“School of Herbs” Gathered Children and Adults at the Museum of the History of Medicine in Varna on Enyovden

For more than four hours, children and adults from Varna studied the secrets of medicinal plants at the School of Herbs, which opened its doors on Enyovden at the Museum of the History of Medicine. The knowledge on recognising, picking, storage, safe use and health impact of herbs was delivered by Assoc. Prof. Iliya Zhelev, Head of Training Sector of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, and Assist. Prof. Galina Dimova from the Faculty of Pharmacy at MU-Varna. Besides the training modules, creative herbal workshops, a quiz with prizes and a rich cultural and artistic programme were organized during the holiday.

Before the beginning of the training activities, traditionally signalled by the school bell, Enyovden was opened with "Soul of Samodiva (Fairy – in English)", performed by the talented Monika Parusheva and the dancers from “Diana” Ensemble at MU - Varna, and Assoc.  Prof. Emanuela Mutafova, who welcomed all participants. The organizer of the festive event "School of Herbs on Enyovden" is the Medical University with the support of the Culture Fund at the Municipality of Varna.

"Enyovden is one of the most significant holidays in the Bulgarian folk calendar, and families should do their best to bring children closer to nature as much as possible." This is what Assoc. Prof. Iliya Zhelev said. "I am delighted to see that children are interested and quickly perceive what they have learned. We are also trying to persuade their parents that, from early childhood, it is worth acquainting little kids with the properties of herbs, which herbs have a curative effect and on what. Herbs can be used both for treatment of chronic non-acute conditions and for prevention, just like our ancestors used to do centuries ago. However, we should be aware of the fact that the effect of medicinal plants is not as quick as medications. If we have a headache, for example, we go to the pharmacy and buy a pill. We know that its effect will be immediate. However, herbs act in a much longer time period. We can enjoy cold extracts instead of tea in the summer. We should not forget that the spices we use in our dishes are also herbs, and they also affect and heal us, although we use them in smaller quantities," explained also Assoc. Prof. Zhelev.

During the school, the visitors learned that the herb should not be picked by hand, it should be clipped with scissors instead, so that its root does not come out, and the blade of the plant should be about 25 - 30 cm. After collecting, herbs should be tied in small bouquets and let dry slowly, hanging loosely with the blossom downwards, or in special dryers. The visitors learnt about the properties of certain herbs, how to prepare tea, butter extracts and other herbal products. All visitors had the opportunity to get information cards for 20 species of herbs, found on the Northern Black Sea Coast, as well as fresh herbs to be dried at home. Furthermore, the participants at the "School for Herbs" prepared and labelled glass containers with dried herbs, which will enrich the exposition of the drugstore at the Museum of the History of Medicine in Varna.