betony-stachys-edging-plant-kahikatea-farm-food-forest

betony-stachys-officinalis-plants-kahikatea-farm

Certified Organic Plant

LONG TERM OUT OF STOCK

SOLD OUT

OUT OF STOCK

AVAILABLE SPRING

AVAILABLE SUMMER

AVAILABLE AUTUMN

AVAILABLE WINTER

WINTER DORMANT

AVAILABLE SOON

Betony

Name: Betony - Kahikatea Farm Certified Organic Nursery and Permaculture Farm
Price: 9.50 NZD
Availability: OutOfStock

Betonica officinalis (formerly syn. Stachys officinalis)

$9.50

Out of stock

Join the waitlist to be emailed when this product becomes available

Enter your email address to join the waitlist for this product

Also known as Common Hedgenettle, Purple Betony, Wood Betony, Bishopwort, or Bishop’s Wort, this perennial herb is native to Britain. It is a hardy herb of grasslands and hedgerows, with a basal rosette of wrinkled leaves forming a low ground cover. These can spread on rhizomes to form a mat but are not invasive. In summer leaf stems rise and are then topped by pinky-purple flower spires to a height of about 40cm. Like other members of the mint family, it has square stems and lipped flowers, which are an excellent attractor of bees and other pollinators.

9cm pot

Photos: Kahikatea Farm

Cultivation

Plant in full sun, part shade or even full shade. Prefers rich soil but is happy in sandy or clay soil, preferably in a moist but well drained situation. Frost hardy. Divide clumps every few years.

Uses

All parts of the betony plant are edible and the leaves and flowering tops can be used fresh or dried to make a slightly spicy, aromatic tea, which is said to be warming and calming. It has a long history of medicinal use to cure many ills – 47 to be precise, according to the Romans!

A yellow dye can be made from the leaves. An excellent plant for use in a wild flower or cottage garden, and fantastic for attracting bees and butterflies.

Medicinal Uses

Betony has been revered in many cultures to aid digestion and circulation, as well as help to calm the central nervous system and alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. Modern herbalists prescribe betony to treat anxiety, gallstones, heartburn, high blood pressure, migraine and neuralgia, and to prevent sweating. It can also be used as an ointment for cuts and sores.

Primary Actions: sedative, tonic, bitter

Parts Used: aerial parts, before flowering

History / Folklore / Further Info

In medieval times it was believed that Betony could ward off evil, so people wore amulets of the plant to protect themselves and planted it in churchyards to ward against ghosts.

Shipping Advice

N.B. Shipping costs are added AFTER you have placed your order, you will then be emailed an invoice with bank details.

Smallest box rate:
This can fit up to 9 plants in 9cm pots.

Shipping a single tree can be expensive. We may be able to fit more in the box for the same price! See our shipping rates for single and multi tree boxes.

Combining sizes?
No problem, we will work out the best rate for you once you’ve placed your order.

Medical disclaimer

Jo has a passion for growing herbs but is not a qualified herbalist and has no medical background.

We are lucky to have Patricia Beagle working here at times, who is qualified, and some of her advice does appear on these pages, but herbs act differently for different people and can interact with other medicines. We therefore always recommend that you consult with your own qualified health-care practitioner before using herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing or on any medications.

Kahikatea Farm cannot take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of the plants or a plant not having the effect it is reputed to have.