will be donated by Aeon to supporting the Woodland Trust and The Tree Council. But it is not a substitute for the destruction of ancient woodlands. New saplings need mother trees for support with carbon, water and nutrients, and trees are connected underground by huge networks of fungi.

New saplings need mother trees for support

We also need to think about the impact of our own carbon footprint, and be prepared to make changes in our daily lives. I am aware that there can be difficult choices involved, though: when I told a friend that I no longer buy fruit and veg that has travelled by air, her response was ‘But don’t some of those places need the income from that produce?’

Did you encounter any difficulties along the way in getting your book published, and do you have any advice for other members who might be thinking of taking up authorship?

My first book was accepted by a publisher straight away but, after some difficulties, I took it back and self-published. I did the same with subsequent books, but with this one I decided I wanted the support of a publisher. I was very successful with my self-publishing: I was able to promote the books through my talks, workshops and museum activities.

I didn’t have any difficulty finding a publisher for The Tree Dispensary either. I approached Aeon as I had established that they specialise in that type of book, and they were very keen.

If you want to take the publisher route, I would advise researching your market, so you can be confident when you say who is going to buy the book, and research your publisher – it is important to choose the right one. The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook is a very good place to start. Of course, my experience has been solely with non-fiction writing. The Tree Dispensary by Christina Stapley is published by Aeon Books, and you can see more about Christina at: https://christinastapley.co.uk/