New Blackmore Vale, July 23, 2021
Health & Wellbeing
A walk around...
with retired Dorset rights of way officer Chris Slade
MOTCOMBE Park by the Church, which is usually open. After you have visited it (and maybe added to or used their food bank) walk south westward along the road, passing the School, which looks pretty old. I think my Mother and her sisters and brother would have attended it as my grandparents were farming in Motcombe in the 1920s. After nearly half a mile, you’ll find the start of a bridleway on your right, leading northwards. The route can get a bit muddy in places and some of the stiles appear to have been designed for the long legged. There’s often a stream alongside. You’ll pass on your right a line of very
ancient trees along a hedge bank which must have been an important boundary centuries ago. Just before a gateway the path swings right then left through a woody patch then continues northward between a
hedge and a fence. When you reach some farm buildings, turn briefly left then right to continue northwards. At a junction of bridleways you’ll enter Motcombe Meadows, an 18 acre estate with trees,
allotments, grassland and paths owned by the Parish Council. You might like to explore it on another occasion or pause for a picnic. Take the bridleway heading west for about a mile. There are some good views, especially towards Duncliffe Hill to the south. When you reach King’s Court Wood, join a footpath that leads you north eastwards. After a while look out for a stile in a hedge to your north and head for it. This leads you to a (not very!) level crossing across the railway line. Then carry on to Wolfridge Farm where you turn right and soon you’ll join the road which takes you south, through the village and back to your car.
Scores of healthy benefits from the Queen of the meadow Filipendula ulmaria or Meadowsweet is out now. It is the lovely white, slightly almond smelling flowers that start like a sort of flat umbrella which, as they progress, get rather fluffy. (Not in any way to be confused with hog weed which is also out at the moment.) You will see them on damp roadsides and verges and in boggy meadows where they have the lovely name, Queen of the meadow. It is a very ancient herb and was considered one of the three most sacred herbs by the druids. I am constantly staggered by how clever and advanced these ancient civilisations were in their use of herbs because scientific evidence backs it up. They were just so much closer to nature and more intuitive than us. This, together with a certain amount of trial and error, gave them access to an incredible medicinal world. I find it so sad that much of the knowledge has been lost and is now so ridiculed or
dismissed. The flower heads have salicylic acid, from which Aspirin was first made. But unlike Aspirin which can cause ulcers in the gastrointestinal tract, Meadowsweet also has lots of other properties that protect the mucous membranes in both the gastro-intestinal system the urinary tract. As a result, it is used as an antiinflammatory herb for peptic ulcers and gastritis. It has antiacid properties and is good for gastrooesophageal reflux (GORD) and for gastrointestinal inflammation, Irritable
It is a diuretic (helping you to pee) and is also used for prostatic enlargement, another extremely common problem for men of a certain age. I put it in a tea to help with arthritis, and digestion to good effect. It can also be used topically on wounds to staunch bleeding. Not only all this but the herb has iron, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and silica all vital elements that keep our bodies healthy. No wonder it is called the Queen of the meadow. Pick the flower heads on a dry day and dry them for a delicious tea. If you are interested in herbal medicine and would like a consultation, please do get in touch at pellyfiona@ gmail.com or 07742 453285
Bowel Syndrome (which, for anyone suffering in silence, is extremely common) and being slightly astringent, it is good for diarrhoea, specifically, children’s diarrhoea. You can use this wonderful herb as a tea when you have a cold, and it will encourage sweating and help bring out a fever and of course it helps with pain. It is also very good for the urinary tract and can be used for cystitis as it is a Fiona Chapman is mild urinary studying naturopathy anti-sceptic and herbal medicine at and antithe College of microbial. Naturopathic Medicine
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