Healing Weeds: Climate Emergency Network’s Summer Climate Circle

Healing Weeds: Climate Emergency Network’s Summer Climate Circle

University of the Arts London (UAL)’s Climate Emergency Network (CEN) hosted their Summer Climate Circle in collaboration with Healing Weeds - a Bristol-based organisation that invites individuals and groups to learn how to identify wild plants, where they grow, and how to confidently use them in your everyday life.

Students, staff, alumni, and friends of the Network ventured to National Trust site Morden Hall Park to explore the gifts of the season through foraging, connecting and attuning to the natural environment.

Led by Healing Weed’s Maria Garcia, the network wandered through Morden Hall Park whilst learning about versatile medicinal "weeds" and how to ethically harvest and identify plants like stinging nettle, elderflower, burdock, silverweed, hazelnut, plantain, ground ivy, pineapple weed, meadowsweet, red clover, and common hogweed.

Maria shared fascinating details about each plant's traditional uses - elderflower for immunity, plantain for antibacterial properties, nettles to treat muscle pain and inflammation. Foraging tips included focusing on leaves for medicine and only gathering where plants are abundant, and never at the root.

To draw the tour to a natural close, the group brewed a nourishing herbal tea with the flowers, herbs and plants gathered on the walk.

Healing Weeds drew attention to nature's overlooked edible and medicinal plants, and helped the group to reconnect to nature and feel empowered to care for themselves responsibly using local botanicals.

Climate Circles are hosted by the Network to mark the changing seasons and to align the collective vision with nature’s rhythms. Each occasion is facilitated by a different member of the community.

If you would like to host or attend a Climate Circle, you can get in touch with us at climatenetwork@arts.ac.uk