Plants with Pain Relieving Properties

The “Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds Initiative “ offers edible fresh food to anyone who wants to pick it!

A recent article about choosing different food colours for health and for influencing moods certainly got imaginations flowing. I have had a lot of good comments about the benefits of “Eating the Rainbow” and not just sticking to mono colours. One interesting comment I heard was about growing plants that contain pain killing properties. Multinational pharmaceutical companies would probably prefer that we didn’t know anything about such matters as their profits might take a bit of a nosedive. 

We have been using medicinal plants for thousands of years though and there are a lot we can use safely, which might save us a trip to the chemists. There are some instances where we might need something over the counter.  I know when I get toothache it can take over your whole life, as my mother used to say “Any pain above the neck it all consuming”  so cloves don’t always do the trick and something prescribed is more urgent. It is great to have the choice of both though.

Plants with Pain Relieving Properties

There are hundreds of common herbs, flowers, berries and plants that serve all kinds of important medicinal and health purposes. They are used as:  anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, insect repellent, antiseptic, expectorant, antibacterial, detoxification, fever reduction, antihistamine and pain relief.  It’s what we used before the multinational pharmaceutical companies took over!

• Hemp ( Marijuana) was widely used before it was criminalised to treat depression and anxiety and to reduced blood pressure, pain alleviation and glaucoma treatment.
• The Californian poppy is an effective nervine (anxiety reliever)
• Ginger alleviates cramps, migraines and headaches.
• Turmeric has lots of virtues including being a COX-2 selective inhibitor, which is a form of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
• Red seaweed is said to ease pain.  The deep oceanic flora contains all the minerals the body needs for cellular rejuvenation
• White willow bark can be taken as a supplement or brewed into a tea to alleviate pain and reduce inflammation.
• Devil's claw and stinging nettle are herbs that act as analgesics to help relieve pain, particularly osteoarthritis pain.
• Boswellia (arnica) , is a herb often used in topical products to reduce muscle and joint pain
• Capsaicin is another natural pain killer that is extracted from chili peppers.
• Diluted eucalyptus oil or lavender are often used as natural pain killers in aromatherapy.

Usual disclaimer . Patients with chronic or severe pain should talk to their doctors about their conditions before using natural pain killers.

Planting food in urban spaces

Edible planting in urban spaces is catching on around cities and towns. Instead of putting bedding plants or shrubs in containers, some places are now seeing attractive vegetables and herbs being grown.  Instead of staring aimlessly at your phone as you wait in the bus station for the number 15 you can help yourself to some salad leaves and a carrot from a planter.  The idea could catch on I hope.  Any urban place could be used to grow all sorts.  Pam Warhurst who co-founded Incredible Edible has helped to transform her home town of Todmorden in Yorkshire from a tradition market town into an area full of fruit, flowers and vegetables by what she calls “Propaganda Gardening”  The railway station, health centre, police station and people’s front gardens have all been transformed into lush edible landscapes. 

Gareth Austin has done something similar on a smaller scale. The Project 'Healthy Bodies Healthy Minds' saw the installation of 15 mixed herb planters at the front door of the Tower Building in Strand Rd.  The herb planters are for both the catering students to become more familiar with the source of fresh produce and also for all students to pick and enjoy. 

Community Garden Network of Ireland meeting in the City of (Horti) Culture!

Gareth is also arranging the next meeting of the Community Garden Network of (All) Ireland  which will be held in Derry/Londonderry on the 9th of March. The meeting will take place in The Playtrail from 12-2pm and then a series of tours will be offered to participants in the afternoon. From 2-3 there will be a guided tour of the Leafair Community Garden and from 3-4 a tour of the Fountain Community Garden - these two gardens recently won a second place in the All-Ireland Pride of Place awards , followed by a tour of the playtrail facility.

YouthAction NI will give a presentation on how best community gardens can engage with young people. This meeting is free to attend and all are welcome, and to allow for numbers please book your place by going to Gareth’s website garethaustin.com. Together we can make this a real cross border initiative.