This is one of my favourite herbs, a kind and generous friend of the digestive system and quite beautiful as well. If you have Meadowsweet growing in your herbal patch (and I strongly recommend anyone with tummy troubles should grow this herb in abundance), the best time to pick the fully opened flowers and leaves is mid–late summer and dry gently at a temperature not exceeding 40 degrees celsius.

Charlemagne considered flaxseed so important for the health of his subjects that he passed laws in the 8th century A.D., requiring its consumption. He was perhaps a little over ambitious and even a touch severe, he was nonetheless on the right track! Many of us regularly add flaxseed oil to our daily diets in order to benefit from its rich array of Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids. We should however, also consider increasing our intake of these delightful seeds, as well as consuming the oil. Flaxseeds are a truly superb source of lignans and consequently have a wide range of beneficial effects for human health.

Two recent studies have suggested a strong correlation between maternal use of multivitamins and the reduced incidence of a number of childhood cancers.

Do you suffer from abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhoea or bloating? Have you been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome but are no nearer to finding a solution? Since a bad dose of 'traveller's belly', have your 'insides' never been the same? Do you suspect you may be intolerant to certain foods?

VITALITY IS OUR NATURAL STATE OF BEING

Are you always tired? Do you lie awake worrying at night? Do you crave chocolate or coffee in that mid afternoon energy slump?

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a vitamin-like substance that plays a crucial role in the production of energy. It is made by our bodies and obtained in the diet, mainly in oily fish, organ meats and whole grains. In humans CoQ10, along with other enzymes supports the bodyʼs bio-energetic functions. The main function of CoQ10 is the manufacture of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) which is the basic energy molecule of cells. It is the fuel which keeps the mitochondria (most active part of the cell) working.