Medical Use of Honey in the 17th & 18th centuries. Documentation.

18th Century Medicinal Uses for Honey.

 ‘A poultis for a Swelling by My Aunt Dorothy Pates’, for example, used honey as a binding agent. Another recipe, said to be ‘approved by the best doctars [sic]’ used a clove of garlic saturated in fine English honey and put in the ear for eight days to cure pain and restore hearing.   

 Abigail Smith and others, ‘Collection of medical and cookery receipts’ (c. 1700).  Wellcome Library, London, MS 4631, f. 7r.

 Ibid., f. 23 v

https://recipes.hypotheses.org/tag/honey

“Cut the white heels from some red rose buds, and lay them to dry in a place where there is a draught of air; when they are dried, put half a pound of them into a stone jar, and pour on them three pints of boiling water; stir them well, and let them stand twelve hours; then press off the liquor (liquid) and when it has settled, add to it five pounds of honey; boil it well, and when it is of the consistence of thick syrup, put it by for use. It is good against mouth sores, and on many other occasions.”

‘Honey of Roses’ and The Family Herbal by Sir John Hill 1759.

The leaves being applied with honey to running sores or ulcers, do cleanse them.

SYRUPS MADE WITH VINEGAR AND HONEY.

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Complete Herbal, by Nicholas Culpeper

17th Century.

http://www.survivorlibrary.com/library/culpepers_complete_herbal_1880.pdf

18th Century Herbal Use.

PLEASE NOTE: This list is supplied so that you can check these herbs against up to date/modern information. For instance, we grow comfrey in our garden, but up to date information warns against using this herb for food!

Dictionary of 18th Century Herb Usage

BASIL - Chiefly used as flavoring when cooking. Used dried as snuff to relieve headaches and colds. Also used as a strewing herb. Basil is in the mint family, native to Africa, Asia, India, and Iran. It was brought from Europe to America in the early 1600s and by 1774 was grown commercially in Virginia. Its clove-like flavor made many foods more appetizing. Colonists used this herb, also called St. Josephwort, in salads and soups, especially pea soup.

BEE BALM - Used for bee stings. Bee balm is a member of the mint family. It is native to North America, but colonists soon sent seeds to Europe for their friends to plant and enjoy. Tea brewed from its leaves was called Oswego tea and was used as a substitute for China tea after the 1773 Boston Tea Party. BURNET - Burnet or Salad Burnet was carried to New England by the Pilgrims. Its cucumber-flavored leaves added zip to salads, casseroles, and soups. It was put in wine to which it "yeeldeth a certaine grace in drinking.” CARAWAY - Caraway can be found cultivated and wild in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Seeds were used in bread, cookies, and other recipes, and as a flavoring in cordials. The boiled roots of caraway were eaten by Native Americans and recommended for those with a cold or weak stomach. A tasty tea can be made by steeping seeds in boiling water then sweetening with honey.

CHAMOMILE - Infused as a tea for indigestion, gas, and stomach aches. Also used as a strewing herb and insect repellent.

COMFREY - Early leaves were used in salads. Used medicinally as a poultice to heal wounds and reduce swelling.

CORIANDER - Coriander is an annual in the parsley family. It has become naturalized in this country, but is a native of southern Europe and Asia Minor. Colonists employed this spice in breads, desserts, and pickles. The seeds were chewed as a breath freshener. Early distillers used oil of coriander in flavoring some whiskeys.

DILL - Used in salads and for cooking. Dill was used to flavor soups, salads, breads, stew, fish, potatoes, sauces, pickles, and gin.

ELECAMPANE - Used to treat skin diseases in sheep and horses; also as a diuretic and for coughs. CFHS Chadds Ford Historical Society • P.O. Box 27 • 1736 Creek Road • Chadds Ford, PA 19317 Phone: 610-388-7376 • Fax 610-388-7480 • Website: www.ChaddsFordHistory.org 18th C Herb Vocab, ©CFHS, 2012 Page 2 Dictionary of 18th Century Herb Usage (page 2) FENNEL - Fennel leaves were used in salads, stews, and vegetables. The seeds were used in pies and with other baked fruits as well as in breads. FEVERFEW - For "female hysteria," melancholia, and constipation.

GARLIC CHIVES - Culinary uses as a flavoring.

GERMANDER - For gout, rheumatism, fever, and melancholy. HOREHOUND - Used to make a cough syrup. Often used with honey and other herbs. Mixed with plantain for snakebites. Soaked in fresh milk to repel flies. The leaves are used for flavoring beer, cough drops, honey, and for making tea. Leaves should be gathered just before the flowers open. HYSSOP - Strewn on the floor to prevent the spread of infection; also used to treat respiratory illnesses.

LAVENDER - Strewing herb and insect repellent.

LEMON BALM - Infused as a tea for headaches, indigestion, nausea. Distilled as a treatment to clean and heal wounds.

LOVAGE - Similar to celery in taste, used in similar manner. Also used to treat kidney stones.

 MARJORAM - Used in cooking. Also to cure insomnia, nasal congestion, and loss of appetite. Sweet Marjoram was used to flavor stews and soups. PARSLEY - Culinary uses. Seeds used as a diuretic.

PENNYROYAL - Strewing herb. Flea and mosquito repellent.

PEPPERMINT - Breath freshener. Leaves infused as a tea. Peppermint was introduced early to the United States. It also went wild. However, since it prefers wetter land, it is not as prevalent as spearmint. Peppermint leaves were chewed to sweeten the breath. Peppermint oil was used to flavor tea, foods, and medicine.

PLAINTAIN - Used in salads; also as a poultice to heal wounds, and the seeds to prevent miscarriage. The leaves, seeds, and roots could be brewed as a tea. It was brought by European settlers and spread where they settled and earned the name “White Man’s Foot.”

QUEEN ANNE’S LACE - As a diuretic and for kidney stones; also the seeds were used for birth control. 18th C Herb Vocab, ©CFHS, 2012 Page 3 Dictionary of 18th Century Herb Usage (page 3) ROSE HIPS - These are the round red fruits formed from the flowers of the wild rose. It is the seedpod of the plant. Tea can be brewed from the hips, or they may also be dried. It is best to gather rose hips in late fall after the first frost when they are bright red.

ROSEMARY - Oil used as a rub for sore muscles. Promotes liver functions. Culinary uses. RUE - Externally to cure warts, ringworm, and poisonous bites. Internally as a treatment for colic and epilepsy. Decocted for earaches. SAGE - Culinary uses as a flavoring for pork, sausage, and poultry. Medically in combination with other herbs for headaches. Decocted and as a mouthwash for sore throats and infected gums.

SORREL - Used to flavor vinegars and as a pot vegetable. As a poultice for infected wounds. To remove stains from linen.

SPEARMINT - Spearmint was brought to the United States by some of the earliest immigrants. By 1672 it was growing wild. Spearmint leaves were used to make tea, jellies, and sauces. The leaves were sugared and mixed with sugared rose and violet petals to make candy.

ST. JOHN’S WORT - Leaves used treat burns and wounds. Flowers used as a tincture for melancholy.

STINGING NETTLES - Early spring leaves used in salads. A mixture of the seeds, bayberries, gunpowder, and honey was used for rheumatism. Leaves used to line cheese press, and dried as chicken feed.

TANSY - Seed as a vermifuge (to kill internal parasites like roundworms) for children; the root was also used to treat gout.

TARRAGON - Used in salads and to flavor foods.

THYME - Culinary use as a flavoring. Medicinally for toothaches, gout, headaches, and to cure nightmares. Used as an antiseptic. Thyme was brought from Europe by the earliest settlers. Sprigs of thyme were placed on lard and butter to keep them from becoming rancid. It was used to flavor soups, stews, meat, cheese and egg dishes, seafood, and vegetables. YARROW - Leaves can be chewed for toothaches. Sources: “Family Medicine in Colonial Virginia,” Department of School and Group Services, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg Virginia). The Complete Herb Book (Maggie Stuckey) © 2001.

https://www.electricscotland.com/history/medical/Herbal.pdf

The Apothecary Fold.

The apothecary fold is an 18th century paper container that apothecaries made to hold prescriptions. These same containers can be used to hold herbs or spices in your knapsack.

My thanks to weaver, one of our group members for bringing this item to my attention.

Many thanks weaver.

Regards, Keith.

Herbs to Kill or Heal? Was this 17th Century Faux-Book for a Poisoner or Apothecary?

More here including information on the herbs in this box: http://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/herbs-kill-or-heal-was-17th-century-faux-book-poisoner-or-apothecary-021284

Apothecary's Cabinet, 1730.

Apothecary's Cabinet, 1730, Delft. Veneered with walnut and olive wood in oak core. Contents complete. The small central alcove can be removed to reveal a hidden pulley system that opens a set of secret drawers.

Photo: Rijksmuseum

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Complete Herbal, by Nicholas Culpeper

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49513/49513-h/49513-h.htm

Apothecaries. A Link.

http://www.ehow.com/info_8173999_tools-apothecaries-wear-colonial-times.html

Lavender For The Medical Bag.

  In London lavender was sold mostly by gypsies.
In the 16th century France, lavender was used as a protection from infections.
In the 16th century after King Henry the 8th got rid of the monasteries, lavender became a popular plant grown at the manor houses. Ladies of the manors made their own scented waters, beeswax furniture polish, gifts and scented bags. Lavender was associated with cleanliness.
The history of lavender in the 17th century was lavender as a cure all. They used it for headaches, nerves, insect bites, mad dogs and snake bites.
During the Great Plague in London in the 17th century, a bunch of lavender was tied to each wrist to protect against infection. The grave robbers used to wash in Four Thieves Vinegar, which contained lavender. They rarely become infected. Another source says the four thieves went into the homes of the plague victims. They said they oiled themselves with a a mixture of equal amounts of lavender, absinthe, rue, sage, mint and rosemary mixed in vinegar.

Lavender had the reputation of being a miracle plant during the 19th century. It was the most important remedy in the first aid kits for anyone in the provence.It was used for everything from dizziness, nerves, stomach problems, poor vision, infections, convulsions, viper's bites, swooning fits, and palsy.
In the First World War lavender was used as a antiseptic.
They would have dogs sleep on a bed with lavender to rid it of fleas. I would think that this worked for the people as well.
Lavender was important to the shepherds in the fields. It was used to disinfect wounds, sores and even the umbilical cords of lambs.
To get rid of head lice, lavender oil was applied to the scalp for 20 minutes before rinsing.
Lavender was used for insect bites, burns and to accelerate healing.Lavender oil was rubbed on the chest for colds and bronchitis at night. Sometimes it was mixed with thyme and inhaled. Both lavender and thyme is known today to be good against bacteria.
The elderly used to mix it with a carrier oil and rub it on painful joints.
To cure headaches, litle bags of lavender was worn around the neck. A nobleman had a red silk bag, and a commoner used a muslin bag. This was also to ward off diseases.
Lavender oil and burn treatment have a long history. A French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse in the early 1900 was working in his lab and burned his hand severely. He then stuck his hand in a nearby container of lavender oil. He discovered his hand not only stopped hurting, it healed faster and didn't scar.
Science is now looking at lavender in cancer treatments. Studies have shown it to reduce the size of breast cancer in mice.
More information here: http://www.joys-of-lavender.com/history-of-lavender.html

My thanks to Don Gagnon for bringing this subject to my attention.
Images By Keith H. Burgess (copyright)

Herbs For The Trail . Ginger.

This night the ten men at our fire made a little soup for supper of the thigh bone of the dog and a portion of the back bone of pork, seasoned with ginger, which relished exceedingly well. With respect to the meat of a dog, I have, ever since I had this experience, believed it to be very good eating and that I could at any time eat it without disgust.

Rufus Putnam's Journal. February 8th, 1757.

 

Ginger Root (copyright Keith H. Burgess).

 

Ginger root (Zingiber officinale) is well known as a remedy for travel sickness, nausea and indigestion and is used for wind, colic, irritable bowel, loss of appetite, chills, cold, flu, poor circulation, menstrual cramps, dyspepsia (bloating, heartburn, flatulence), indigestion and gastrointestinal problems such as gas and stomach cramps. Ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory herb and there has been much recent interest in its use for joint problems. It has also been indicated for arthritis, fevers, headaches, toothaches, coughs, bronchitis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, to ease tendonitis, lower cholesterol and blood-pressure and aid in preventing internal blood clots.
Ginger has been well researched and many of its traditional uses confirmed. It is well known as a remedy for travel sickness, nausea and indigestion. It is a warming remedy, ideal for boosting the circulation, lowering high blood pressure and keeping the blood thin in higher doses. Ginger is anti-viral and makes a warming cold and flu remedy. Ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory herb and there has been much recent interest in its use for joint problems.

http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-ginger-root.html

Preserving the Harvest - Herbs

http://thebuzzatthehive.blogspot.com/2011/10/preserving-harvest-herbs.html#comment-form

Herbal Medicine & Self-Reliance. PART ONE.

I had a request on another forum for information on the use of herbs. Rather than research the uses of herbs 300 years ago, which may or may not have been safe, I decided to publish my old hand written notes from college. This was a whils ago now, so I had no computor & no power at Elm Cottage even if I did have one, so the notes stayed hand written. Probably more fitting for this blog anyway.
I hope they are of some interest & perhaps some use, & I hope they can be read!

Rosemary in the Linstock House gardens.

Onions. Linstock House gardens.

A Link To Dictionary of 18th Century Herb Usage

http://appfrontier.blogspot.com/2008/04/dictionary-of-18th-century-herb-usage.html