The Apothecary, Cardiff

22/12/2025

21/12/2025

December's festive is Nutmeg. Nutmeg comes from the seed of the nutmeg tree (Myristica fragrans), an evergreen native to the Banda Islands in Indonesia, part of the famed “Spice Islands.” This tree produces a fruit that contains two prized spices: nutmeg, which is the dried seed, and mace, the lacy red aril that surrounds it. Historically, nutmeg was so valuable that it fueled European colonial expansion and even wars during the spice trade era. Today, nutmeg is celebrated for its warm, sweet, and slightly nutty flavor, making it a staple in holiday baking, creamy sauces, and festive drinks like eggnog. Beyond culinary uses, nutmeg has been valued for its medicinal properties, traditionally used to aid digestion and promote relaxation.

To learn more, visit our website: https://loom.ly/0k4mN48

18/12/2025

Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus). The sanskrit is translated to "100 roots" but this is commonly interpreted as "100 husbands" due to the rejuvanitve powers of the powder made from the tuberous roots.

Here's a link to a funny video:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-hpzjQFRBXg
Here's a link to the seeds:
https://strictlymedicinalseeds.com/product/shatavari-asparagus-racemosus-seeds-organic/

18/12/2025

18/12/2025

18/12/2025

Our Chirstmas Closing Times🎄

We will be closed from Friday 19th December and will re open 9am on Monday 5th January.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year All!! 🎄🎉

16/12/2025

You may have spotted some mistletoe this season, but did you know...

🧬 Mistletoe has over 25 times more DNA in each cell than we do in ours

🤍 The iconic white berries only grow on female mistletoe shrubs

🍃 Its evergreen leaves and winter blooms mean mistletoe has long been seen as a symbol of eternal life and vitality!

16/12/2025

✨ Mistletoe: More Than a Kiss
We’ve been trying to grow mistletoe on our apple trees for a few years now, but so far the mistletoe seems utterly unmoved by our enthusiasm. Every winter we head out with fresh determination, squashing the berries lovingly into the crook of a branch like hopeful matchmakers trying to set two plants up on a blind date. Maybe this will finally be the year… here’s hoping. ✨

Mistletoe is one of Europe’s most iconic winter plants, famous for prompting awkward festive kisses, but it’s also a wonderfully peculiar little organism. As a hemi-parasite, it skips the whole “drawing nutrients from the soil” business and instead taps politely—but firmly—into the branches of host trees like apple, hawthorn, poplar, and oak.

Mistletoe has long held a special place in European herbalism. Their berries contain viscotoxins and thus we never work with those medically, yet the leaves are prescribed for cardiovascular support and seasonal immune tonics within carefully supervised practice.

This magical plant also plays a surprisingly big role in the winter ecosystem. Birds such as the mistle thrush rely on the sticky berries as a much-needed snack during the cold months and, in return, kindly courier those seeds from tree to tree.

Meanwhile, while everything else turns bare and sleepy, mistletoe stays bright and green, reminding us of winter vitality and ancient connections between plants, people, and trees.