If you’ve recently noticed social media images of nostalgic countryside scenes, with women in linen pinafores or floral microprints walking whimsically among gardens and appreciating simple pleasures, such as having a bath, then you have witnessed the increasingly popular Cottagecore movement. Cottagecore is an internet lifestyle aesthetic, a visual art style romanticising rural life. It values traditional skills such as crafts, baking, preserving the natural world, caring for others and growing herbs. The overall mood of Cottagecore is one of homely warmth, comfort and cosiness while the underlying message is slow living. The COVID-19 pandemic led to the rise of Cottagecore activities which offered an escape from the drudgery and anxiety caused by long periods of lockdown. As a concept it embraces a simpler existence that is more harmonious with nature. While it may be a reaction to capitalism, and increasing time spent in front of a screen, it also relates to ongoing interests in wellness and sustainability.
Thus, many of the principles of Cottagecore align with naturopathic philosophy. Countless herbalists and naturopaths have probably been associating themselves with the Cottagecore aesthetic for decades but now it has a name. Mindfulness, gratitude journaling, baking sourdough, shopping seasonally, foraging and forest bathing are all classic Cottagecore themes. This aesthetic, and its focus on self-care, could be especially helpful for people with chronic illness and to soothe over-sensitised bodies. Herbs have a longstanding history in cottage life for practical and medicinal uses. Cottagecore promotes many ways to include herbal remedies into the daily routine including using liquid herbal extracts, essential oils and hanging harvested garden herbs upside down to dry indoors for later use as herbal teas. Cottagecore favourites include lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) and echinacea (Echinacea spp.).
Hashtag Cottagecore may be trending on the internet, and ironically idealising a fairy-tale way of life away from the screen, however that doesn’t demean the importance of traditional herbal medicine. The rising popularity of Cottagecore subculture, and its yearning for a bygone era, promotes traditional herbal medicine an as antidote to the fast-paced, unsustainable way of living that prevails. Like Cottagecore fans our ancestors also cultivated a deep-rooted relationship with plants. They harvested plants in ceremony, made herbal medicines with intention, and passed along traditional plant knowledge to help future generations maintain wellness. Practitioners today carry on this legacy, bringing the magic of Cottagecore into the daily lives of countless people.
References
Regev K. What Exactly Is Cottagecore and How Did It Get So Popular? Architectural Digest Conde Naste c2023. (updated 21 Oct 2020; accessed 23 Mar 2023). Available from https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/what-exactly-is-cottagecore
Jephcote E. Gentleness and Gentility in Cottagecore and Cranford. Nicolaus Copernicus University Poland. Mar 2023.
Jagtenberg, T, Evans, S. Global herbal medicine: a critique. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2003;9(2):321-329.
McClure L, Flower A, Price S. Scoping the Evidence for the Effectiveness of Herbal Medicines
A Selective Review on behalf of the European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (EHTPA) May 2016.
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