Last month we had planned to go on Aggtelek National Park's Nature's Pharmacy Herb Walk, but at the last minute we had to cancel because our boiler had to be repaired. But this month we were able to participate. I have always wanted to go on one of these walks and learn about what is growing wild in my own backyard. What is edible? What can be used for healing?

Krisztina Visnyovszky led the 2-hour leisurely tour around the Park's Vörös-tó Visitors Centre and Red Lake. Before we started out, Kriszta passed around a container of fresh carrots, beets and cabbage to munch on while she explained that many of our garden produce may also be used for medicinal purposes. Even though the area had recently been mowed, Kriszta immediately pointed out 4-5 medicinal herbs within the first few meters. When we got to Red Lake, I realised that the last time I had been there was something like 24 years ago with Kriszta's husband Tamas when I had my first tour of the Baradla Cave during a work camp with Scottish volunteers in the Bükk.

We found the following medicinal herbs (additional source Wikipedia):

• Stinging nettle is used in the treatment of disorders of the kidneys and urinary tract and rheumatism;
• Ribwort plantain (lándzsás utifű) leaves can be used to prepare a tea for cough medicine;
• Coltsfoot (martilapu) can be used internally (as tea or syrup) or externally (directly applied) for treatment of disorders of the respiratory tract, skin, viral infections, flu, colds, fever, rheumatism and gout;
• Dandelion (pongyola pitypang) is used to treat infections and as a diuretic^.. In the kitchen, they can be fermented for wine or beer, used in salads or stir-fried, and the ground, roasted roots can be used to make caffeine-free coffee.  It is even one of the ingredients of root beer;
• Chicory (mezei katáng), especially the flower, is used as a tonic and as a treatment for gallstones, gastro-enteritis, sinus problems, and cuts and bruises. Chicory contains inulin, which may help humans with constipation;
• Greater celandine/tetterwort/nipplewort/swallowwort (vérehulló fecskefű) is used externally for getting rid of warts. Scour the surface of the wart a bit, and then apply the yellow-orange latex from the plant;
• St John's wort (közönséges orbáncfű) is a well-known herbal treatment for depression. The yellow petals are ringed by tiny black dots, and on closer inspection the green leaves are seen to be perforated;
• Common yarrow (közönséges cickafark) is also known as arrowroot, bad man's plaything, bloodwort, carpenter's weed, death flower, devil's nettle, eerie, field hops, gearwe, hundred leaved grass, knight's milefoil, knyghten, milefolium, nosebleed, old man's mustard, old man's pepper, sanguinary, seven year's love, snake's grass, soldier, soldier's woundwort, stanchweed, thousand seal, woundwort and yarroway. It is used as a diaphoretic, astringent, tonic and stimulant. The plant also has a long history as a powerful 'healing herb' used topically for wounds, cuts and abrasions. Achilles reportedly carried it with his army to treat battle wounds. The leaves encourage clotting, so it can be used fresh for nosebleeds. The aerial parts of the plant are used for phlegm conditions, as a bitter digestive tonic, a diuretic, and to stimulate the circulation. It is also useful in menstrual disorders, and as an effective sweating remedy to bring down fevers. The stalks are dried and used as a randomising agent in I Ching divination. In the Middle Ages, yarrow was part of a herbal mixture known as gruit used in the flavouring of beer prior to the use of hops. The flowers and leaves are used in making some liquors and bitters;
• Hawthorn (egybibés galagonya) berries are edible raw but are commonly made into jams and syrups, and used to make wine. Petals are also edible, as are the leaves, which if picked in spring when still young are tender enough to be used in salads. Tea from the young leaves and flowers in spring are very good to strengthen the heart;
• Sloe (kökény) stones can be sucked on to reduce thirst, and the berries after the first frost can be used to make sloe gin/vodka;
• Wild thyme (mezei kakukkfű) is an active ingredient in mouthwash. Before the advent of modern antibiotics, oil of thyme was used to medicate bandages. Thyme has also been shown to be effective against various fungi that commonly infect toenails.  As tea it can be used for coughs and bronchitis;
• Common agrimony/church steeples/sticklewort (apróbojtorján/közönséges párlófű); and
• Greater burdock or beggar's buttons (nagy bojtorján/bogáncs) was used during the Middle Ages as a vegetable, but now it is rarely used, with the exception of Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Immature flower stalks may also be harvested in late spring before flowers appear. The taste resembles that of artichoke, to which the burdock is related. It is used as a diuretic, diaphoretic, and a blood purifying agent.

We took the opportunity to run up to Aggtelek for a Saturday lángos, but for some reason it was sour. By the toilets we accidentally happened upon the VI. Aggtelek International Rock Climbing Competition. Rock climbing on the cliff face above the Baradla Cave entrance is only allowed once a year. On the way back to the car we stopped by the honey stand of János Ambrus (Tel: 20-431-5134, a1j7@freemail.hu), a beekeeper from Szendrő/Sajólád with an interestingly varied selection of honeys and a passion for his subject. The first thing we learned was that while honey is high in minerals, it is vitamin poor. This is why János has mixed fruit fibre into some of his honeys. Méhkenyer is honeycomb with the pollen still inside, all of which is then submerged in honey. This is not as common as simple honeycomb in honey because it is a complicated process to keep it from developing mould. I have found that a teaspoon a day of bee pollen helps limit my hay fever suffering, but when I asked if he had any bee pollen for sale, he informed us that he refuses to offer this because the process of gathering the pollen often results in the de-winging or beheading of the bees. While all the honeys looked good, we took away Kata's favourite linden tree honey.

In the afternoon we went to the Tornabarakony Village Day celebrations for the third year in a row, a day jam-packed with folk dancing, song and storytelling. This year differed a bit because the Borsod-Torna-Gömör Egyesület organised several stands displaying local products. Our first stop was at the Praktika Handicraft Club where Meilinger Ferencné was selling her pillows and bags, and H. Petrovics Katalin her prettily combined knitted-semi-precious stone jewellery. Éva Gyarmati from Tornabarakony displayed her intricate needlework on pillows and embroidered bookmarks. Barnabás Juhász from Hidvegardo (Tornai út 111, 20-212-7437, persistent2007@gmail.com, persistent07@freemail.hu) had some delicious aged sheep cheese for sale, along with soft garlic, herb and natural cow cheese. He was adamant that we drink lots of clabber, produced by allowing unpasteurized milk to turn sour at a specific humidity and temperature. Over time, the milk thickens or curdles into a yogurt-like substance with a strong, sour flavour. I do not think it tastes much different than kefir, and both taste better when cold. The last time I had clabber was 25 years ago in the eco-utopian village of Gyűrűfű. Beekeepers János and Klari Kosik from Bodvaszilas (Szabadság Út 36, Bódvaszilas 3763, 06-30-599-3158, 48-454-082, kosikj@freemail.hu) arrived late because they attended the Bodvaszilas Village Day earlier in the afternoon. We met János just a couple weeks before at the Égerszög Opera Festival whose organisers Gyuri and Marika Tóth were also sitting nearby. Kata spoke with them at length about their annual summer art camp. Andras Bári and his wife from Szendrő/ Büdöskutpuszta (70-456-8829 bari.andras@freemail.hu) were again on hand with their organic mangalica sausage, ham and bacon. Not young, but young of heart, these two are still quick with a smile and a mischievous twinkle in their eyes. Andras mentioned that there is a homebrew beer brewery somewhere in the area which we should try, but he could not be specific except to say that it is near Almasi - which I have not yet found on the map.

The programme was once again filled with professional-level amateurs. We particularly enjoyed the Abaúji Hagyományőrző Népi Együttes from Hidasnémeti, and the Császta Néptánc Együttes from Edelény. There was also a woman who played a mountain dulcimer, an instrument I love to hear. Check out Felix Lajkó and Magda Ruzsa for an amazing joint outdoor performance a few years ago.

On the way back to the car we stopped in to the art gallery where the works of É. Kovács and others were on display. We met the É. Kovács László in Gömörszőlős a couple years ago and had a lovely time chatting with him. Gyuri Tóth has produced a beautiful book featuring portraits of him and his wife. There was also a very interesting book by Krisztian Koleszár and others extensively detailing and preserving the traditional facades, architectural details, carvings, wooden grave markers and other decorations as reference for renovation as well as posterity.

At home, we discovered a mysterious marshmallow-like mushroom growing out of our woodchip pile. It was later identified by my teacher Béla as Scrambled egg slime, or flowers of tan. In Scandinavian folklore, Fuligo septica is identified as the vomit of troll cats. In Finland, people believed that it was used by witches to spoil their neighbours' milk. This gives it the name paranvoi, meaning "butter of the familiar spirit." In the Flemish language it is known as "witch's butter."