BEAUTIFUL, BUT THE WRONG KIND

Dulwich, to my delight when I was taking a class in herbal medicine a few years ago with Nina, is full of Lime or Linden trees. A herb of tranquillity and soothing sleep. One of my favourites. Soft green green yellow sticky medicinal blossoms by the thousand.

I went out with big bags and brought back hundreds of them. Spread them out carefully to dry on shelves, on top of cupboards, in empty wooden drawers behind the sofa. Complacently watched them dry to soft green yellow yellow crumbly. Ceremonially brewed my first tisane and sipped it, hot and steamy. Savoured the fresh, slightly soapy taste. Felt nothing. Sniffed, swallowed. Nothing. This tea was pleasant enough, but had no soothing properties.

The many gracious, tall and spreading Linden trees in Dulwich parks and lanes must all be cultivars of some variety without medicinal properties.

I was deeply disappointed. Still, every year at this time - my disappointment faded long ago with that year’s blossoms - they are lush, lovely harbingers of Summer.

Comments

[zhoen]

What medicinal properties were you hoping for?

[Jean]

Okay, okay, Zhoen, I expect we come from opposite ends of the spectrum here :-)

I would expect to feel an almost instant sensation of profound relaxation.

I've had many a night of better sleep because I drank lime-flower tea before I went to bed. The strengthening and tranquilising effect on the nervous system is powerful and you will not convince me it is just a placebo effect.

My lovely teacher, Nina, was the first one to send her patients to an allopathic doctor if she thought they needed it, and especially if she thought they might need surgery or investigation that could only be carried out through technology. But for many chronic conditions herbs are in my experience extremely effective.

[Lucy]

I was quite impressed you could tell immendiately the effect wasn't there, if it was just placebo I suppose that wouldn't happen. Have a madeleine with it and enjoy it anyway!
Tom took some valerian for sleep problems a little while ago, he stopped it after a few nights because it was so strong, most of all in making him feel that nothing mattered at all and he just couldn't be bothered to get worked up or angry about anything. We agreed this just wasn't normal ( many's the time I might have wished it was but when it happened it wasn't right!), so he stopped, but oddly the break with the poor sleep habits seemed to fix the problem anyway.

[Jean]

Lucy, yes, valerian is very, very strong and really only something to resort to in extremis, and to stop at once if it makes you feel weird, I think. Lime flowers are a lot more gentle.

Yes, I can certainly tell after one gulp if something is relaxing my nervous system - probably because I'm usually so tense!