Episode 115: Herbs with Barbara Wilkinson of The Herb Society

This week I’m speaking to Barbara Wilkinson, a Trustee of The Herb Society, which was founded in 1927 in order to promote the use and understanding of herbs and to provide a worldwide forum for the exchange of ideas and information pertaining to these plants. We talk about growing herbs in different garden situations, unusual herbs to grow, why humans seem drawn to them, what Barbara refers to as “generous” herbs and why we seem to enjoy abusing them by cramming them in unsuitable containers and most importantly, what even is a herb?

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About Barbara Wilkinson

Following a lifelong passion for health and nutrition, Barbara qualified as a Consultant Medical Herbalist in 2012. She is a member of the College of Medicine and Integrated Health, and runs The Springfield Clinic of Natural Healing in Cheshire. Barbara is an advocate of cultivating the use of plants in everyday life and keen to empower people with the confidence to embrace food as medicine. As well as running her own practice, Barbara is a Trustee for The Herb Society and has appeared as a guest speaker at numerous events and conferences. She has an allotment, where she grows produce that is used for medicines within the practice, and has worked with The Herb Society on designing gardens for the RHS Flower Show Tatton Park. In 2018, she appeared in the BBC’s coverage of the RHS Flower Show, as part of a special segment looking at fermented foods. She recently supported Horticulturist Alys Fowler in producing her new book A Modern Herbal.

What we talk about:

What is The Herb Society?

The definition of a herb

Humans’ affinity with herbs

Herbs for shade

Herbs for dry, sunny spots

Unusual herbs to grow

Links:

www.herbsociety.org.uk

The Herb Society on Instagram : @theherbsocietyuk

Evolutionary Herbalism: Science, Spirituality, and Medicine from the Heart of Nature by Sajah Popham

Tree Medicine by Peter Conway

Self-Sufficient Herbalism : A Guide to Growing and Wild Harvesting Your Herbal Dispensary by Lucy Jones