Irish Organic Botanical Products, Workshops, Herb Walks & Clinical Consultations.
Inspired & ran by Registered Herbalists
Foraging Workshops
Have you ever wondered what wild Irish plants can be used as food, herbal medicine and for craft?
We run seasonal foraging walks & herbal workshops throughout Ireland.
Interweaving our local folklore and legends with plant lore, let us immerse you into the fantastical world of our native flora.
Start your journey of herbal discovery!
Herbal Medicine Clinic
We run Herbal Medicine Clinics in Belfast, Louth & Kerry. We are Registered Medical Herbalists trained to specialise in the use of medicinal herbs to support various conditions.
Is a condition affecting your Quality of Life or have you been disheartened by your current treatments? Why not find out about the clinics or book a consultation?
Organic Products
We are releasing a range of Organic Herbal Products inspired by our Local Irish Plants.
Superfood Powders, Herbal Cosmetics, Herbal Teas and Animal Care Products.
We’ve decided to focus on developing a small range of products so we can optimise their quality by using our in-depth knowledge of Herbal Medicine.Β
Our Upcoming Events
Have your ever wanted to learn about the uses our local flora have to offer as food and herbal medicine?
Treat yourself to a foraging walk or workshop. Below are our 5 next events. Click here to see all events for the year.
Our Instagram Feeds
γγNETTLES (Urtica dioica) π
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Did you know nettles are a traditional Irish food that would have been used with oats to make a hearty and nutritious meal? One of the traditional Gaelic names for nettle is cΓ‘l fΓ‘iche... which sounds a little bit like 'kale' don't you think?
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The humble stinging nettle is a nutrient powerhouse, truthfully far superior to the likes of spinach and kale (and the plant Popeye should have been eating)! It is a source of protein, containing all amino acids as well as calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium and vitamins A, B, C and K.
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It also has an impressive phytochemistry containing antioxidants like kaempferol,
quercetin, caffeic acid, coumarins and other flavonoids, as well as terpenoids like beta-carotene, lutein,l uteoxanthin and so the list goes on.
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Medicinally the whole plant is useful, the leaves, seeds and roots. A real favourite with herbalists past and present. Even the sting is helpful against rheumatic pain and employed by Romans to help with pain management(I kid you not!).
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However, my favourite way of using nettle is in a soup. Its delicious! The plant does not sting when cooked .My go to recipe looks like this;
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1 large onion, 2 cloves garlic, 3 large potatoes, 1 carrot, 1 large bunch nettle tops, good stock.
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Cook the potatoes and drain. Chop and cook other ingredients in a separate pan for 15-20 minutes in just enough water to cover. Add potatoes. Blitz to desired consistency and enjoy!
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NOTE nettles accumulate heavy metals so forage on clean land away from roads and only pick the tops (first 2 or 3 sets of leaves).
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#nettle #stingingnettle #soup #heresmyfood #herbalmedicine
γγHELLO SPRING!πΏπΈ
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Finally!!! The coldness and greyness of winter is being replaced by the warmth and greeness of Spring! Its officially my favourite season of the year as so many beautiful local plants begin to pop their heads back up through the soil!
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Therefore, I'd love to share with you all the 'weeds', trees and fungi that are bustling on your doorstep and how to use them as food, medicine and craft, just like your grandma used to do!
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I'll also share with you some of the old Irish folklore and fairytales that existed around the plants too, which gives a greater insight into how our ancestors viewed the world around them.
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The event will take place at Minnowburn on Sunday 2 April at 10.30am. For those that don't know, Minnowburn is located just 10minutes from Belfast City centre and is a hidden gem for foragers, nature lover's and outdoorsy folk alike!
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So come join me, tickets are available via my link in bio or drop me a pm to secure your spot!
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Green blessings, Sarah πΏππΏ
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#spring #wildedibles #foraging #herbalmedicine #belfast
γγHOW STRESSED ARE YOU? π€ΈββοΈ
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Arguably the biggest threat to our health is the kind of lingering stress that follows us about day in, day out. It disrupts our digestion by shunting our nervous system into 'fight or flight' instead of 'rest and digest'. And you've probably heard by now that digestive health is key and whatever disrupts our gut health goes on to impact other areas of our bodies!
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Whilst we all know about the stress caused by chasing deadlines, juggling too many tasks, working too hard and not resting enough, these subtle stressors listed above can also be causing havoc on your health.
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I mentioned earlier in the week I'm not a mega fan of cold water immersion, which seems to be a big trend right about now. I'll cover this in more detail shortly!β
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How many of the above stress traps are you falling into?
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#stress #caloriecounting #sleep #belfast #relax
If you are thinking of making a few healthier swaps this year, but don't know where to start, here are a few of my top recommendations!
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From the above list you've probably noticed that the quality of the fat in the diet takes centre stage...because honestly, if you want to improve your health by doing only one thing, then improving the fats in your diet can make a world of difference!
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We all know that fat gets bad rep. But not all fats are made equal. The pro-inflammatory fats that drive things like bad skin, poor cognition, weak digestion, painful periods and general inflammation are your processed fats (vegetable, canola etc) and heated oils in processed foods.
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Obvious examples are your fried and processed foods but they are also subtly found in many other foods. Rapeseed oil in mayonnaise, sunflower oil in baked goods, the rancid plant oils in margarine and most other processed foods. Vegan processed foods are amongst some of the worst for rancid vegetable oil use, so if you are considering veganuary be aware that vegan ice cream for example, is arguably way worse for your health than the locally made full fat cows milk ice cream.β
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Butter, full fat dairy, coconut oil, ghee, lard, pastured eggs, cold pressed olive oil, flaxseed, chia seeds, wild fish, avocados, olives, cold pressed walnut/pumpkin seed oils are the fats you want in your diet. Full of fat soluble vitamins A,D,E & K as well as B vitamins and trace minerals these healthy fats help form hormones, cell membranes and are needed for brain, gut and immune health.
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Is it any wonder the low fat craze from the 70's is now being linked to the dramatic increase in dementia in today's older women?
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Aim to have a little bit of healthy fat in each meal, no more than 10-15% of your plate...because keto sized proportions are not a good idea either....I'll get round to that soon!
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Does this list surprise you? Let me know your thoughts below! And I hear you, wtf is dairy doing here, isn't it the devil? More to come on that too!
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Sarah xx
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#newyeardiet #fullfat #avocado #keto #vegan
Happy New Year!!! Here's to a happy and healthy 2023!
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Gentle reminder to avoid falling into the 'new year, new me' trap by doing anything drastic! By all means drink more water, eat more veggies and get to bed earlier but avoid any mad calorie counting or restriction diets and intense exercise regimes! You'll likely just shunt your nervous system into survival mode! Not good, especially if you're already stressed out!
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Share this with a friend who needs to know!
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#happynewyear #2023 #newyearnewme #diet #gym
γγCHRISTMAS TIPS π
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Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy and Healthy New Year!
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Also make sure to read TIP 5 above, its a real doozie!π
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Happy holidays!
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Sarah xx
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#reels #christmas #christmasfood #nutrition #youdoyou
γγCOLD BUSTING SOUP π²
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Not just an old wives tale, there are lots of reasons to eat chicken soup when you're sick. Spoiler alert...not the tinned stuff from the supermarket but a very simple and tastier homemade version!
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Soup is the perfect food for convalescence...its warming, nourishing, hydrating and easy to digest. I cannot stress enough that when you're sick you need to keep yourself warm to help you're body sweat out the bugs! That's also why this recipe includes lots of warming foods like ginger, onion and garlic! π§
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One of the key ingredients in this soup that makes it so powerful is bone broth. If you don't have any, don't worry you can still make it without but ideally you'll have some bonebroth in your freezer for such an occassion as this. I did a post a while back on how amazing bone broth is for minerals and protein to support immunity, hormones, sleep and so the list goes on! Check it out if you haven't already!
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Make a big batch of this soup as soon as you feel a cold starting and use it as your main food whilst you're ill and it will honestly make revovering that bit easier than just grabbing toast or cereal!
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INGREDIENTS
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2 large onions, sliced.
6-8 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped.
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated.
400g cooked chicken, chopped.
1 head of broccoli, chopped.
2 large carrots, sliced fine using a peeler.
1 carton mushrooms of choice.
200g rice noodles.
1 stockcube.
250ml bone broth
Juice of 1 lime (optional).
1 bunch coriander, chopped stalks and leaves(optional).
1 large pinch dried seaweed (optional).
1 tbsp miso (optional).
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METHOD
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Add all the ingredients except the chicken, lime juice, coriander leaves and noodles to a large pan and add enough water. Bring to a gentle boil, simmer for 4-5 minutes until broccoli is tender. When ready to eat cook a portion of noodles to the packet instructions and place in a bowl with a portion of the chicken. Then top with the soup and sprinkle over lime juice and coriander leaves if using. Add extra crushed raw garlic and some raw honey for extra cold busting oomph!
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Don't forget to save this recipe!
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#soup #chickennoodlesoup #coldremedies #feelbetter #bonebroth
γγCHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS ππ
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Know someone gearing up to do their annual mega detox or extreme diet in January 2023?π Or maybe you know someone who'd love a bit of help with improving their skin, hormones or gut health next year?
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Whatever the scenario, buying a gift voucher will enable that special someone to money off a consultation with me. Working 1 to 1 with me includes an initial consultation with detailed case history taking, bespoke meal planning & dietary recommendations, recipes and ongoing support via email/phone between appointments. Tailored herbal tonics also available.πΏ All of this with the aim to help support recipients to get back on track to reach their health goals and ultimately feel better!π€ΈββοΈ
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Purchase online or if you've like to know more about what I offer or what's included, drop me a pm for more details! π«
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#nutrition #nutritionaltherapist #reels #gift #christmas #herbal #love #family #friends #belfast