Caraway (Carum carvi)
Flowers: May to July. Height: Up to 75cm (30in).
Medicinal: For digestive problems bruises, colic, heartburn, bloating, gas, loss of appetite and mild spasms of the stomach and intestines.
Culinary: Aniseed flavouring for soups and breads. Roots were cooked like carrots and parsnips.
Magic & Myth: Used in Elizabethan love potions to prevent partners from straying.
Celery – Wild (Apium graveolens)
Flowers: Late summer. Height: Up to 100m (39in).
Celery was also called Smallage which comes from ‘small ache’. ‘Ache’ was an old French word for celery.
Medicinal: Relieves aches and pains, cramp and aids digestion. Combined with Skullcap to calm nerves. Seeds were used as a diuretic, for gout and rheumatoid arthritis.
Culinary: Used to form the base for many soups, stews, and sauces and used in salads.
Doctrine of Signatures: It was believed to be good for the skeleton due to the appearance of the stalk.
