w|ė MAGAZINE July Editorial

Cover Image Patthana Garden

Wild Wellness – It’s all about wild wellness joy

I am so delighted to welcome you to the fifth edition of my wild ėden magazine. This month was an absolute pleasure to write. Inspired by how important our gardens and wild nature has become to us this issue is all about finding joy in wellness. Whether it’s creating spaces of wellness for ourselves like in my brand new collaboration course with the amazing L’OCCITANE en Provence, choosing plants for wellness and medicinal purposes- our interview with Marina Kesso of Ivywood is truly inspiring, or looking at the history of medicinal plants in our special feature there is something for everyone. Finally, our wild inspired wellness and living recommendations for this month are truly special with lots of gorgeous ideas for gifts and living.

Let’s dive into wild wellness! 🌿

EDITORIAL

When admiring the beauty of a garden do you think of medicine? Admittedly most of us don’t. Initially we are drawn in by clever layers of planting, the hues of colour and the lush textures of green. We experience the garden in its wholeness, admiring composition and the plan of the creator, designer or gardener.

It is fascinating to start looking at gardens from this slightly different viewpoint.

Gardens are good for us. We all know this. From simply being out in nature and appreciating beauty to the calming meditative work of gardening- getting our hands dirty has long been recognised to have positive impacts on our body and our minds.

Gardens have so much to offer is in terms of healing, health and wellbeing. In fact the roots of our modern medicine lie in the nature of our gardens. Medicinal herbs have been used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times and even today, are the primary use for treatment in illness in non-industrialized societies. This is due to the fact that they are easily grown and more widely available than pharmaceuticals, making them more affordable and accessible than our modern medicines.

It is thought that even in prehistoric times, plants were used to treat illness and preserve food and plant samples found at prehistoric burial sites suggest that Paleolithic people surrounded their settlements with medicinal plants and had some knowledge of herbal medicine. The earliest historical record of herbs and plants being used for medicine goes back to the Sumerian civilisation, who are thought to have been the earliest known settled civilisation. The Sumerian people who lived along the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia, now modern day Iraq, grew many plants for medicinal purposes, including myrrh from the Commiphora tree and the Papaver orientalis- the opium poppy- and listed these on clay tablets.

When it comes to written volumes of knowledge about plant based medicine, the Egyptians created a fascinating papyri called Ebers Papyrus, which documented over 850 plant medicines and is considered to be the first written medical papyrus. It contained a wealth of herbal and botanical knowledge and dates back to circa 1550 BC, making it one of the most important ancient papyri of ancient Egypt.

In ancient times the Egyptians were not the only culture that dealt with the medicinal properties of plants and how to use them in the treatment of illnesses. Ayurvedic medicine is a practice that is still alive and well in today’s world and is still used globally, often in a modernised way. It is considered an alternative or complementary medicine and uses many medicinal herbs such as turmeric, garlic, holy basil, ginger, amla-the indian gooseberry, aloe, neem and more, many of which can be found in modern beauty and wellness products inspired by the ancient system.

It was also during this time that Pedanius Dioscorides, who was a Greek physician in the Roman army, wrote a five-volume pharmacopoeia work entitled De materia medica. This extensive work documented over 1000 medicinal herb recipes using over 600 different plants as well as some derived from animals and minerals. This work would become the most widely read work on the topic until it was eventually revised in the Renaissance period.

In the middle ages European monasteries became the places where medicinal herbs were grown and the knowledge of treatments from plants was preserved by the Benedictine monks who translated and copied classical texts from Ancient times. Herbalism also flourished in the Islamic world during this time and many important works were created through translation and creation of new works.

It wasn’t until the 19th century that medicine went through a radical transformation due to the application of chemical analysis. This saw the alkaloids being chemically isolated from medicinal plants, paving the way for many of the modern medicines we have today. In 1806 morphine was successfully produced from the poppy, followed by many others including quinine and ipecacuanha.

According to a report by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 2016 there are currently about 17,810 plant species have a medicinal use and it is estimated that about one quarter of the world’s medicinal drugs are derived from medicinal plants, many of which come from recognisable ones that we grow in our gardens here. From Foxgloves to Daffodils, many garden favourites hold some powerful medicinal secrets which have given the medical world some of it’s most successful drugs. So whether you’re growing some medicinal plants for your own use, or sourcing some plant derived drugs from the doctor, our gardens are true treasure chests of medicinal inspiration.

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR BRAND NEW COLLABORATION COURSE?

This brand new exciting online collaboration course is for anyone who finds joy in gardens and wellness. A unique collaboration between award winning garden designer and bestselling author Leonie Cornelius and the wellness and natural beauty brand L’OCCITANE en Provence, this course will explore the many facets of designing spaces for wellness and joy.

On the day the course will look at

Finding your wellness dream
Creating a concept for your personal wellness garden
Design tips & clever ideas for bringing wellness joy into your space- no matter what garden space you have to work with – small or large…or even tiny!
Dreamy plant choices, combination ideas and plant advice on what will make the best choices for your very own wellness garden
Hands on advice and ideas from Leonie on how to care for, harvest and use your amazing plant choices.
Inspiration from the wild wellness plants which feature in the amazing products by L’OCCITANE brand – and how they are grown sustainably!

Who this course is for: Anyone who wants to bring some wild wellness into their every day. From new builds to existing gardens spaces, balconies to patios and windowsills. Every garden deserves some wellness joy.

When: 24th July 2021, Saturday online on ZOOM

Time: 10am – 11.30am

Cost: This extra special deal of €30pp is made possible with thanks to our amazing partners at L’OCCITANE en Provence (course worth value €105 / £100)

FREE BONUS GIFT* worth €64 / £59 for every participant who will receive a gift from L’OCCITANE en Provence & Leonie Cornelius sent to their home after taking part in the course!

ABOUT w|ė

w|ė MAGAZINE is an online wild based lifestyle magazine which brings monthly stories, knowledge and recommendations to you, all based on a wild and beautiful approach. w|ė will explore and celebrate topics which resonate with people, to bring an awareness to current issues we face in our shared wild spaces and to connect with like-minded people globally.

There will be interviews with inspiring creatives- designers, architects, chefs, writers, psychologists, doctors, and wild thinkers, creators and dreamers. Through gardens, food, wellness, health and inspiring stories for wild living, we will also link to courses in wild design and lifestyle and have exciting news soon on creative collaborations with incredible wild inspired people and brands.

Join w|ė to celebrate a wild and beautiful lifestyle in our everyday.