Davina Hopkinson and Dr Nicolette Perry, Dilston Physic Garden, Northumberland.
In this article, Davina and Nicolette explore how we can reconnect with the UK’s historically used plants and why including them within the Natural History GCSE would be invaluable.
For most of human history, people experienced themselves as part of the natural world, not separate from it. The same hedgerows, woodlands and fields that offered food and shelter also provided plants for health, medicine, clothing, craft and fuel.
Plants were trusted sources of wellbeing. Willow bark eased pain, aromatic herbs supported recovery from infection, and seasonal plants restored vitality while supplying a range of natural compounds that reduce disease. Many modern medicines still originate from plant compounds, while other plants continue to inspire the food industry, textiles, dyes, tools and creative expression.
A Natural History GCSE offers an opportunity to restore this perspective in a way that is deeply relevant to modern wellbeing, for both people and the natural world. By reconnecting students with the use of plants in their local environment, it can create a foundation for lifelong learning, practical skills and ecological literacy.
Why this matters now
The inclusion of historically used plants within the Natural History GCSE would address several important challenges facing young people and the natural environment today.
1) Rising health challenges and interest in prevention
Children are growing up with increasing rates of chronic illness, stress and lifestyle-related health conditions. Yet research increasingly emphasises prevention, lifestyle and environmental health as key to reducing long-term disease burden. Early education that builds understanding of plant-based health and wellbeing can therefore support healthier choices and wellbeing.
2) Loss of connection with the natural world
Urbanisation and modern lifestyles have reduced everyday contact with nature and heritage plant species. Reintroducing knowledge of local plant use would help rebuild awareness of ecosystems, biodiversity and environmental stewardship.
3) Declining biodiversity
Many native plant species, and the insect habitats they support, are under pressure. Education that encourages the understanding and cultivation of historically used plants can contribute to biodiversity awareness and conservation, for example the development of natural habitat corridors in urban areas.
A right to education that shapes lifelong wellbeing
Education does more than prepare young people for exams. It shapes how they understand their health, environment and the wider world. Learning about traditional plant use offers a powerful entry point to the natural world, while also inspiring links to subjects often taught separately, including health, nutrition, ecology, agriculture, history, literature, art and craft.
Before widespread urbanisation, useful plants grew close to home and their roles in food, wellbeing and household care were widely understood. While this familiarity has largely faded in the UK, similar traditions remain active in many cultures around the world.
Bringing this knowledge back into education via a Natural History GCSE would restore awareness of the plants that grow in our landscapes and how they contribute to both human and environmental health. It would also introduce the idea that wellbeing can be supported through everyday choices, encouraging a more informed and connected relationship with the natural world.
Through heritage plants, students encounter science, culture and everyday life as an integrated whole rather than as isolated subjects. Learning through this lens brings together areas such as history, botany, chemistry, biology, medicine, ecology, literature, art and craft.
Students learn about:
Botany – identification of native and heritage species, their life cycles, habitats and ecological roles.
Chemistry – the role of bioactive plant compounds and how they interact with biological systems in plants and humans.
Biology – plant and human physiology, immunity, stress and sleep, connected to traditional plant use.
Practical and cultural skills – growing, harvesting, crafting, cooking, natural dyeing and other creative applications.
By exploring these uses, students develop curiosity, critical thinking and scientific literacy, alongside practical skills and environmental awareness. For some pupils, this learning opens pathways into future study and careers in areas such as ecology, conservation, nutrition, pharmacology or medicine. For others, it provides practical tools for lifelong wellbeing and connection with the natural world.
Dilston Physic Garden: heritage plant education today
From crafting and dyeing to ecological restoration and food cultivation, hands-on experiences create memorable learning moments that highlight the importance of both plant and human wellbeing.
At Dilston Physic Garden, this approach is already being put into practice. Through school visits, home education programmes, Junior Herbalist Clubs (supported by the National Institute of Medical Herbalists) and workshops, children engage directly with the historical use of plants in ways that are scientific and creative.
Feedback from pupils highlights the impact of these experiences:
These responses demonstrate how powerfully young people respond when learning connects science, heritage and the natural world.
A timely and necessary inclusion
We are living through rising chronic illness, mental health challenges and increasing disconnection from the natural world. Education that reconnects young people with nature, science and traditional knowledge offers a constructive and empowering response.
Historically used plants sit at the intersection of health, science, conservation and culture. Including them within the Natural History GCSE would provide students with a richer understanding of the living world, stronger ecological literacy and practical wellbeing knowledge, alongside opportunities for learning through observation and cultivation.
Ultimately, it would empower young people to take ownership of their lives and to act for their environment and communities.
This article presents an overview of the ideas explored by Dilston Physic Garden. For readers who would like to explore the evidence base and detailed proposals in more depth, we have two supporting documents:
About Dilston Physic Garden
Based in Northumberland, Dilston Physic (coming from the word “physician”) Garden is a charity dedicated to education about historically used plants and the natural world for wellbeing. The garden hosts over 700 European species grown using natural-habitat cultivation methods and offers workshops, courses, and volunteer experiences, with a focus supporting mental and physical health.
Dr Nicolette Perry
Dr Nicolette is Director of Dilston Physic Garden and holds a PhD in pharmacognosy from King’s College London. Her research has focused on plants for brain health, including studies on historically used European sage for Alzheimer’s disease. With a background in the biology of health and disease, her work emphasises the role of edible plants in supporting long-term body and brain wellbeing.
Davina Hopkinson
Davina Hopkinson is a medical herbalist based in Northumberland and a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists. She holds a degree in Herbal Medicine and works with schools and communities to share knowledge of historically used plants through talks, walks, workshops and educational clubs at Dilston Physic Garden.
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