October, my favourite month. It’s a chance to indulge your inner child by crunching through fallen leaves on your walk to work and carving pumpkins for Halloween (interesting we have a particularly orangey sky in the UK today) somewhat of a tradition in my household. Now is also the time when I ...

Potentially the most powerful member of the fungi kingdom, the chaga mushroom or 'Inonotus obliquus', contains possibly the greatest medicinal properties of all herbs. It's a parasitic but also symbiotic fungus that grows primarily on birch trees in cool climates and has been used for its profound ...

Originally from the Southern Mediterranean and derived from the Greek word meaning ‘Courage’, Thyme has had multiple uses throughout history. The herb has been used for purifying homes and temples and was often consumed before and after a meal to avoid being affected by poisons. Today, it stands as ...

Cordyceps (caterpillar fungus) is a medicinal mushroom that is a wild fungus and has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for over 5,000 years. There are numerous species of cordyceps, however the most researched and popular is Ophiocordyceps sinensis. It is found at high altitudes of ...

Commonly believed to be a grain and prepared and eaten like one, quinoa or 'Chenopodium quinoa', is in fact a seed botanically speaking and is a relative of spinach and chard. The plant is indigenous to South America, originating in the mountainous area surrounding Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia ...

Native to the ecoregion known as The Amazon Basin, Guarana (pron: g'wara-naa) is a climbing plant which produces a reddish brown fruit. The seeds from this fruit are ground down into powder form and are regularly used as a dietary supplement. The Guarana plant is categorised into the ‘Acer genus’ ...

A common ingredient in many energy drinks both natural and perhaps those less so, this herbal plant has been used to alleviate many ailments and provide energy and focus. There are 11 different varieties in the 'Panax genus' with American and Asian being the most popular. Though it should be noted ...

This historically popular seed, anise, also known as aniseed and anise seed, is the true anise, Pimpinella anisum, which is not to be confused with the unrelated star anise. The plant is native to Asia, particularly China (news has come to light about the Japanese sources being potentially toxic, ...

Using dried sumac for its deep tangy, lemon-tasting flavour is becoming more and more popular in the culinary world, moving outside of its Middle Eastern roots. Added to a number of meat, rice, spice mixes and meze dishes, or even used as a whole fruit to make sumac-ade, this spice is a tasty ...

Evolution has programmed us to be desirous of sweet flavours, however the knowledge of the host of detrimental effects of excessive sugar intake is now part of mainstream consciousness. Such increased awareness has lead to a saturated market of ‘sugar alternatives’, which unfortunately, are ...