Tag: herbs
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The search for treatments began with recognition of disease– The Medicinal Herb Garden in Oslo
At the dawn of medicine various minerals, animal parts, and plants provided the first potential remedies for experimentation by patients, shamans and high priests alike. And so, the first formularies emerged to document treatments that were generally thought to be effective. In medieval Europe, the monasteries became the guardians of much of the medicinal treasure…
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Medicinal and non-medicinal valerians – Part 3 – Flowers, fragrance, stench, and important medicine for epilepsy
The root of the valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is one of the most widely purchased herbal remedies in many countries for sleep disorders, anxiety, and for what one 19th century herbalist called low-spiritedness (please see my two earlier posts). What is commonly also called valerian is the wild-flower Centrantus ruber. Both types of valerians start to…
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Medicinal and non-medicinal valerians – Part 2
The root of the valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is one of the most widely purchased herbal remedies in many countries, including Britain, the US and much of Europe, for sleep disorders, anxiety, and for what one 19th century herbalist called low-spiritedness. However, for most people what we know as valerian is not Valeriana officinalis but a…
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The Herbalist and her herbalistary in Cordoba
There is something wholesome and attractive with a well laid-out herbalistary, and Cordoba’s Delicias del Califato situated by the must-see Mosque-Cathedral and the Alcazar of the Christian Kings is an example in the same league as those I visited recently in Toronto and Nice. A cheerful expert, fine aromas, and specialist pottery to brew the…
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The lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis) – a beautiful plant used traditionally for the treatment of lung ailments, hence the name ‘Pulmonaria’. But beware …
With a warm mid-February, spring is in the air in the English Midlands. The snowdrops are in full bloom and some other spring bulbs and a few camelias have followed. Walking around my soggy garden today (15 Feb), I came across a fine clump of lungwort in full bloom (see photos), hidden behind a garden…
Medicine Trees 