"My grandfather always gathered the petals from Madonna lilies when in full bloom; these were packed lightly in a small wide-necked jar and covered with brandy. Any cuts were bound with one of these petals and held in place by a bandage (which would be a piece of clean cotton material)" [M.E.H., Norfolk]
Raspberry tea was used for inflamed eyes [R.C., London, aged 88]
Beetroot was made into a tonic with sugar, carbonate of iron and stout [G.W., Bolton, aged 91]
Unsalted hog's lard and oaten straw was made into a poultice for shingles [G. O'D., Tipperary, aged 69]
Blackberry mould was applied to cuts and sores [C.F., London, aged 76]
Cabbage leaves were used to poultice breast abscesses, boils and to remove splinters [L.B., London, aged 80]
Onions boiled with milk were used to treat colds, and a hot onion was placed in the ear for earache [H.B.]
Tea made from Purple Dead Nettle prevents spots [H.B.]

Here is an extract from a letter from a man in Liverpool. It illustrates the kind of knowledge that we want to collect, and shows the importance of collecting it whilst the practical knowledge of preparing these remedies is still remembered
"Obtain the 7lb toffee jar and pack the comfrey leaves as tight as you can in it. Then forget it for at least six months. The leaves will have become a ball of 'Goo' and I add stink to high heaven. Pour the liquid into a much smaller jar for immediate use as a cure for sprains and the like. Leave the old stuff in the large jar and top up with new leaves the following year. Now how true this next bit of info. is I'm not sure. But the 'know-alls' reckon that the second growing of the plant - first leaves are from about March the second from around August - these are the true healing ones. To me they are both the same, and stink just as badly.
Next on the agenda is the certain cure for the 'Boil'. Dig down to the root [of the comfrey] and cut the end off one, it is similar to the end of the Parsnip. Wash it, then with a knife scrape the root and place the creamy texture on to a piece of lint. Apply to the boil and believe me the soreness has gone in a matter of minutes, the boil in a day.
Number 3. Boil the leaves along with an amount of chickweed and drink as a medicine. This remedy not only acts as a tonic, but is purported to have been the chief remedy to curing sugar diabetes.
I trust that these tips will help someone to ease their pain." [H.G., Liverpool, aged 70+].

When remedies like these were in constant use, their details were passed down by word of mouth. Now that they are no longer commonly practised, not only are we in danger of losing the knowledge of which plant was used for which ailment, we are also on the brink of losing essential practical details of how these remedies were prepared. The people who still have this knowledge have not in most cases passed it on, nor has it been written down; either the knowledge is seen as irrelevant to modern life, or the owners of it do not recognise its value and importance for future generations. This is the crisis which ethnomedica seeks to remedy, by recording as much as possible before knowledge of country remedies in Britain is irrevocably lost. Please help if you can, with information or with the names of people who might have such information.