Horsetail is a traditional remedy for weak and brittle nails. The source of it’s reputation is plant silica which it contains in relatively high quantities. The following recipes are adapted from Josephine Fairley’s book..
Make a heat infused oil of Horsetail, which has been left to wilt overnight after harvesting. Then stir in enough beeswax to make a light salve. (You can test the solidity of your salve before it sets, by dabbing a drip or two of your mix onto the back of a cold spoon. Add more base oil if it’s to solid, as more beeswax if it’s too runny)
If you have it available, add 5 drops Benzoin tincture, just before the beeswax, as it may help to further nourish cuticles. You could also add a few drops of a complementary essential oil (such as Lavender) at the beeswax stage but it’s not really necessary.
Quantities:
50g Fresh Horsetail stems, preferably in spring (or 25g dried)
150 ml Olive oil
1 tablespoon grated beeswax
Follow the instructions for making heat infused oils, simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Another way to nourish nails with Horsetail, is to make a heat infused oil and use it as a warm nail soak, once a week our so. The book says you can reheat this oil as often as you like but I urge you to beware of impurities entering your infused oil by repeated use and rewarming. You could achieve a similar effect by coating your nails and cuticles with a sufficient amount of the oil then put a pair of cotton socks or gloves on your hands for 10 – 20 minutes to retain the heat and help the oil to penetrate.
This recipe for anti cellulite body oil is inspired by one in Josephine Fairley’s book, The Ultimate Natural Beauty Book. My sister gave it to me as a present several years ago and although I don’t use it very often, it always provides inspiration for natural skin care. The recipe in the book uses a few drops of essential oils of Rosemary, Fennel and Juniper.
In my adaptation, I use small amounts of the fresh plants or seeds. I also substitute olive oil, argan oil or sweet almond oil for grape seed oil as that oil quickly becomes rancid whereas my substitutes don’t. If you prefer a lighter oil then you could substitute coconut oil, mixed with a little of one of the other options.
15 large fresh Ivy leaves
Tip of a fresh Juniper sprig
Tip of a fresh Rosemary sprig
1/2 Teaspoon of fennel seeds
125ml oil (see above for options)
1. Bruise the plant material with a pestle & mortar or similar.
2. Place in a clean glass container and put over the oil.
3. Use a chopstick to push the herbs into the oil and to dislodge any trapped air bubbles.
4. Leave in a sunny spot for about 4 Weeks.
5. Strain off and save the infused you’ll into a clean glass container. Compost the spent herbs our return then to where you found them.
6. Use the oil as you would any massage oil, with upward strokes to move the circulation towards the heart. Do this preferably after
skin brushing with a dry sisal brush or similar.
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale, Symphytum uplandicum) is just coming into flower here in Amsterdam. It’s easy to identify now due to it’s broad, furry, fast growing leaves, it’s dropping purple or white flowers and it’s standout appearance as it towers over many neighbouring wild plants.
If you keep any plants, outside or in, I urge you to learn how to make the easiest liquid feed from nourishing Comfrey. If you don’t know about it’s deep and rapid healing effects on the body, I urge you to learn about them too and to keep some form of this plant in your herbal first aid kit.
Most of the Comfrey found wild and is gardens, descends from garden escapes of purple flowering, Russian Comfrey (S. uplandicum). It works just as well externally and as plant feed and its leaves don’t contain the toxins found in the roots and all parts of cream flowering, Wild Comfrey (S. officinale). The toxins are harmful when ingested. Because it’s hard to tell the two plants apart when they are not in flower, I suggest you always air on the side of caution and don’t use it internally. Today I photographed a white flowered Comfrey, the colour suggests it is Wild Comfrey but most plants in the park are purple flowering and the two are very interbred, so this may be a white flowering mutation of S. uplandicum. Either way, it is beautiful, useful and I will only use it externally or for my plants.
Comfrey can be applied directly as a poultice (for sprains for instance) made into a heat infused or a cold infused herbal oil which can be used for massage or blended with beeswax to make a healing salve. Worth mentioning, is that sometimes Comfrey may speed healing faster than you’d like, such as when infection is present in a wound. Ensure wounds are clean and healthy looking, not infected, when you begin using this herb. This will help to ensure the wound heals cleanly, a well as quickly. Comfrey also has a reputation as the herb to prevent or remove scars, both internally and externally by please remember my warning about internal use.
To make a superb and cheap liquid plant feed, simply immerse a couple of Comfrey leaves in water, in a bucket or similar. Leave it to ferment for a few weeks. You should see that the water becomes a dark and rich brew. Store this “Comfrey tea”in a suitable container and dilute well before feeding to your plants. A plastic bottle cap full, in a home watering can of water, should suffice. Use regularly, throughout the growing period, for pleasing results.
Here’s a link to an online Permaculture Magazine video article, about why we should all have a Comfrey plant on our patch. Be prepared, the video is ten minutes long and contain lots of info for people with vegetable gardens – If only! I don’t have space for one at home but I know where plenty grow! I hope you’ll have a look around and find some near your home also.
Comfrey is an essential herb to become well acquainted with, your plants will thank you and so will your body, when it needs to heal quickly.
The 1st of May is Beltane, an important date in the Pagan calendar. It marks the end of the cold months and welcomes in the warmer months. Here’s a link to a post, I wrote last year, about the folklore and herbal customs attached to Beltane.
Come dawn, it will be time to rush out and wash my face with Hawthorn dew. Happy Beltane!
Witch hazel is one of my favourite shrubs and I am hoping to introduce it to my pavement garden this winter. When unrestricted its crooked, apple tree-like branches grow to 4 – 6 inches in diameter and the whole shrub can reach around 12 feet in height. However it can also do well in small spaces, such as large pots or pavement gardens (geveltuinen). It grows best in moisture retentive, acid to neutral soil and is adapted to living in light shade. Witch hazel is also tolerant of polluted city air and its unusual yellow October flowers make it a good option for the urban herbologist.
The leaves and bark of Witch hazel are very useful. They taste bitter, containing tannic and gallic acids as well as a volatile oil. Its effects are astringent, tonic and sedative so preparations of Hamamelis virginiana are often used to treat internal and external bleeding. The most well known uses of this herb are for treating piles, bruises and inflammatory swellings but it is sometimes used for diarrhoea, dysentery and mucous discharges. Please be aware that using Witch hazel internally should only be done under expert guidance. Due to its astringent effect, Witch hazel distilled extract (available cheaply from many chemists) makes a great skin toner. I used it as a teenager, it works well and I think it smells great. These days I use it mostly for treating bruises.
Chips of dried Hamamelis virginiana bark can be obtained from herbal suppliers. You may find this beautiful shrub in local parks, hedgerows and areas of woodland. It is also a fairly popular garden shrub due to the unusual winter flowers. Apparently it is very difficult to propagate Witch hazel by cuttings and the edible seeds (if you can find them as they are dispersed far and wide by explosion) can take over a year to germinate. I am hoping to take a winter cutting from a friend’s plant very soon. I’d be very interested to hear from anyone who has been successful in this.
Witch hazel can be used in many ways;
Tea (made from the leaves and young twigs or bark, fresh or dried) can be applied directly to piles or dabbed onto bruised or inflamed areas of skin. This also makes a milder skin toner than the distilled extract, often good for acne, oily skin and shrinking bags under the eyes.
Tincture, best made from the bark.
Fluid extract, if you can squeeze the juice out, can be included in ointments to calm varicose veins.
Distilled extract, easily obtained from chemists, great for dabbing onto bruises, insect stings and bites, applied very quickly as a compress for burst varicose veins – which are life threatening and need immediate medical attention. Can be applied to intact varicose veins as a soaked lint bandage, wrapped gently around the area loose enough to allow the blood to flow unrestricted.
Powdered bark, if you can make it then this can be applied to piles when combined in a cream or paste.
Not being a great one for tinsel and baubals, I generally opt for some sprigs of holly and ivy when decorating my home for the Yuletide festivities. So I thought it was time to have a quick look at the herbal lore and uses attributed to these beautiful evergreen plants.
Holly (Ilex aquifolium)
Boughs made from the glossy leaves and scarlet berries of Holly have been used to decorate homes at the winter festivals of Yuletide and Saturnalia, since ancient times. Early Christians are thought to have adopted the practice, to deck churches with evergreen boughs, from their contemporary Pagan cousins. Ancient Romans believed that Holly could protect their homes from poison, lightening and witchcraft. It’s not difficult to understand why, given the spiky, defensive structure of many holly leaves. Planting holly bushes close to homes was thought to infer this protection.
The leaves, berries and bark of Holly have been employed in herbal remedies over the years. The berries quickly cause vomiting (they were used a purgative) but the leaves (of several Ilex varieties) have long been used as a tea substitute in Germany and Brazil. The leaves have been thought to help with catarrh, smallpox and pleurisy. They contain a bitter alkaloid called Ilicin which promotes perspiration. Traditionally Holly leaves have been used to treat intermittent fevers and rheumatism. The berries, when dried and powdered are astringent and have been used traditionally to stop bleeding.
Gathering holly for medicinal purposes is best done in May and June, at about noon time when they are dry of dew. Gathering holly for decorative purposes should be done with respect for the plant, taking just a little, without harm. I like to return the holly to the foot of the plant I have cut it from, when I take my decorations down. It feels much more respectful to do this and hopefully the plant will benefit a little as the dried branches slowly rot down. Holly can be found growing in hedgerows, as specimens in gardens and within woodlands. There is plenty growing in central Amsterdam.
Ivy (Hedera helix) Glossy, beautiful, angular Ivy grows easily in pots and makes a great addition to balconies. It sticks so well to walls, with its amazing vertical fibre support system, that it will easily pull the mortar out from between brickwork if the plant is pulled off. However Ivy is said to be one of the only plants that keeps walls dry, it’s leaves acting as a protective and beautiful curtain. The fibres become true roots when they meet water, until then they help ivy to attach firmly to the most unlikely surfaces.
Ivy is favoured by many birds for nesting and its berries provide a rich source of nectar for bees. Ivy has the amazing ability to transform itself in many ways when it reaches unrestricted light, such as at the tops of trees or walls. It then produces softer looking, ovate leaves and bunches of pretty flowers on a strong bush like structure.
There is some much lore associated with ivy. Like Holly, Ivy has been used to decorate homes since ancient Pagan times. Poets’ wreaths are made from ivy leaves, as is the wreath of Bacchus. It was thought that gently boiling bruised ivy leaves in wine would remove the wines powers of intoxication. Perhaps the alcohol simply boiled away? Perhaps not. Ivy has long been a sign of fidelity and was given to newly weds in ancient Greece.
One of the few traditional medicinal uses for Ivy was as relief for sunburn. Soft ivy twigs, when boiled in butter were thought to produce a useful remedy. I think I will stick with Aloe vera for now but the ivy remedy could be worth experimenting with.
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a Mediterranean hardy perennial herb which is easy to grow, particularly in relatively dry soil. It has been used since ancient times, being found amongst the burial effects of Pharaohs and being highly prized by ancient Romans. Anglo Saxons revered it as one of the nine sacred herbs and believed it could ward off evil. The Ayurvedic health system sees Fennel as being perfectly balanced in terms of pitta, vata and kapha doshas. There are many different varieties and in many countries such as Greece it grows wild as a very successful “weed”. Fennel makes a very unusual pot plant, if you have the vertical space. It can quickly grow up to 1.5m high with delicate feathery leaves, a bulbous base and large umbeliferous flower heads. All parts of this herb are aromatic, tasting of anise, and can be very useful. The “seeds” are actually fruit. Fennel is often useful during breastfeeding but shouldn’t be used in quantity during pregnancy.
Uses of Fennel
Obesity – Pliny, herbalist of ancient Rome was very enthusiastic about Fennel’s ability to ease hunger during times of fasting and encouraged his contemporaries to eat Fennel and to drink Fennel tea in order to cure obesity. Apparently chewing Fennel seeds to help weight loss is quite popular in modern day Greece.
Breast health – Fennel can help to increase milk production in nursing mothers and to soothe painful pre-menstrual breasts, due to its diuretic properties.
Menopausal symptoms – a useful tea for fluid retention and anxiety. It has been found to have an oestrogen effect. If taken in excess it can cause the return of periods.
Digestion – Fennel may help when digestive problems are caused by anxiety or some form of tension. It helps relax the system, to gently release trapped gas and to make rich foods easier to digest. Colicy babies are often given a little cooled fennel tea to help with trapped gas, or the mother can pass on it’s helpful properties via her milk. Infants should only be given a couple of teaspoons of cooled tea.
Cough – Inhalation of honey cured Fennel smoke may help to cure persistent coughs. Crushed Fennel seeds can be gently heated on a hot plate or charcoal incense brickette, the fumes can help to loosen the chest and lungs. It is quite easy to crush them with a pestle and mortar. Alternatively a herbal smoking mix, containing honey cured Sage and Fennel can be burned to release the healing vapours of Fennel. More details to follow.
Eyes – Some people find that fennel lotion, made from cool water as described below, makes is effective remedy for sore, tired eyes. It may be used to saturate cotton pads to use as a compress or as eye drops or an eye wash. If you try this ensure that the tea is extremely fresh and contains no bits which could irritate the eye. Drinking fennel tea is also thought to strengthen eyesight.
Breath freshener – Chewing fennel seeds, particularly after a rich meal, is a useful way to aid digestion.
Joint pain – Massage with Fennel infused oil often helps to ease the pains of arthritis and rheumatism.
Anxiety or mild depression – Massage with Fennel infused oil or gently inhaling the smoke of burning crushed fennel seeds can lift the spirits and relax tension.
Fennel tea
This can be prepared using either chopped dry or fresh leaves or crushed seeds. Use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed seeds per cup of boiling water. Crushing the seeds makes a much more potent tea. This can be done with a pestle and mortar, a manual coffee grinder or by gently bashing the seeds with something such as a rolling pin. Allow to infuse for 15 minutes. If using leaves, infuse 2 – 3 teaspoons in a teapot of boiling water for 5 minutes.
Eye lotion
Boil a cup of water and allow to cool before infusing half a teaspoon of crushed seeds for one hour. Strain carefully. Can be used in an eye bath, as drops or to soak cotton pads.
Honey Cured Herbal Smoke Mix Mix 1 tsp honey with 4 tsp water and add gradually to a 15g dried copped sage and 2 tsp of powdered fennel seeds. Rub the liquid into the herbs until they are all slightly damp. Lay out in a shallow dish and leave for a few days, turning occasionally, until the water has mostly evaporated and the herbs feel dry enough to burn. Store the mix in an airtight container.
I love the uplifting citrus scent of fresh Lemon Balm (Melissa). In the spring and summer it smells and tastes magical; I eat leaves straight from the plant whilst gardening on the roof, add them to salads and ice cubes and frequently drink it as a tea. Lemon balm tastes great alone or in combination with other herbs, particularly mints. In the autumn and winter I use it dried, it smells good but quite different and has several really useful applications. I made a lip balm containing Melissa this weekend, to help fight off cold sores. I find it works a treat and thought it was time to share a few of this herb’s properties and uses.
The Latin name Melissa means honeybee and this herb is very attractive to bees. It has been planted near beehives since the time of ancient Greece as it encourages bees to return home. The herb is a member of the mint family and has long been associated with love, friendship, health, healing, success and good cheer. It was the main ingredient in Carmelite water and has a reputation for relieving symptoms of mild depression.
Lemon Balm grows very well in almost any soil, does well in pots and can be divided to make extra plants throughout spring, summer and early autumn. It is a hardy herbaceous perennial, a pretty variagated variety is available and it makes a great urban herb.
Melissa can be used to:
Cool. It can induce a mild perspiration so is sometimes useful taken as a tea when feverish with colds or flu. In hot weather its cooling properties are also welcomed.
Scent. The fresh lemon odour makes Melissa valuable dried in potpourri, as a breath freshener and when the leaves are bruised it can really lift spirits.
Flavour. The lemony fresh leaves can be chopped into salads, ice cubes, mayonnaise, white sauces, sauerkraut, custards, jellies, fruit drinks and wine cups.
Lemon balm can also be used to create wonderfully aromatic vinegars, alone or in combination with herbs such as Tarragon. They can be used in delicious salad dressings, marinades and sauces.
Relieve cold sores. Some commercial cold sore preparations contain lemon balm but it is easy and cheap to make your own balm. Recent scientific research has also found that preparations containing Melissa can reduce recurrence of cold sores and can shorten the duration of attacks.
Calm and soothe. Lemon balm may be helpful to those suffering from grief, mild depression, anxiety, tension and sleeplessness. It can help digestive problems caused by these issues and many find it works as a relaxing tonic. Recent scientific research has also found it to be useful in managing agitation in Alzheimer’s patients.
Relieve headaches. A tasty remedy for simple tension headaches it to soak a handful of freshly picked leaves in a glass of wine for an hour, or drink a tea made from the dried leaves.
Relieve chronic bronchial catarrh. Lemon balm tea can help to ease symptoms.
Warm very gently as you dissolve the grated beeswax, I stir with a clean finger to check that the temperature remains really low.
Ensure you test the consistency and adjust it accordingly, with more wax or more oil, before pouring into small pots. Lip balm for cold sores shouldn’t be too firm as application may be painful.
When I use a pot of balm to treat a cold sore, I tend to throw away any remainder when the sore is healed. This reduces the risk of using contaminated balm once the skin is healed.
I recently bought a wonderful second hand copy of Herbal Remedies: A practical beginner’s guide to making effective remedies in the kitchen. It contains instructions on several traditional herbal remedies that many modern herbals omit. One, which I read with interest, is Vinegar & Brown Paper, as featured in the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill. Apparently it is quite an effective remedy for sprains, bruises and sore joints. It made me think more about the virtues of vinegar. So here are few preparations which you may like to try.
If you like investigating this sort of thing, you may be interested in the Urban Herbology Apprenticeship Course. The course covers foraging, crafting herbs, fermentation and nature celebrations, among other topics!
Vinegar and Brown Paper This traditional remedy (taken from Hedley & Shaw’s book) is said to relieve swollen aching joints and limbs. I have not yet tried it and am very interested to hear from anyone who does! Why not let me know in the comments or contact boxes below.
To prepare:
1. Cut 5 or 6 pieces of brown (packaging) paper, just big enough to fit over the affected area.
2. Place in a saucepan and cover with Sage vinegar (read on for how to make this).
3. Simmer very gently for about 5 minutes, until the brown paper becomes soft and has absorbed some vinegar, yet is not broken down.
4. When cool enough to safely handle, place the brown paper on the affected area and hold it in place with cling film (not too tight).
5. Cover with a roller bandage and leave in place for 4 hours. Hedley & Shaw recommend reapplying fresh vinegar and brown paper twice daily.
Ramsons – Wild garlic (Allium ursinum)
Herb vinegars
These are prepared in a similar way to tinctures but vinegar is used as a carrier for the herb properties, rather than alcoholic spirits. Many herbs can be easily preserved in vinegars, a few favourites are Rosemary, Sage, Tarragon, Chamomile and Parsley but why not try wild herbs such as Chickweed, Catnip, Lemonbalm, Motherwort, Ramsons or Hyssop? Dried or fresh herbs can be used but vinegars are a great way to preserve a glut of fresh herbs so that they can be used throughout the darker months.
Vinegar, particularly apple cider vinegar, is beneficial in its own right. It helps to build bones and has the ability to extract more minerals (such as calcium) from herbs than water. So preserving herbs in vinegar can provide a mineral rich preparation which is also very tasty and can be used in a variety of ways. They can be used in salad dressings, taken a tablespoon daily in a glass of water as a tonic, added to green vegetables and beans whilst they cook, used a flavouring in food or used in specific remedies. Adding a splash of vinegar to the cooking water of green vegetables dramatically increases available calcium.
To prepare, completely fill a glass container of any size with chopped fresh herb and then fill it completely again with vinegar. Seal (not with a metal lid), label and allow to sit (macerate) out of direct sunlight for between 2 and 6 weeks. After this time strain and bottle the herb vinegar in sterile dry containers. Use plastic lids or waxed paper held in place with strong rubber bands. For advice on sterilising see the post on Cough Syrup.
If you prefer to measure your herbs and vinegar there is a traditional recipe which recommends adding approximately 25g dried chopped herb or 50g chopped fresh herb to every 600ml of vinegar. Pure malt vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar can be used.
Sage (Salvia officinale)
Herb Vinegar Hair Rinse When my sister and I were children, my mother would add a little lemon juice to our final hair rinse. It makes hair shine beautifully and is a natural conditioner (shampoos are slightly alkaline, conditioners slightly acidic). Vinegar hair rinses work in the same way and can be very beneficial to the scalp. I like to use apple cider vinegar when my scalp feels overloaded with hair products; it feels cleansing, cooling and calming. Surprisingly it doesn’t make hair smell of vinegar.
To prepare simply add 1 tablespoon herbal vinegar, apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice to about 250ml water. Pour the rinse over washed hair and massage into the scalp. Leave on for about 5 minutes and then rinse with plain water.
Sage vinegar is thought to darken hair,
Chamomile vinegar to lighten hair,
Parsley vinegar to relieve dandruff,
Rosemary vinegar to condition dry or falling hair
There are dozens of other uses for vinegar, I’d love to know of any which you or members of your family have used. Get in touch through the comments or contact boxes!
28/12/24 A recent comment from Val who says: My mother taught me the old fashioned remedy for a bad temperature.:- Soak a strip of brown paper in vinegar and apply to the forehead. As the paper dries the temperature decreases. Tried and tested.
Ointments, salves and lip balms are extremely easy to make from cold or heat infused herbal oils. You simply add a small quantity of beeswax, solidifying the oil the extent you need. The more beeswax you add, the more solid the result; salves are very soft, ointments are a little firmer and lip balms are firm enough to retain their shape when moulded into a stick.
Before I learnt how to make ointments with plant oils and beeswax I made them using Vaseline. Although I find Vaseline is drying when used repeatedly for a long period of time, using it as a base is straightforward. The Vaseline method saves making an infused oil to start with and provides a more waterproof barrier on the skin as it is not easily absorbed. Vaseline will only produce a salve or ointment consistency but can also work very well as a lip balm, especially in the winter.
I sometimes buy purpose made small amber glass pots but mostly I sterilise and reuse tiny jam and mustard pots, pesto jars or the tiny preserving jars shown in the photos which hold about 100ml. Smaller pots are better unless you know you will use the contents quickly. Whichever containers you use, ensure you can easily reach inside.
Here are the two methods, both of which work well for small or large quantities. Use the contents within about three months but be aware that the contents can become contaminated easily. If you notice that the colour, smell or texture changes or anything else makes you suspect contamination, stop using and make a fresh batch.
How to make salves, ointments or lip balm from infused herb oils
Materials: Cold or heat Infused herb oil
Beeswax (pellets or “cake”)
Saucepan
Low heat source (candle or stove)
Spoon/chopstick
Glass storage containers and well fitting lids – very clean and dry
(also a Cheese grater, if you are using a cake of beeswax)
Method
Measure volume of the infused oil you are using and pour it into a clean saucepan.
Grate beeswax – For every 30ml of oil you will need about 1 tablespoon of grated beexwax (or pellets).
Add the grated beeswax to oil, in the saucepan.
Heat the oil and wax very gently over a low heat source, stirring constantly, until all of the beeswax has dissolved.
Check the consistency of your salve/ointment/lipbalm by putting a few drops onto a cool surface such as a saucer or metal spoon. It will solidify very quickly. How does it feel? If it is softer than you need, add a little more beeswax to your oil, if it is too hard add a little more infused oil or plain vegetable oil.
If you have added more oil or beeswax, continue heating until dissolved.
Remove from heat and pour into clean, dry glass storage containers.
Label and allow to cool.
How to make salves, ointments or lip balm with Vaseline
Materials Vaseline
Dried or fresh herb (finely cut)
Jelly bag or muslin
Rubber gloves
Saucepan
Jug
Glass containers and well fitting lids – very clean and dry
Method
Melt the Vaseline over a low heat, in the saucepan.
Add 60g dried herb or 150g fresh herb for every 500g of Vaseline.
Simmer the Vaseline herb mixture for about 15 minutes, stirring constantly.
Pour into the jelly bag and wear rubber gloves to squeeze the hot herb infused Vaseline into the jug.
. It contains instructions on several traditional herbal remedies that many modern herbals omit. One, which I read with interest, is Vinegar & Brown Paper, as featured in the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill. Apparently it is quite an effective remedy for sprains, bruises and sore joints. It made me think more about the virtues of vinegar. So here are few preparations which you may like to try.
) is said to relieve swollen aching joints and limbs. I have not yet tried it and am very interested to hear from anyone who does! Why not let me know in the comments or contact boxes below.
Urban Herbology 