Andrew Oldham writes about Pig Row, which is three gardens over a quarter of an acre in Scouthead. Visit at www.lifeonpigrow.co.uk
WINTER HAS dragged on. We are sick of the lashing rain, grey skies, gales and snow. These four horsemen of bad weather have sometimes combined forces, providing us with a new kind of rain that skips in sideways and goes straight up your leg.
You’ll be sick of snowy gales, which are colder than the inside of a freezer, and the promise of a sunny day cut down by leaden skies. And you will be fed up with the hacking cough you can’t shift.
There is something you can do this spring for next winter – plant a medicine cabinet in your garden. We often overlook the medicinal nature of herbs but even culinary herbs have medicinal roots.
Dandelions eaten in their millions, from their roots to their leaves, can be made into dandelion and burdock to combat hayfever or the root can be used for arthritis and eczema.
Rosemary, the stalwart of roast dinners, has been proven to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s while the common comfrey that dots Saddleworth hedgerows can be used on bruises and sprains, the leaves wrapped around the swelling.
Blue Hyssop, often used in stews, is good for sore throats, coughs and colds while sage is more than stuffing – it is good for sore throats. Yarrow leaves found in hedgerows can be infused in water and applied as a poultice to wounds.
There are hundreds of herbs and hedgerow herbs in Saddleworth today that became the foundation stones of modern medicine. Just remember if you don’t know what you are doing with herbs, you should ask someone who does or do some research (visit Chelsea Physic Garden www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk).
Most of the herbs cultivated throughout our history have been for our aches and pains – making our food tastier was a happy coincidence.
