Tag: Herbs

Botanicals

Spirit of the South Smudge Sticks

Wild Fen

We are currently in the process of converting a van into our very own travelling home. We are around half way through our build now with our kitchen in place and took our very first trip in it a few weeks ago.

Our first stop was a visit to family down on the south coast for a lovely few days together. We then headed out west, further along the Jurassic coast to explore.

The area is steeped in myth and legend and it wasn’t long before I lost myself with so many beautiful wildflowers along the way.

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Plants

The benefits of Bay

Wild Fen

We are lucky to have a huge supply of Bay in the garden thanks to a rather old and beloved Bay tree. I love adding the leaves to our herb bundles for burning.

Did you know that Bay leaves contain Linalool a compound known for its calming properties, also present in plants such as Lavender. Studies have shown that Linalool reduces elevated stress levels to almost normal conditions.

These lovely leaves also contain Eugenol which is known for its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and pain relieving qualities. As mentioned in our previous post, burning is an effective way to release the therapeutic benefits of a plant into your environment.

You can find Bay in our best selling herbal garden smoulder sticks.

Botanicals

Why burn plants?

Wild Fen

Before we had the technology to extract the essential oils from plants, burning leaves, flowers, roots and resins would have been the earliest and simplest forms of aromatherapy (the use of aromatic plant extracts for healing). The practice of burning dried plants also called ‘smoke cleansing’ has been carried out extensively across cultures, often but not always in connection with spiritual practices.

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Plants

The magic of Goldenrod

Wild Fen

It is lovely to watch the flowers that you have planted grow, but it is extra special when they find their own way into your garden themselves, which is exactly what happened with some Goldenrod this year.

Goldenrod is known to be richer in antioxidants than green tea. Its Latin name, Solidago translates as ‘to make whole or heal’ and reflects its long use in herbal medicine. It has superb anti inflammatory action and pain relieving qualities thought to help arthritis, cold and flu symptoms and bladder & kidney problems.

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Botanicals

Smudge Stick Crafting

Wild Fen

I love this time of year. Our herbs are bursting with life, energy and aroma. We have a new addition to our herb garden this year – a beautiful purple Sage. Tonight, I have been crafting up some fresh smudge sticks ready to dry out for orders. They include fresh and dried Lavender that is scenting the whole house. Bay leaves, the divine purple Sage and wild Rose petals dried from last year. These Smudge Sticks are intended to offer peace of mind and clarity. You can find out more about purchasing them here.

*As of 20/08/20 we have changed the name of our sticks to ‘Smoulder sticks.’ You can read more about our decision regarding this here.

Botanicals

What are Smudge Sticks?

Wild Fen

Smudge sticks are bundles of herbs that are bound together and dried out for the purpose of burning. The bundle may consist of a single herb type or a combination of different herbs tied together. Different herbs vary in their energetic and healing properties, as well as their scent.

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Life

Welcome to Wild Fen

Wild Fen

Welcome to our website. We are Nicola and Chris and we created Wild Fen to celebrate our love for the natural world and the abundance that she offers, both in terms of inspiration and resources. We have both been studying and enjoying nature for most of our lives. This has evolved in many ways including growing our own organic herbs and plants, foraging wild edibles, concocting natural products and capturing the beauty of nature through photography and artwork. You can read more about our journey here.

This site will be a space to record our recipes, sell our creations and share inspiration with others.