RCP Garden podcast: Recent Episodes
Royal College of Physicians
Situated in the grounds of the Royal College of Physicians' headquarters near Regent's Park, London, the medicinal garden was extensively replanted in 2005 and features over 1,300 species of plant. The RCP garden of medicinal plants is unique in that almost every one has a link to medicine. Podcasts inspired by the RCP medicinal garden tell the stories behind the plants it contains and explore their connections with medicine. Presented by Professor Anthony Dayan, RCP garden fellow.
The Silver Birch combines beauty and old and new medicinal uses with a history of magic and large scale industrial uses.
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A pretty plant that was very important in the discovery and naming of that most popular medicine aspirin.
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This beautiful flower carries the weight of many traditions. It is also under threat because of changes in farming practices.
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This popular aromatic and soothing oil came originally from a Canadian plant that has now been widely naturalised in many countries. The active principle is the same as that in aspirin.
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The Autumn Crocus is known for its beautiful flowers and as the source of colchicine, the oldest drug to treat gout, but be aware it is also poisonous if eaten.
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A much loved plant with a long classical history that has recently provided a medicine based on a Bulgarian peasant tradition.
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The Gentian is attractive to many because it has beautiful yellow flowers but is also an old herbal medicine and it is attractive as an appetite stimulant for us and as a food source for certain butterflies and other insects.
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The Thorn Apple, or Jimson’s Weed, Datura stramonium has at least 7 other names in English. Like many other members of the Solanaceae family it contains powerful chemicals that can disturb the mind and change the activity of many systems in the body. Historically there are many instances in which its actions were exploited for medical and even political purposes but it is now considered too dangerous and has been replaced by safer drugs. It was even something witches took before flying.
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Once regarded as a ‘heal all’ herb useful in treating everything from sleeplessness to musket wounds this attractive plant is still used as a yellow dye and food flavouring and is accepted in the EU as a treatment for sore throats, digestive problems and by some for wounds.
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Studying the history of how we use horseradish is difficult because it has often been confused with the radish and types of mustard. Many like its pepperiness with meat and fish, a taste imported from Central and Eastern Europe but known and enjoyed, even mixed with wine, in classical Greek and Roman times. It has become an important symbol in at least one major religion. It is not a registered herbal medicine but many claims have been made about its therapeutic uses.
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In this podcast Jane Knowles, RCP Head Gardener, describes how she looked after this unique garden on her own for several months during the lockdown in London.
Temperatures reached record highs and the sun shone relentlessly and this remarkable weather was glorious for some but not always easy for the gardener. She describes the birds and insects that were active in the garden in April – June 2020, some of which can be heard in the background as her talk was recorded in the garden.
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The RCP Garden Podcast latest track on witch hazel.
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The latest episode of the RCP Medicine podcast describes the daffodil.
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Poppies part 2: Science, opium and other poppies
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Poppies Part 1: The Opium Poppy and Its Products by Professor Anthony Dayan
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RCP Garden podcast talks about Aquilegia: Beauty and Toxicity.
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Marigold – Colour and Confusion by Professor Anthony Dayan
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Paeony; beauty and history by Professor Anthony DayanSupport the show (https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/join)
Bugloss or Alkanet by Professor Anthony Dayan
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Chamomile by Professor Anthony DayanSupport the show (https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/join)
The Common box by Professor Anthony Dayan
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Butterbur: a plant with a tangled history by Professor Anthony DayanSupport the show (https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/join)
Scurvy grass: an old cure for a dread disease by Professor Anthony DayanSupport the show (https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/join)
The carrot: a familiar vegetable by Professor Anthony DayanSupport the show (https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/join)
Flax or linseed: a plant with many different uses by Professor Anthony DayanSupport the show (https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/join)
Greater plantain: herbal medicine, a food and now a weed by Professor Anthony DayanSupport the show (https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/join)
Parsley: eating and healing by Professor Anthony DayanSupport the show (https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/join)
Physalis: the bladder cherry by Professor Anthony DayanSupport the show (https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/join)
Fennel: a food, a herbal medicine and a scientific quandary by Professor Anthony DayanSupport the show (https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/join)
Looking back at 2018 and forward into 2019 by Professor Anthony DayanSupport the show (https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/join)