Health & Wellbeing

The wonderful things about roses…

by Fiona Chapman

IT IS SUCH a beautiful time of year – I want time to slow down so that I can appreciate the beauty of all the flowers and soak up the lush, calming greens of the grasses and trees. I’m deeply breathing all that rejuvenating oxygen into my system and enjoying the sun topping up my vitamin D.

My beautiful Rosa damascena just about to flower as I write – it will be the most startling pink. I have always had a thing about roses. I love their scent and it is truly wonderful to walk into a garden and be enveloped in the most glorious smell.

Both rose petals and hips have been used as a medicine for thousands of years. Rose petal conserve was specifically used for tuberculosis because their astringent properties stop loose stools and the spitting of blood. Rose is also nourishing and cooling and used for acute inflammatory conditions in the respiratory and digestive tracts. Rose petals are a wonderful, gentle remedy for the young and the very old and they are said to counter the devastating effect that antibiotics can have on the intestinal flora.

They also help to dry up and promote drainage from the lymphatic system, particularly in the head and chest. Rose petals are also good for the heart, physically and metaphorically, and promote circulation.

Rose petals can be used in a tincture and if going through a particularly stressful time or finding life is just too much, a few drops under the tongue can be extremely calming and effective. It is a hug in a bottle, and perfect for times when confidence is low and

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Not only does it make the tea look and smell delicious but it is calming and cooling.

The common dog rose (Rosa rugosa) also has medicinal uses – its root was said to cure rabies back in the days of the Romans, and dog rose hips are jam-pack full of anti-oxidants and vitamin C. After WW2, children were encouraged to pick the hips for a syrup that was as delicious as it was nutritious! Fiona Chapman is studying naturopathy and herbal medicine at the College of Naturopathic Medicine (pellyfiona@gmail.com).

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Health & Wellbeing Meditations in nature: Nature’s surprises

by Susie Curtin

I AM TAKING some time out from the Jubilee celebrations for a quiet walk. Armed with binoculars and camera, I am on a mission to find a Duke of Burgundy – one of our rarest butterflies.

Unfortunately, it is rather late in the season now and the weather is not perfect for butterfly spotting. Despite the warmth and brightness, there is high cloud cover with only the occasional spell of sunshine. I drove here brimming with anticipation but now I am here I realise I was overly optimistic.

I stop to chat to other hopeful souls before following the hillside path. The view rolls out across the valley, allowing my eyes to roam and my thoughts to wander. I stop to take it all in.

Then, as I glance down, I notice that there, neatly curled beneath the brambles, is the striking zig-zag pattern of an adder, slumbering in the morning warmth. I stand completely still and hold my breath as I reach for my camera. His beady, staring, orange eyes have already seen me and he starts to very slowly uncurl.

The adder is the UK’s only venomous snake, and although not popular with dog walkers, or those who have an aversion to snakes, it is incredibly interesting and only a threat if handled or if it is unable to get away. In fact, ticks are much more likely to cause us harm.

Yet the common perception of snakes as untrustworthy, treacherous and sly still appears to reside in the human psyche. Even in ‘Julius Caesar’, Shakespeare writes: “It is the bright day that brings forth the adder, and that craves wary walking,” warning that when all appears calm after the civil war, Brutus must still be wary of Caesar when he becomes King.

As the adder slowly and stealthily disappears into the thicket, I continue my walk. Speckled woods, dingy skippers and Adonis blue butterflies begin to emerge as the light intensifies. Alas, there is still no sign of the Duke.

Eventually, my thoughts return to the afternoon celebrations to come. As I turn tail for home, a stoat crosses my path and disappears into a tunnel in the undergrowth. I crouch low and wait. Will she come back this way? Does she have young to feed? I see her skit along the bottom of the hedge once more and then she is gone.

I continue on my way, too. It has been a walk full of surprises. Dr Susanna Curtin is a nature writer and researcher (rewildingjourneys.com).

It’s all about the nuggets

by Alice Johnsen

IT WAS TOWARDS the end of a coaching session earlier this week that we started talking about the nuggets. The nuggets are the bits in your life that add depth or quality. Not the once-a-year treats or the big family wedding. Nuggets are the stuff of everyday. The rose blooming. The interesting conversation. The gripping book in the bath. The small success at work. Those are the nuggets.

Such things add value to our lives. It’s tempting to think the game-changers in our lives are those dreamy holidays or moving to that bigger house. Or anything one-off. But I don’t think they carry nearly as much value as the nuggets. Yes, they have their place but they are not the regular boosters. They are not really what makes us happy. To be happy long-term re-quires an acceptance and liking of our basic lives, of the people we spend most of our time with and our everyday activities. Which is, of course, not as simple as all that.

If you don’t feel you are contented with your life, adding a few nuggets is going to make a really big difference. Noticing the small things, adding a few small changes to your life – that’s what makes the difference. For example, making it a regular thing to read that book in the bath or take your dog/child/friend for that favourite bike ride. Placing value on such things means they stand a chance of not being kicked off the agenda by seemingly more im-portant tasks. It’s not always easy but it is always valuable.

In another coaching session my client and I were remembering the value of exercise out-side. Again, not always easy unless your day job is outside based, but easier at this time of year than in the depths of winter. But there’s no denying the immediate and long-term ben-efits of a blast of fresh air or

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There’s no denying the benefits of exercise outdoors – and it’s easier to do at this time of year. PHOTO: Sasin Tipchai/ Pixabay

a dose of sunshine.

One last thought to offer. No-one else is going to create nuggets for you. No-one else is go-ing to create the opportunity for you to down tools and enjoy that nugget-filled moment. That is entirely and absolutely up to each and every one of us to do it for ourselves. Alice Johnsen is a life coach based near Sherborne (07961 080513; alicejohnsen.co.uk)

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