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| A Reprint of Culpeper's Complete Herbal |
So continuing down the book shelf, here is a reprint of a classic herbal by Nicholas Culpeper. In it he states that winter and summer savory are so well known in our gardens, that no description of them is needed!
Under Government and Virtues, he states that "Mercury claims the dominion over this herb, neither is there a better remedy against the colic and iliac passion than this herb; keep it dry by you all the year, if you love yourself and your ease and it is a hundred pounds to a penny if you do not; keep it dry, make conserves and syrups of it for your use, and take notice that the summer kind is the best."
He goes on to say: "They are both of them hot and dry and especially the summer kind which is both sharp and quick in taste, expelling wind in the stomach and bowels, and is a present help for the rising of the mother procured by wind; provoked urine and women's courses and is much commended for women with child to take inwardly and to smell often unto. It cureth tough phlegm in the chest and lungs and helpth to expectorate it the more easily. It quickens the dull spirits in a lethargy, the juice there of being snuffed into the nostrils. The juice dropped into the eyes cleareth a dull sight if it proceed of thin cold humours distilled from the brain. The juice heated with oil of roses and dropped into the ears easeth them of the noise and singing in them, and of deafness also. Outwardly applied with wheat flour as a poultice, it giveth ease to sciatica and palsied members, heating and warming them and taketh away their pains. It also taketh away the pain that comes by stinging of bees, wasps & c. (whatever & c.) might be!
Many of his cures and remedies came from Gerard or Parkinson. John Gerard came first and then Parkinson and Culpeper were pretty much contemporaries. So when you are reading this remember to do careful research. I am just giving you herbs for thought! Just be sure of their use before using them as medicinal remedies! I do have most of a notebook filled from last winter's reading. So with your permission, even though the 2016 Herb of the Year is capsicum, I may just continue to interject savory posts from time to time!
We had a great Christmas yesterday and now it is gone for another year. It is still mild and looks like we will have rain starting tonight. Again no snow! It is a miracle called El Nino! Hope you are having a great day wherever you may be. Talk to you tomorrow!
4 comments:
Culpeper stated that 'summer' was better than 'winter'...hmmm, I thought I had read somewhere that it was the other way around. Oh well, that settles it, we shall have to grow both!! I'm glad you may be sharing more about the savories. They sound like something no one should do without!
Still no snow here in NH. In our neck of the woods, rain storms scheduled themselves for either side of Christmas, so we were able to enjoy an outstanding performance by the full moon!
Bev
Thanks Bev for stopping by! Yes, I would say in my herb garden this year summer savory beat out winter by a very long country mile! We are getting rain now and the cold temperatures and even some snow are coming later this week! I missed snow on Christmas! Yes the full moon was wonderful! Take care! xo
I enjoy reading your posts about herbs and I especially love savories. You always inspire me to re-read my any herb books, especially the older ones.
Hi KathyB. Glad you are enjoying these posts about the herb of the year! There are more to come. I do love reading the old herb books! Need to get more time to do that in 2016! Hope you have a happy and healthy 2016! xo
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