Hawthorn: Magical Tree of the Fairies

“Their (the good people) voices were heard in the mountain echo, and their forms seen in the purple and golden mountain mist; they whispered amidst the…

Sep 7 • 

The Ivy Cottages

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June 2025

Nettle: Three Nettles in May Keeps All Diseases Away

“To this day it (nettle) is boiled in the Highlands and in Ireland by the country people in the spring-time.

Jun 4 • 

The Ivy Cottages

April 2025

Belladonna: The Beautiful Yet Deadly Nightshade

“Belladonna… Extract of: This preparation is made strictly according to the official method, but is standardised to contain 1 per cent of total…

Apr 9 • 

The Ivy Cottages

2

February 2025

Lemon Balm: A Beekeeper's Dream

“And balm-breathing, faint mignonett, Oh!

Feb 3 • 

The Ivy Cottages

4

January 2025

Comfrey: The Bone Knitting Herb

“The great Comfrey or consound, though it was official with us down to the middle of the eighteenth century, never had a very prominent place in…

Jan 23 • 

The Ivy Cottages

4

October 2024

Meadowsweet: The Belt of Cù Chulainn

“Aye," said Math, "let us seek, thou and I, by our magic and enchantment to conjure a wife for him out of flowers"...And then they took the flowers of…

Oct 9, 2024 • 

The Ivy Cottages

5

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September 2024

Watermint: Medicine of the Sacred Waters

“When Summer strews its cloak of hues, Then the dells, Yield earth nuts, mint and marjoram And fragrant smells.”

Sep 26, 2024 • 

The Ivy Cottages

7

July 2024

Elderberry: The Queen of Herbs

“It is said by the wise women and fairy doctors that the roots of the elder tree, and the roots of an apple tree that bears red apples, if boiled…

Jul 19, 2024 • 

The Ivy Cottages

2

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The Oak: King of the Forest

“I will be a giant oak in every ford and in every pass you will cross and the mark of my axe will remain in every oak forever.”

Jul 6, 2024 • 

The Ivy Cottages

2

Thresholds: A Selkie Love Story

“It occurred to me that there have always been selkie women: women who did not seem to belong to this world, because they did not fit into prevailing…

Jul 4, 2024 • 

The Ivy Cottages

1

Yarrow of the Seven Cures

“Herbs gathered on May Eve have a mystical and strong virtue for curing disease; and powerful potions are made then by the skilful herb women and fairy…

Jul 2, 2024 • 

The Ivy Cottages

Brigid's Beloved Dandelion

“A hoop from three to four inches diameter was made of milkwort, butterwort, dandelion and marigold. This was bound with a triple cord of lint in the…

Jul 1, 2024 • 

The Ivy Cottages

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