Years ago I built a raised bed garden on an old dressage menage. It seemed perfect to me, level, good drainage and covered in shredded black rubber to deter weeds. My horsey friends were appalled. Last weekend we held part of The Healing Garden Workshop with Trudy Norris, in this garden. Surrounded by the hornbeam hedge I planted went we built the 24 raised beds out of recycled scaffolding planks, the garden has a maturity now. It is to become my healing garden, where I will grow all the herbs and where one can go to reflect, meditate, relax. In Saturday's workshop we covered herbs, medicinal and culinary, their properties, the history of the medicinal garden, the design and planning of a garden
, planting, growing, propagration, preserving and usage. It was a wonderful day.
Decoction for a Cough - dosage 2-3 tsps, 3-6 times daily
15 grams dried thyme
8 grams dried sage
8 grams dried chamomile
2 tsps fennel seed
1/2 tsp aniseed
20 cloves
pinch cayenne
900mls water
450 grams honey
Place the water and herbs in a pan and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.
Allow the liquid to cool a little and strain into a jug.
Press the herbs.
Return the lliquid to the heat and simmer until the volume is reduced to 200 mls.
Add the honey to the pan and dissolve slowly.
Let the mixture bubble for a moment but do not let it over heat.
Decant into a bottle and label.