Health
The Ancient Medicine Chest
Elderberry has been well-known and highly respected throughout much of recorded history. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, called it his “medicine chest”. Galen agreed with him. From the Leechbook of Bald we have the following: For foot ache, take leaves of elder and waybroad and mugwort, pound, lay on, and bind on. A salve : take blooms of elder, ...
A Cup of Calm
Linden has long been honored as a gentle and relaxing herb. Gerard in his Herball tells us that: The floures are commended by divers against paine of the head proceeding of a cold cause, against dissinesse (dizziness?),the Apoplexie, and also the falling sicknesse, and not onely the floures,but the disstilled water thereof. Even today, a cup of linden flower tea ...
Who Knew How Healing A Radish Is?
Historically, the radish was almost as important in the leech's repertoire as it was in the kitchen. According to Dioscorides, it is useful as a laxative, a diuretic and an emetic. There is some discussion as to whether the ancient Egyptians employed it. Some say that they paid their workers a wage of radishes, garlic and onions, deliberately supplying the ...
A History Of Healthy
The stinging nettle has walked through history hand in hand with the human race. Traces of this herb have been found in the earliest of human habitation sites. It has been recognized as a potent medicine for much of that time. From the Leechbook of Bald, written in the ninth century, we find this recipe: A wound salve ; take ...
You’re Getting Sleepy
The lettuce that our Leech wants in her leech's bag is Lactuca virosa, the wild lettuce. Lactuca sativa has had most of the active principles bred out of it although Aelfrida would not have hesitated to use the sativa in a pinch, especially for lesser complaints. It has been commonly used as a sedative and a sleep inducer. The plant ...
In The Pinks
The Carnation has been used medicinally for approximately 2000 years, at least in China. This site gives a good account of its use there. Gerard tells us of the carnation: “The conserve made of the floures of the Clove Gillofloure and sugar, is exceeding cordiall,and wonderfully above measure doth comfort the heart, being eaten now and then.” and “It prevaileth against ...
A Cooling Blue Relief
While the blueberry and the bilberry are used interchangeably in the kitchen, the bilberry has a definite edge in the pharmacy. The most obvious fieldmark (an easily recognizable characteristic identifying a plant or animal positively) between the two is that the flesh of a blueberry is green and the flesh of a bilberry is blue or purple. This indicates a ...
Good For What’s Hurting You
The common wisdom is that willow has always been used for pain relief. I've been told that it was recommended by Hippocrates, Galen and Dioscorides for that. However, when I sat down to research this post I was unable to find much mention of willow in the books of these men. The mentions that I did find mostly recommended it ...
Tears of Relief
Alexis Soyer, in his Pantropheon, states: Whoever wishes to preserve his health must eat every morning, before breakfast. young onions, with honey.1" Such a treat is assuredly not very tempting : besides, this rather strong vegetable leaves after it a most unpleasant perfume, which long reminds us of its presence ; wherefore this recipe has not met with favour, and, indeed, it is much to ...
Hop Into Bed
For a plant that's been around for a long time, there are remarkably few older references to it. I have searched all of my usual herbals and haven't found mention of this herb under any name for it that I am familiar with in many of them. As with yesterday's post, I believe that I haven't yet found the name ...
