Al-Dabbagh B, et al. (2019). Antioxidant and anticancer activities of chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.). DOI: Long term hormone therapy can cause side effects that make some women stop taking it. In 2012 researchers looked at how spiritual healing could help with these side effects.

How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing? How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing?

Most nature cure books, both literary triumphs and practical manuals, are overwhelmingly about us. Perhaps we should catch more glimpses of other species as we look into the mirror? Mitchell’s The Wild Remedy, a diary of a year with severe depression, throws welcome attention on natural medicines – the thrilling dash of a sparrowhawk, or the cosy sight of ladybirds clustered together during winter in a knapweed seedhead. She recreates her encounters with other species around her home in Cambridgeshire in paintings, sketches, photographs and cabinets of curiosities. But, she says, “I’m not using my garden and the wood beyond my cottage as a sort of green Tesco, burgling myself some green serotonin and dopamine. It’s much more of a two-way relationship.” Mitchell, like Harkness, initially connected via social media with readers and others who lived with mental illness. She is not always well enough to visit a nearby wood every day. When she does, she monitors, observes and records the wildlife, and relays it to her audience. A biologist by training, Mitchell hopes her writing and art enlighten our increasingly urban society. “I’m trying to use the place where I live as a source of education for people who may not know what cherry plum blossom looks like – ‘This is coming into flower, go and see if you’ve got it on your patch,’” she says. Awakening readers to other species around us is a gift to those species, and it is bequeathed by almost every nature cure writer. As humans reshape life on Earth, it’s hazardous to pin our wellbeing on the fragments of non-human life that remain

Our relationship with nature – how much we notice, think about and appreciate our natural surroundings – is critical in supporting good mental health and preventing distress.

Chung BY, et al. (2018). Effect of evening primrose oil on Korean patients with mild atopic dermatitis: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical study.DOI: Hu, Z. (2008). Linking stroke mortality with air pollution, income, and greenness in northwest florida: An ecological geographical study. International Journal of Health Geographics, 7, 1. Park S, et al. (2018). Echinacea purpurea protects against restraint stress-induced immunosuppression in BALB/c Mice. DOI:

Natural Healing Natural Healing

Zhou X, Qian H, Zhang D, Zeng L. Garlic intake and the risk of colorectal cancer: A meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020;99(1):e18575. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000018575 Raudenbush, B, et al. (2001). Enhancing athletic performance through the administration of peppermint odor. J Sport Exerc Psychol; 23:156–60.

Research into healing for cancer

It’s possible that one person really can make a difference. With intention, you can make choices that impact the collective, and possibly, the planetary consciousness.