Trudy Norris FNIMH, MBACP - Herbalist, Counsellor

02/09/2026

'Let Food Be thy Medicine and Medicine be Thy Food'.

The Rhubarb has done pretty well despite the drought. The leaves have suffered but the stems have been fine in our patch.

You can grow Rhubarb in a very small area and once established it is pretty low maintenance.

A number of varieties of Rhubarb are used in traditional medicine especially in the Chinese tradition where it has been planted in large areas.

Research has revealed a number of pharmacological effects which for me are not that surprising.

Rhubarb can have an anti bacterial and anti inflammatory effect and also regulates gastro intestinal function and regulating gut flora. Most of the effects afe a result of anthraquinones but it is also a good supply of soluble fibre.

One thing to be aware of is Rhubarb can be hepatotoxic ( laege doses)although the reason for this is unclear.

For me, eating foods in season sits to benefit people and the planet and I don't grow or eat enough to give any concern.

As well as the taste I love the colours of this plant. Sunset pinks and purples.

One quick rwminder is to snap the stems off, don't cut them. Your plant friend will thank you for that and grow strong.
Including

01/09/2026

Here is our herb of the week. Anybody that has worked with me or been on a walk will know Nettle (Urtica dioica) is in my Top 5 plants for people and our nature kin.

A bit of a bonus to see it has rebooted in the rain.

31/08/2026

Let's start the week off with some (interesting) and very good news....

A new study found that 98% of patients in the group who stopped taking medication had no change in heart function after one year

28/08/2026

Today I had a memory triggered when I was dispensing.

In my early years training as a Herbalist I was lucky to spend some time in the practice of a number of very experienced Herbalists. I am forever indebted to their generosity, sharing skills, time, and beginning to shape my practice.

One Herbalist was Anne Warren Davies who was a very skilled practitioner with a practice in South London.

I used to dispense alongside her employee, Eleanor.

One day I was left to dispense some herbs and needed a very small amount of Capsicum tincture. I could not for the life of me get the top off the bottle and decided to take a short cut by gripping the lid in my teeth to try and loosen it.

Loosen it I did but did not expect my lips to be on fire with just a hint of the tincture residue from the lid. Oh my what to do!!

The dispensary had a large belson sink with just enough space to get my head fully under the tap!!
I had some deep learning that day! I mustered up the courage to tell Eleanor when she returned and fortunately we all laughed.

I soon learned to counter the heat of Capsicum with fat rather than water, use milk (plant or animal) so the oils will dissolve and the oils will be removed from your skin.

What a lovely memory that still makes me smile.

Today I dispensed 3ml of tincture into a blend I made up for the month for someone. That is plenty to synergise with other herbs being used to address inflammation.

If you have chilli plants keep picking the chilli's and as long as the weather is reasonable it will keep on producing for you. A couple of plants will give you a good supply for the year ahead. Remember to save some seed for next year.

Wishing you a fine Bank Holiday weekend.

27/08/2026

and as part of my own reflections on working with people I thought I would share this...with huge thanks to the insights of Carl Rogers who originated the person centred approach in Counselling and Education.

A key foundation of this approach is it firmly puts the client in charge of their own personal growth.

In my experience there is no other way. You are in charge of your growth and your goals.

Hope your week is going well so far and wherever you are you have rain.

24/08/2026

An early herb of the week from me after a wander down the garden I was delighted to see the hop vine coming into flower. This is about a week earlier than last year.
Since water has been so scarce I had thought the vine might retreat before flowering but I think the stress of drought has nudged it to produce more (female) flowers or cones.
I love the architecture of the cone, shades of green and layers of bracts which house the tiny yellow lupulin glands that secrete essential oils and bitter resins.
Anybody that drinks beer may think the suporific feeling is due to the alcohol which in the main it is. Interesting though to know that Hops (Humulus lupulus) can have a hypnotic action alongside being mildly sedative. Hops are renowned for their bitterness and in practice they are only used in small doses in tincture form, yielding a bitter tonic action and gently stimulating the digestive system.
I was speaking with someone explaining one of the things I like most about the herbal approach is that the right plants in the right dosage can influence a number of systems at one.
Hops are a great example of this influencing the digestive and nervous system and the endocrine system. Great medicine.

23/08/2026

Last week was busy with appointments and a lovely workshop with home schooled children and their grown ups. How impressive they were with lots of questions, ideas and energy. Totally unbothered by the marvels of rain and very creative with the space we were in. We used all our senses and I felt a wonderful connect with and .

I picked up a voicemail with a common theme. I called the person back who said they had 'been chatting to someone' ...' and they came to see you and it didn't come back'. How do you think I responded?...

I responded with significant caution as in this situation people make contact with very high expectations. Managing this is most important from an ethical and clinical perspective.

I mentioned how unique people are and that I could not say we would have the same outcome.
We talked in a little more detail, I explained how I work with plants and people and what I would ask them to do if they decided to go ahead with an appointment.

99% of my appointments are through word of mouth for both Counselling and the Herbal Approach. I think this informs my approach to social media for which I am not a huge fan.

I have the joy of celebrating outcomes with people I work with (and sometimes not so of course) often in unexpected ways like this.

Into next week and the foraging theme, I see lots of photos of Elderberries in baskets with green stems....my experience and recommendation is to leave these and pick the ones with purple stems which tell you they are fully ripe and at their optimum.

And here is our thought for the week...what does optimum health look and feel like for you? How do you even feel about the term? I will leave that with you.

Look out for Ginger wanting to grow, chicken of the woods and other fungi going into bloom and beauty of colour.

Have a fine week.

17/08/2026

'A ruined planet cannot sustain human lives in good health. A healthy planet and healthy people are two sides of the same coin'. Dr M Chan.

16/08/2026

Hello and how did you get on with noticing/observing your thinking patterns? Any wonky ones? It would be very unusual if you didn't.
Something to think about this week is which activities/wellness tools grow peace of mind.....keep a note and do these regularly to create ease and keep mentally well.