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Last November, I revisited one of the World’s historic gardens, which is sometimes listed as ‘one of the must-see gardens before you die’. The Garden in Mauritius, steeped in colonial history, was started in 1735/6 as a vegetable garden by Mahé de La Bourdonnais (1699 – 1753), the most illustrious of the island’s French Governors. It…

The pomelo (pummelo, pompelmoes, pamplemousse, Citrus maxima or Citrus grandis), the largest of the citrus fruits, is the grandaddy of many of the citrus fruits we so love. The pomelo, the citron (Citrus medica) and the mandarin (Citrus reticulata) make up the three main citrus groups. The Seville orange is a hybrid of the pomelo…

The difference between a drug and a poison is the dose. Paracelsus (1493-1541) In late October 2023, colchicine, a drug obtained from the autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) was headline news in major newspapers, not as a medicine but as a lethal poison. The plant, also known as the Naked lady because it flowers ‘naked’ in…

Alerte santé Les champignons Shiitake (lentin) doivent être bien cuits If you have cooked shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) you will know that one of its prized attributes is not shrinking as much as button and brown mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) even with heavy stewing. When dried the shitake acquires another aroma, much appreciated, particularly in Chinese…

Jesuit missionaries, keen students of the natural world, followed their compatriot explorers soon after they found their way West across the Atlantic and East around the Cape of Good Hope. The Portuguese, first around the Cape of Good Hope, were also the first to establish a thriving European maritime Empire in the East. The Jesuit…

One of my pleasant memories of childhood is the enjoyment of Haw flakes, a moreish snack (see Photo) with a sweet and sour taste. It was only years later that I realised that its name was derived from one of its main ingredients, the fruit we know as hawthorn (Crataegus tinnatifida, the Chinese hawthorn). The…

How I discovered Shakespeare’s aphrodisiac Discovering Shakespeare’s aphrodisiac was a happy accident for me. It was on a visit to the lovely garden within the grounds of Southwell Minster, Nottinghamshire, England, that I encountered the lovely lady resplendent in shy shades of blue, yellow, and white (see the first photo). ‘Heartsease’, said the gardener. Folklore…

Background – Microorganisms mutate Following the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is aware that viruses mutate to produce new variants which may become more dangerous because of increased infectivity or pathogenicity. Therefore, constant surveillance is necessary and new vaccines formulated as boosters against new mutants. Everyone also knows that timely testing is important to detect new infections…

#Anemone #EriocapitellaHupehensis #Banana #MusaAcuminitaCavendish #EchinaceaPurpurea #Superfood #Cardiff #Wales #MedicineTress @MedicineTrees2023

What single word would you suggest for an herbalist shop? Gregory Unrein, a pharmacist specialising in herbal remedies calls his shop in Nice, an herboristerie. I shall call it a herbalistary in English, to bring forth the connotation of a dispensary and an herbalist dispensing medicinal herbs. Unrein’s herbalistary is an elegant shop nestled in…