Becoming a parent is a huge responsibility and for me making the decision to raise them naturally was the obvious choice for me, I never considered anything else. Your child's health begins with yourself, if you are planning on having children then you need to look after your health, so as to ensure that your child has the best start in life. So really the health of any child begins before conception.

As a women who will carry their baby, it is important that you are healthy and that your body is receiving all the nutrients it needs. For me to consider myself healthy, it means that I have no chemicals in my body, no pharmaceutical products. Everything that is in the system of the parents to be will have an effect on the baby, basically the healthier the parents are the stronger the egg and sperm will be, the healthier the foetus is.

So making the decision to treat my children naturally, started with treating myself naturally. I have always had an interest in medicinal plants. I grew up in the countryside and would naturally munch on plants such as Clover and Dandelion. I have fond memories of sucking the nectar out of the clover flowers. So my interest grew from a natural inclination to forage as I roam the countryside. I heard stories of local medicine women, who had cures for warts and sores and they always fascinated me.

One of the local Springs where I get our water

I have always connected my well being with nature and the natural world, so I naturally strove towards educating myself about natural medicine. Wild plants and herbs are one of our strongest connections to the natural world. They are a gift from the earth. When you choose to treat yourself with herbs, you are treating yourself holistically. You are not only treating your body, you are treating your emotional and spiritual self . Herbal remedies have a huge impact on our life force, in bringing ourselves into balance. They help us to harness our own healing power, allowing our own bodies to aid in the healing process.

But of course you need to know what plants are suitable, you need to be active in knowing what is around you, how, when and where is the best place to harvest. You really need to be respectful and wise in your foraging, in your gathering. It is best to collect your herbs/plants in the morning, when it is sunny and before it gets hot. Why because you do not want the heat to evaporate any of the oils within the plant. Pick leaves before the flowers have formed and flowers just before they open fully. Pick the leaves and flowers when the moon is waxing to full. Roots are best picked in the autumn as this is when the goodness is passed down from the leaves, or early spring as the plant begins to grow. Try and pick all your roots when the Moon is Waning. And Always be respectful and say your thanks to the plant.

This makes me very happy, this is the wonderful Cleavers growing wild on the land. Lucky me!

Make sure to only pick plants where they are in abundance and never deplete the area. Never pick plants near a road or near land that has been sprayed, that is pretty obvious I think, but still it is important to remember. Do not take plants that are damaged or look diseased. Only ever take what you need, what you will actually use. Handle the plants gently and with respect. It really is best to gather herbs in advance so that they can be dried and prepared when needed. You will find that nature provides just as you need them. For example elderberries are full of vitamin C and make the best tincture and syrup for colds and flu's. They are available in the autumn which is when you should be preparing for the winter that is up ahead.

Knowledge is the key when it comes to treating yourself and your family naturally. You need to step out onto the land around you and see what is growing. You need to be absolutely certain of the plant identification before you prepare and consume it. I strongly advise you to make contact with your local herbalist and ask them for any advice if you are not sure. Most are only happy to share their knowledge and some will be more than happy to do a herbal walk helping you to identify the local medicinal plants in your area.

My 2 eldest girls naturally healthy and strong.

I want my children to have healthy and strong immune systems. When they have fallen ill, I will either let their bodies fight it off, whilst keeping a very close eye on them or I will turn to herbs or homoeopathy to aid their bodies in healing themselves. And that is what is so important for me, when you treat yourself naturally you are helping your body to heal itself. Modern medicine usually treats the symptoms of an illness, but never the cause, the root. So the illness in-effect is masked and not treated. Of course you will see improvements quickly, but then the actually sickness is still in the body. Treat yourself naturally and you get to the root, you draw the illness out and you are strengthening your body. This takes time and so it should, when it comes to our health we should never rush it, we should always give our bodies the time they need to heal properly and efficiently.

There are so many amazing healing plants that grow around us, in my next Living Naturally Series, I will discuss some of the plants I have used to heal my children.

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