Herbal medicines have real effects, but they are complicated. The main active ingredients of lavender for instance are linalool, linalyl acetate, linalyl butyrate, volatile oil, cineol, pinene, limonene, camphor, geraniol, borneol and tannin.

Each of these chemicals can do different things to the body though; and the % of each chemical varies between cultivars. Some cultivars of Lavendula angustifolia will contain very little camphor (which can be toxic if ingested in quantity), but many other lavender species are high in camphor.

Using herbs whether medicinally, in cooking or cosmetics can be a very positive thing; but it should be done with a proper understanding of the herb.

You can learn to understand and use herbs more safely and effectively by studying our 20 hour short course - great professional development for anyone working with food, medicine, cosmetics or in horticulture. An essential education for you own daily living. click here

It is challenging for parents to get their kids to eat any things that are healthy.

One way of making healthy food interesting to kids is to involve them in gardening, growing and picking the food they eat, or just by helping in the kitchen. Small children are especially keen and love getting involved so this is the time to catch them! Many kids don’t even realise that there is more to what they eat then opening the pantry or fridge door. It’s a process. If you get them involved in that process you can establish an interest in food and good eating habits.  

Goats are one of the easier animals to keep. They can be kept as a farm animal or pet, in large numbers or as a single animal.

They may be used to produce fleece, meat or milk; or to control weeds.

Read on and learn more about goat care.

Learn about Feeding Goats and other Animals click to see our course

Vertical growing takes on many different forms.

These include green walls and façades through to productive systems such as those found in hydroponics and vertical farming. 

Some of these are concerned with aesthetics by way of beautifying a street or building, others emphasise the health benefits like green walls located in and around hospitals and care homes, and others are primarily concerned with making the most use of restricted space to grow food.

Whatever the purpose, vertical growing or gardening is now something most people are aware of.

There are things that should be done when setting up any internet-connected network. Such measures make it harder for outsiders to access your networks and connected devices.
Securing the hardware and software of routers, modems and other devices should be done as soon as, or before, you connect to the internet.

Read on to see 8 things that should always be done for cyber security.