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I will write a book on leaves of flowers

Inspiration

William Blake was overlooked in his lifetime as a romatic poet out of step with the times. He was however almost visionary in his altruistic zeal for equality in life and society. He saw the balancing of the forces of nature as a sign of harmony and much of the industrial, revolutionary and war like [...]

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The Hidden Beauty of Flowers

Food
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This beautiful mustard plant, known in the US as Dame’s violet and the UK as Sweet Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) really is a delightful surprise. My garden looks rather wild at the best of times. I like to think it’s because there are so many herbs rather than cultivars. But I am also bringing up children [...]

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The Cherokee Herbal

Herbal
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I love the introduction to this book (scroll to page 9). The author J. T. Garrett (left), is part Cherokee himself,  and was humbled while collecting information for this book  when asked by the Elders why he was writing everything down. “It’s another’s way to share with words. It is the Indian way to share [...]

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Letter from Michael McIntyre published in The Lancet

Regulation
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The Lancet 26/08/2011Volume 378, Issue 9791, Pages 569 – 570, 13 August 2011 David Holmes’s World Report on herbal statutory regulation April 30, p 14791 characterises the UK’s Royal College of Physicians (RCP – pictured) as being opposed to the statutory regulation of herbal practitioners when, in fact, the RCP is divided about it. For [...]

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Is Your Food Colourful Enough ?

Diet
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Quinoline yellow E104, sunset yellow E110, cochineal E120 and ponceau 4R  E124. These are some of the remaining colours in our food chain linked to hyperactivity in children by the Southhampton study. Levels by which these colours are to be reduced are a whole order of magnitude. e.g. 500mg/kg is to be reduced to 50mg/kg. [...]

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forum

From the Mighty Oak Grows a Little Acorn

plants

From a Little Acorn Grows the Mighty Oak The Oak Live thy Life, Young and old, Like yon oak, Bright in spring, Living gold; Summer-rich Then; and then Autumn-changed Soberer-hued Gold again. All his leaves Fall’n at length, Look, he stands, Trunk and bough Naked strength. by Alfred Lord Tennyson From a Little Acorn a [...]

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Red Wine Chemicals – The Heart of the Matter

Diet

This weeks New Scientist offers up an optimistic proposition that soon we will be able to pop a pill to receive the heart protecting abilities of red wine, without even having to drink a glass a day. A recent study published in Nature by scientists at Columbia University, New York reveals they have worked out [...]

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This Way Happiness Lies

Inspiration

You might not know it but happiness is so important to ones health it is used as one of the measures of health by the World Health Organisation. No-one would refute that happiness is a fundamental objective  of human existence. However until recently happiness has always been determined by researchers using a complex set of [...]

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Vegetarian and Vegan Diets – Healthy or Not?

Diet

While diets avoiding meat or including lower levels of red meats in particular are promoted as more healthful there are a lot of myths and misconceptions about the healthfulness of exclusively vegetarian and vegan diets.  As with a meat eating diet there is a wide range in quality and quantity of foods which may be [...]

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The Hidden Beauty of Pollinators

plants

Louis Schwartzberg has spent over 30 years filming plants and animals in close up with high speed film so we can get an insight into the marvellous world of nature. This selection of stunning shots is introduced by Louie who says that it was while enquiring, like a child, of his scientific advisors – why? [...]

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