A morning of wild plant walks and medicine making in East Sussex

Friston Forest sits on the chalk escarpment above the Cuckmere Valley, a few miles west of Eastbourne. It's one of the largest areas of managed woodland in East Sussex — mostly beech planted on the Downs, with ancient hedgerow remnants, chalk grassland edges, and a rich understorey that changes dramatically through the seasons.

For a herbalist, it's one of the finest places in the county.

What grows at Friston

The chalk soil and woodland edge habitat at Friston creates ideal conditions for several significant medicinal plants.

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) lines the woodland edges and ancient trackways in abundance. In spring the young leaves emerge before the blossom — both are medicinal, the leaves particularly useful as a gentle cardiovascular tonic.

Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) carpets the shaded woodland floor from late winter through spring — one of the traditional herbs for respiratory and sinus health, and one of the most overlooked plants on any Sussex walk.

Cleavers (Galium aparine) scrambles through the hedgerow edges throughout spring — a lymphatic tonic of real value for clearing winter stagnation.

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) appears along the drier, more exposed chalk edges — a nervine and digestive herb with centuries of traditional use, and one of the plants most distinctly associated with the Sussex coastal landscape.

Elder (Sambucus nigra) — present throughout the forest edges, flowering in June and fruiting in late August. Both the flowers and berries are among the most versatile and well-evidenced medicinal plants in British herbalism.

Why walk with a herbalist

Foraging guides focus on identification and edibility. Walking with a herbalist is a different experience — you learn not just what a plant is, but how it works in the body, what traditions surround it, how to prepare it, and how it fits into a wider understanding of health and landscape.

At Sussex Herbal, the seasonal workshops at Friston Forest combine plant identification, medicine-making, and the constitutional framework of the Turton Method™. You leave knowing not just which plants grow there, but why they matter — and what to do with them when you get home.

The next session

The spring foraging and wild medicine making day takes place on Friday 16th May, meeting at Friston Forest Car Park (BN20 0AT) at 10.30am. The session runs until 2.30pm and includes hands-on medicine making. Spaces are limited.