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Ezra Suggett

Ezra Suggett


Ezra was the great great grandfather of the present co-director and herbal practitioner, Jill Davies. Ezra had a herbal apothecary in Beccles, Suffolk, just 15 miles from the present day Herbs Hands Healing. His dispensary and clinic were similar to many of their kind in the mid 1800s. The herbs he used would have reflected at least 30 per cent of herbs imported from around the world, e.g. slippery elm, goldenseal and sarsaparilla, with 60 per cent coming from Europe – mostly Britain. Many of the herbs he used would have been collected locally (by knowledgeable gatherers) – e.g. eryngium root on the local beaches, fennel, burdock and plantain in the hedges and meadows – and many remedies would have reflected these local plants. His clientele would have visited his dispensary and bought herbs after a quick appraisal or lengthier consultation. Alternatively he would have made a house call on his horse, with a saddlebag large enough to hold his travelling medicine bag and a tincture box which remains in the family today. One story passed down causes a wry smile: upon being called out in the middle of the night, he rode 12 miles to a cottage deep in the fens to assist. He found a worried mother and screaming baby. Instinct and practicality kicked in and he started by simply undressing the baby and removing the nappy pin, which was pricking into the baby’s tummy! He then rode 12 miles home again! Eventually he moved his practice to London and much larger premises, and the large building that once housed this thriving business is now a high street bank. His love and use of herbs and simple practicality live on to this day in Herbs Hands Healing and now not just through Jill, but also her daughter Lorna, who is a nutritional therapist, natural healer and herbal dispenser working in London and Brighton.