Wednesday May 6th 2026
Herb Distiller used to extract essential oils and other romantic compounds from plant material through distillation, on display at the exhibition
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
‘Plants walked so your local pharmacy could run. Before prescriptions, there was the healing power of plants’, is what herbologists at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh explained ahead of celebrating 20 years of contemporary herbology knowledge at the famous gardens.
Now, marking this milestone, the team behind the Edinburgh Botanic’s modernised herbology course, run by Catherine Conway-Paye, are celebrating this 20th year with an exhibition that highlights the work of the programme through a variety of engaging mixed media, created by students and illustrators.
Diving into the long history of medicinal plants, the ‘Remedies, recipes and rituals’ exhibition is open daily with free admission at the John Hope Gateway until Sunday 28 June.
The exhibition explores a variety of medicinal plants, remedy-making methods and recipes, giving you an insight into the Garden’s green pharmacy and showing the important role it played in traditional healing practices.
Explained by organisers as ‘captivating to visitors’, the exhibition draws people into the rich, and important, history of medicinal plants. Through its displays, it highlights how plants have been around for centuries helping illnesses and demonstrates how long before the existence of pharmacies, communities world-wide relied on herbs, roots and flowers as the only source of medicine.
Herbologists toolkit also on display, utilising a broad range of equipment since their work takes them from the library to the garden and the archive to the kitchen
Producer of creative programmes at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh explained:
“The relationship between plants and healing was at the heart of our organisation’s foundation in 1670. Three hundred and fifty-six years later, herbology is still part of our work as a botanic garden. As online engagement and enrolment numbers for our courses show, herbology has been enjoying a revival over the last decade or so.
“This is also reflected in the high number of visitors who have made a point of calling in to find out more. It’s brilliant to see so many people thinking about how our health and wellbeing are connected to the natural world, and what plants can still teach us”
The exhibition showcases the connection between traditional herbal knowledge and modern science. Many of the medicines used today derive from compounds found first in plants. By showcasing them both, the exhibit illustrates plant knowledge’s influence on the development of modern medicine.
Besides highlighting medical uses, the exhibit also invites its visitors to reflect on the importance of plant conservation. While researchers continue studying plants for future medical applications, the importance of protecting biodiversity increases.
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh diploma in Herbology is a course that investigates the study of medicinal plants by combining botanical science with traditional herbal knowledge. The course explores the historical and modern uses of plants, with the option to study online or in-person and provides the basis for further education in herbology and plant-based health.
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