AFRICAN SHEA TREE - TREE OF LIFE: HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF THE SHEA TREE

AFRICAN SHEA TREE, KARITE, VITELLARIA PARADOXA 

The Shea tree is native to the African continent and is propagated by fruit bats. It was formerly called Butyrospermum parkii or Butyrospermum paradoxa although it is now known as Vitellaria paradoxa. The name Butyrospermum means butter seed which is a good description as the seeds is the producer of shea butter which is used in cosmetics. The parkii part of its former name was in honour of the Scot, Mungo Parks, the explorer who set out to find the source of the Niger River and who was the first European to describe this tree in the 1790s in his book “Life and Travels of Mungo Park in Central Africa.”

  The tree has spreading branches resembling an oak tree and the fruit looks a little like chikoo or sapodilla to which it is related as both trees are members of the Sapotaceae family. The tree can grow to heights of between 25 and 75 feet (7.6 metres to 22.7m.) Trees begin to produce fruit when they are between 10 and 15 years old, and reach peak production when they are 20 to 30 years old, although they can continue producing fruit the size of large plums, for two hundred years.

  It is the kernels which are enclosed by the pulpy flesh which produce the shea oil or butter which is called ‘women’s gold” in the countries where it is grown as money from producing the oil and butter goes to the women who process the kernel painstakingly. Nowadays there are initiatives helping women to market their produce to European and Asian countries where it is valued not only for its inclusion in cosmetics but also as a partial substitute for cocoa butter and used in chocolate making.

  The tree, like the baobab tree is known as the tree of life, karite, as it provides food and medicine for the people who live in the regions where it grows wild.  The fruit contains four times as much vitamin C as oranges, and the oil has vitamins A and E in it. The kernel is rich in oleic, arachidic, palmitic, stearic and linoleic fatty acids.

  All parts of the tree are used in medicine, for skin diseases including leprosy, dermatitis and eczema, to protect from sunburn, as the oil can counter harmful ultra-violet rays from the sun, and also soothe sunburn. It is also used for wounds and to massage into stiff joints, as well as to treat sore and injuries of animals. The roots are used for cleaning the teeth and oral health in the same way as the walnut tree bark is used in Pakistan, and the dried ground roots are used to treat jaundice, diarrhoea, dysentery and other stomach upsets. The bark of the tree is used to treat leprosy and stomach upsets too, and for eye problems and to get rid of parasites which attack the bare feet. The nut husks are used for fertilizer and fuel, and the inferior oil which may be produced is used for lighting and to waterproof beehives. The oil and butter can also be used in cooking, while the wood can resist the ravages of termites and is used in furniture making and construction.

  The oil and/or butter is also used in religious ceremonies or spiritual purification and to anoint the dead. The rubbery sap or latex from the tree is used as glue and for children’s balls and as chewing gum, while the black residue from the butter-making process is used to fill cracks and to waterproof buildings.

  The European Union’s 2003 directive allows a percentage of shea butter to be substituted for cocoa butter in the chocolate industry and even as early as the 1940s shea butter was used in the West to make margarine. The tree is protected but is sometimes felled illegally because of the need to survive, whether that is to clear land to plant crops or to use the wood for fuel to cook food.

  An Australian study published in the Journal of Phytotherapy Research in 2010 concluded that a supplement containing shea butter could help to relieve joint inflammation. Other research indicates that the stem bark has antimicrobial properties, as do the leaves to a lesser degree. (“Phytochemical and antimicrobial screening of the crude extracts from the root stem bark and leaves of Vitellaria paradoxa (GAERTN. F)” African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 6 (16) pp 1905-09; 20^th August 2007)

  Other studies have shown that the butter or oil can be rubbed into the interior of the nose to give relief from nasal congestion and sinusitis for several hours, and the vitamin E content of the butter helps to prevent wrinkles, protect from atmospheric pollutants as well as being a useful sunscreen.

  If you ever get to eat the fruit, which according to some reports tastes a bit like a fig, then you will benefit from its antioxidant properties which are believed to be caused by the catechins (phenolic compounds or bioflavonoids) in it.

  Clearly this tree has potential for future medicinal use as well as being of economic and religious importance to the people in the regions where it grows. The fruit is also important for its vitamin content and nutrition.

JOJOBA PLANT - NOT ONLY FOR HAIR CARE: HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF JOJOBA

JOJOBA PLANT, SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS

Everyone reading this has probably used shampoo or hair conditioner containing jojoba (with the ‘j’ pronounced as ‘h’) oil at some time or another. It is used in the cosmetics industry for hair and skin products.

  It is the only one of its genus and the only one of the Simmondsia family, although it is sometimes put in the Buxaceae or boxwood family. Although its name is Simmondsia chinensis, it is not a native of China, but originated in north western Mexico and southern Arizona and southern California in the US.

  Native Americans and Mexican Indian tribes used the seeds for medicine to treat colds, sores, skin problems, wounds and to promote hair growth. They also used the plant and oil from the seeds as remedies for cancer, obesity, and kidney problems. Apparently it is also effective against poison ivy, warts and relieves sore throats. They ate the seeds either raw or roasted and made a coffee substitute from them too, which is why the fruit is sometimes called coffeeberries. Another name for it is goatnut, as browsing animals such as goats, deer and cattle feed on the young shoots and leaves of this evergreen bush or multi-stemmed tree.

  The jojoba plant has long tap roots so can extract water and minerals from deep below the ground’s surface helping it to survive in arid regions. It can grow to heights of six metres but is often found wild at heights of half to one metre.

  Although it has been used for centuries by indigenous peoples, it came into wider use after the ban on sperm oil in 1971 when a substitute was needed in the cosmetic industry and others. It is now considered to be superior to sperm whale oil, which is just as well for those whales! It was after this ban that jojoba was domesticated in the US and it is now grown in several countries; it can be found in cultivation throughout South America, Israel, the Middle East, South Africa and India.

  The seed meal left after the oil has been extracted is toxic (three toxic glycosides have been identified) and so as yet cannot be used for animal fodder. However research is being done into the oil, which is actually a pale yellow liquid wax and it seems that, like jatropha and Croton tiglium, it could be a useful biodiesel in the future.

  The oil is unique and contains not only fatty acids, as does shea butter which comes from a different continent and tree, but also iodine (usually present in seaweeds such as bladderwrack, laver bread etc.) which is probably responsible for its health benefits for skin, including acne treatment. It also contains vitamin E (useful to smooth out wrinkles and halt the ageing process of the skin) and some B-complex vitamins along with several trace minerals. It also contains 19 amino acids including lysine, typtophan and arginine which means that it has antioxidant properties. The leaves contain flavonoids including isorhamnetin and narcissin. The oil has fungicidal properties and can be used to get rid of mildew.

  Other uses of the oil are in candle-making, the leather industry as transformer oil, plasticizers and fire retardants. In future, if the toxins can be isolated effectively it could have many more uses.

GREAT HAIRY WILLOW HERB - HISTORY OF HEALTH BENEFITS AND POSSIBLE FUTURE USES

GREAT HAIRY WILLOW HERB, EPILOBIUM HIRSUTUM

The Great hairy willow herb is also known as the hairy willow herb and the great willow herb, and is as the name suggests a relative of Epilobium angustifolium or the Rose bay willow herb. It is a member of the Onagraceae family of plants so is also related to the Evening primrose, and the plant does resemble this as you can see from the pictures. It has a hairy stem and leaves, so the genus was given the name hirsutum which means hairy or hirsute in Latin. Its native habitat is in Europe including Britain, Scandinavia, eastern and southern Africa and temperate Asia. In the US it has become naturalized and is another invasive species in some states.

  The leaves are edible and are used in Russia to make tisane, or tea, although there have been reports that the plant and leaves are poisonous. If you do use this plant for any purpose, remember that it could be toxic. It can cause epileptic-like convulsions it is said.

  There are several other local names for this plant in Britain including Son-before–the- Father, which it is called because the seed pods appear before the flowers, or at least it used to seem so to people. It is also called codlings and cream (a codling is an elongated green apple which is used in Britain in cooking). Nicholas Culpeper the 17^th century herbalist says that it was called this because it smelled of apples in milk.

  It is a plant which grows near lakes, ponds and pools and sometimes even in marshes. The flowers appear in June in the UK, and the plant can grow to heights of around 2 metres.

  Culpeper has this to say of its medicinal uses:-

“Governments and virtues. All the species of Willow-Herb have the same virtues; they are under Saturn in Aries, and are cooling and astringent. The root carefully dried and powdered, is good against bloody fluxes, and other hæmorrhages; and the fresh juice is of the same virtue.”

  The leaves have astringent properties, and one study published in 2007 in the Journal of Food Chemistry, “Antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds in 32 selected herbs” by Aneta Wojdylo et al. reported that it was the only one of the plants selected for testing which contained the bioflavonoid myricetin. This is also found in many berries, walnuts, onions and red grapes as well as other plants.

  Myricetin is known to have antioxidant properties so can protect the body’s cells from scavenging free-radicals which can cause cancer. It may also have other anti-cancer effects as well as anti-inflammatory ones, and may also improve bone health and be helpful in cases of diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s although a lot more research has to be done to find out what the mechanisms are for these activities.

GUINEA HEN WEED - POSSIBLE SOURCE OF ANTI-CANCER TREATMENT: HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF GUINEA HEN WEED

GUINEA HEN WEED, ANAMU, PETIVERA ALLIACEA 

Guinea hen weed is a member of the pokeweed, Phytolacceae family of plants native to the Amazon rainforest, Central and South America, the Caribbean, parts of Africa, Florida and parts of Texas in the USA.

  In the South American continent it is used both for medicine and magic by shaman of indigenous Indian tribes. Its roots particularly have a strong garlicky odour, which is why, presumably it shares the Latin name for garlic, allium. Perhaps because of this smell it is used, as is garlic to ward off evil and witches. Shamans use it for magic too, so it is a highly regarded herb. The root, which smells more strongly than the leaves, is believed to be the most potent part of the plant in traditional medicine systems.

  In Cuba herbalists use the plant to treat both diabetes and cancer tumours, although the Indians mainly use it for its efficacy to remedy coughs, colds and flu. For these ailments an infusion is made from the leaves or roots of anamu.  The Caribs in Guatemala use the crushed root for relieving sinusitis, while in Peru it is used to relieve pain from stings and rashes and other skin problems. The leaves are pulverized into a paste which is applied on the skin to relieve headaches, rheumatic pains and other pain as well as to kill insects.

  In Brazil the plant is used as an antispasmodic, diuretic, to stimulate menstruation, to promote sweating in fevers, for oedema, arthritis, malaria, rheumatism and many other complaints.

  A leaf decoction is used for digestive tract problems such as flatulence and the plant which has so many uses, including as an abortifacient, an analgesic to relieve labour pains, to support the immune system, for lung and respiratory problems and even, it is rumoured, as an aphrodisiac.

  The plant can grow to around a metre high, and has dark green leathery leaves which are close to the ground; the mall white flowers grow on a tall spiky stem and all the plant smells of garlic which is why it also has the name garlic weed. It is also known as tipi, pipi, mucara and a host of other names.

  Because of its uses in traditional medicine it has come to the attention of scientists, who have endeavoured to prove its efficacy for the treatment of cancer and diabetes. However the results have so far been inconclusive, with the best results only in in vitro experiments. It has been shown to have analgesic (mild pain-killing) effects, and to have antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral properties. One article “A fraction from Petivera alliacea induces apoptosis via mitochondria-dependent pathway and regulates HSP70 expression” (Universitas Scientarum Vol.14 (2-3) May-Dec 2009, pp 125-134, Maria Claudia Cifuentes et al. Pontificio Universidad Javieriana, Colombia) found that it has anticancer properties and can inhibit the growth of cancerous cells and kill them. Other studies have also indicated these properties, but they have been limited.

  A screening of 1,400 plants undertaken at the University of Illinois found that Guinea hen weed was one of thirty–four plants to have phytochemicals that can kill cancer.

  Extracts of the plant have also shown anti-inflammatory actions, but there is still some speculation regarding which chemicals in the plant are responsible for all its actions. Research is ongoing and hopefully it will provide some new treatments for the diseases we suffer from.

  

EARLY PURPLE ORCHID: HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF EARLY PURPLE ORCHID

EARLY PURPLE ORCHID, ORCHIS MASCULA 

The early purple orchid is native to Europe including the British Isles, North-West Africa, the Middle East and western and northern Asia. It is one of the Orchidaceae family from which the drink salep is made. This is a starchy drink made from the dried and powdered tuber of a number of orchid types, but this one grows in Britain, where it was used in salep shops in London in the 17^th century and later.

  There are two similar orchids which are native to the British Isles, this one, Orchis mascula, which flowers between mid-April and mid-June and Orchis maculata. The latter flowers later in June and July, and has reddish spots, (which gives rise to the common name for this the spotted orchid) with a tuber which is in two or three parts, earning it the title Dead Men’s Fingers. This one gets a mention in Shakespeare’s Hamlet when Gertrude the queen and Hamlet’s mother sees the dead Ophelia with them on her robe:-

 “Of crow-flowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples
That liberal shepherds give a grosser name,
But our cold maids do dead men's fingers call them…” (Act 4, scene 7)

(Crow-flowers were the name of buttercups.)

  In Ayurvedic medicine this Orchis mascula, the Early Purple orchid is used not only for the root’s nutritious farinaceous properties, but also it is used as an aphrodisiac. The powdered root can be made into a kind of gel which is also used for gastro-intestinal problems as it is mucilaginous and useful for diarrhoea.  Its nutritional qualities make this an ideal food for invalids who are convalescing as well as for children.

  It has been used as a substitute for arrowroot and has similar qualities. Salep, being a warming winter drink is substituted for coffee in countries which do not have a coffee-drinking tradition.

  One part salep powder to fifty parts of water makes the gel for internal use. The root should be harvested after the seeds have fallen and well after it has flowered. It contains the minerals potassium and calcium among others and research carried out by Aziz, N. et al, has shown that it is antihypertensive, so can lower blood pressure, is anti-dyslipidemic, so can control fats and cholesterol from building up in the body, and it also helps regulate the single layer of cells which line the organs and cavities of the heart. This one piece of research was published in Hypertension Research, Vol. 32 (11) pp 997-1003 in 2009, “Antihypertensive, antidyslipidemic and endothelial modulating effects of Orchis mascula.” The paper concludes “…further studies are required to identify the active constituents of this plant.”

  Nicholas Culpeper writing in the 17^th century had this to say of the plant and Orchis maculata: -

“Government and virtues. They are hot and moist in operation, under the dominion of Dame Venus, and provoke lust exceedingly, which, they say, the dried and withered roots do restrain. They are held to kill worms in children; as also, being bruised and applied to the place, to heal the king's evil.”

The “dried and withered roots” were supposed to stop lust and any unlawful sex. The name Orchis comes from the name of the son of a nymph and a satyr who insulted (possible raped) a priestess of Bacchus; for his crime he was turned into an orchid. The fresh roots were used to promote true love in witches’ potions. Dioscorides writing in 79 AD records that eating the tubers could determine the sex of a couple’s unborn baby.

  Whatever the case, they are pretty plants, although their smell doesn’t match their appearance as they have an unpleasant odour during the evening, although some are odourless. Best stay downwind of these flowers! Follow the link for our recipe for salep.

STINKING HELLEBORE, ATTRACTIVE, IF SMELLY: HISTORY OF USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF STINKING HELLEBORE

STINKING HELLEBORE, BEAR’S FOOT, HELLEBORUS FOETIDUS

This stinking hellebore is a native of the British Isles and western and Central Europe and is so named because of the unpleasant odour it emits from its leaves if they are bruised. It is semi-evergreen and flowers in winter from December through to April and is distinctive in woodland with its erect stem which can grow to around 60 centimetres and even a metre after a few years, and its bell-shaped green flowers with their purple-tinged petals. Its other names are Ox heel and Stinkwort. One plant will have perhaps hundreds of single flowers during its blooming period, so it is well-liked by gardeners because it gives colour to a garden in winter.

 Like its relative the Christmas or Lenten rose (Helleborus niger) it has been used medicinally with elderly heart patients because it has an action similar to that of digitalis from the foxglove. However it is now only used in homeopathic medicine as a remedy for problems of the spleen, rectum and sciatic nerve. The whole plant is poisonous and the toxins can be absorbed through the pores of the skin, so it is best avoided or wear gloves when handling it.

  It is a member of the Ranunculaceae family so is related to buttercups, marsh marigolds, black cohosh, goldenseal and the Lesser Celandine.

  It has been used traditionally to lower high blood pressure, as it contains the alkaloids, nervine, pseudo-nervine and veritridine, which are found in the root, harvested in the autumn and dried for later use. It has similar properties to the Christmas rose. Dioscorides used Hellebore for skin problems and the juice was suggested as being a cure for deafness if dropped into the ears, although it would be very unwise to try this.

  It should be remembered that the old apothecaries knew what dosages were safe, while we as laypersons don’t, and they probably knew through trial and error which meant some fatalities.

  Hellebore is mentioned in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” in the Nun’s Priest’s Tale:-

 “A day or two ye shul have digestyves
 Of wormes, er ye take youre laxatyves
 Of lawriol, centaure, and fumetere,
 Or elles of ellebor, that groweth there,”

 Hellebore was used as a laxative and to get rid of intestinal worms in the Middle Ages, but it is a drastic purgative (even more so than jamalgota) and not to be tried. In this quotation Chaucer refers to the herbs that were used in his time (14^th century) for these properties, namely:-laurel (the bay leaf tree), centaury, fumitory and this hellebore (ellebor).

  The root is violently narcotic and despite this was used to regulate a woman’s periods, as a purgative, diuretic, for nervous problems and hysteria and a local irritant – which means that people used it as the Roman soldiers in Britain reportedly used nettles, to escape from one pain to another.

  It is becoming rare in Britain, but despite its harmful properties, it makes an attractive ornamental plant.

TANSY: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF TANSY AND TANSY TISANE RECIPE

TANSY, TANECETUM VULGARE  

Tansy is native to Europe including the British Isles and has become naturalized in North America where it has become and invasive species in some states. It has been used medicinally for centuries as have its close relatives, feverfew and costmary or alecost.

  It is believed that the name Tanacetum (from athanasia in Greek meaning immortal) refers to either that in legends it was given to Ganymede to make him immortal or because it was used to preserve corpses and prevent from rapidly decaying, or because its odour is long-lasting and was used in perfumes in the ancient world.

  It can grow to around a metre high and is quite a distinctive plant when in flower as it has yellow flowers which are long-lasting. It was used as a strewing herb both for its smell and for the fact that it repels insects especially when mixed with elder leaves (Sambuccus nigra). It belongs to the daisy family of plants the Asteraceae family so is also related to chamomile.

 Young tansy leaves and eggs were once used to make tansy cakes, which were eaten at Easter time as they were believed to purify the bodies’ humours after fasting during Lent. Later they became symbols of the bitter herbs such as horehound which were used during the Jewish Passover meal. The plant was used for fevers and hysterical and nervous disorders and such remedies must have been safer than those which employed Stinking Hellebore or the Christmas rose (Helleborus niger). In cookery it was used as a substitute for the more expensive spices, nutmeg and cinnamon, although I doubt it had the same results!

  The plant and its essential oil can be used - but in small quantities only as it is considered poisonous in large doses, for flatulence and spasms. In some oil from tansy plants thujone is present although it is not present in oil from all tansy plants. The roots were at one time made into conserves with honey or sugar and given for gout. In Scotland the dried flowers and seeds were used for this complaint. The green leaves can be pulverized and used as a poultice for swellings and to relieve pain and the bruised leaves can be applied to skin problems to bring relief.

  Clearly it was in favour as a medicinal herb in the Middle Ages and in the 17^th century as Culpeper writing then in his Complete herbal waxes lyrical on common tansy which he distinguishes from “garden tansy”.

 “Government and virtues. This herb is undoubtedly under the government of Venus. It is an agreeable bitter, a carminative, and a destroyer of worms, for which case a powder of the flowers should be given from six to twelve grains at night and mornings. Worms are often the cause of putrid fevers and epileptic fits, and sometimes bring on a consumption. The medicines usually administered against these are often ineffectual, and many of them very mischievous. Hellebore has brought on convulsions; and ever one knows the danger of mercurials. Besides, it is from these deleterious compounds that half the defective teeth in young people are owing. The flowers are the part to be used, and they should be given in powder, but there requires care in the collecting of them, to obtain all their virtue. Clip off a quantity of Tansy flowers, before they are over blown, close to the stalk. This must be done in the middle of a dry day; spread them on the bottom of a hair sieve turned upside down; shake them often about, and let the wind pass through them, but keep them from the sun, and thus you may have them always. The leaves only are used, and are accounted restringent and vulnerary, good to stop all kind of fluxes and preternatural evacuations, to dissolve coagulated blood, to help those who are bruised by falls: outwardly it is used as a cosmetic, to take off freckles, sun-burn, and morphew; as also in restringent gargarisms. The powder of the herb taken in some of the distilled water, helps the whites in women, but more especially if a little coral and ivory in powder be put to it. It is also commended to help children that are bursten, and have a rupture, being boiled in water and salt. Being boiled in water and drank, it eases the griping pains of the bowels, and is good for the sciatica and joint-aches. The same boiled in vinegar, with honey and alum, and gargled in the mouth, eases the pains of the tooth-ach, fastens loose teeth, helps the gums that are sore, settles the palate of the mouth in its place, when it is fallen down. It cleanses and heals ulcers in the mouth or secret parts, and is very good for inward wounds, and to close the tips of green wounds, and to heal old, moist, and corrupt running sores in the legs or elsewhere. Being bruised and applied to the soles of the feet and handwrists, it wonderfully cools the hot fits of agues, be they never so violent. The distilled water cleanses the skin of all discolourings therein, as morphew, sun-burnings, &c. as also pimples, freckles, and the like; and dropped into the eyes, or cloths wet therein and applied, takes away the heat and inflammations in them.”

   In more recent medicine it has been found that tansy possesses potent antioxidant properties, probably due to the phenolic compounds and flavonoids in the plant. It has also been the subject of research as an antiviral herb and it may be a treatment for the herpes simplex virus. (Wiley - Blackwell (2011, February 22). Old folk remedy revived: How tansy may be a treatment for herpes. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 28, 2012)

  The tisane below may be used for colds, stomach pains, cramps, and also it has been used in the past to get rid of children’s intestinal worms, especially effective when combined with wormwood. However that was probably a stronger infusion than the one here. For a stomach ache you can combine tansy with chamomile too.

  The young leaves of tansy yield a green dye while a combination of leaves and flowers produce a yellow one. For medicinal use the leaves and flowers should be collected when the plant is in flower during June through to September, and then dried for later use. The flowers were used to flavour Chartreuse.

TANSY TISANE

Ingredients

1 tsp dried herb, leaves only or leaves and flowers OR

1 tbsp fresh herb

1 cup boiling water

a little honey to taste

Method

Pour the boiling water over the herb and leave to steep for 10 minutes.

Strain, flavour with honey and drink twice a day only for colds and stomach cramps.

This has Taste and is a Treat(ment).

COSTMARY OR ALECOST - ONCE A MUCH-USED HERB IN COOKERY AND MEDICINE: HISTORY AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF COSTMARY

COSTMARY OR ALECOST, BALSAMITA VULGARIS / MAJOR 

Costmary gets its name from the oriental herb Saussuria costus or Indian orris which is an aromatic herb which Theophrastus mentions in regard to its use in perfumes in ancient Greece. Its leaves have a eucalyptus-like aroma which has been alternatively described as being rather like camphor, or like garden mint with hints of balsam. The Latin name costus comes from the Sanskrit, kustha.

  In the past it was known as Tanecetum balsamita which comes from the Greek anathasia meaning immortality which is perhaps a reference to its long-lasting odour. It is a member of the Compositae or Asteraceae family (daisy family) and is a close relative of feverfew and tansy. It is a native of Western Asia, but was commonly grown in British gardens by the 16^th century because of its value as a medicinal, strewing and ale-making plant. It was also added to salads and soups so had culinary value too. The name Alecost was given to it as it was added to ale long before the arrival of hops for beer in Britain at least, as it gave ale flavour and cleared and preserved it.

  Another name for this plant was Bible leaf as it was used as a scented bookmark in colonial times in North America, as was tutsan. The smell from the leaves may have helped to prevent congregations falling asleep during lengthy sermons and chewing on the leaves was believed to temporarily at least assuage the appetite.

  It was used in mediaeval times as a strewing herb not only because of its pleasant smell which masked bad smells, but because it has insecticidal properties. Putting a bruised leaf on an insect bite or stem will help soothe the pain too.

  This semi-evergreen plant is also known as mint-geranium, balsam herb, balsam-mint and balsam-tansy. In France it is herbe Sainte-Marie, or Saint Mary’s herb, another herb of the Virgin Mary.

  It was used in medicine, and Nicholas Culpeper, writing in the 17^th century in his “Complete Herbal” has this to say about its uses:-

“Government and virtues. It is under the dominion of Jupiter. The ordinary costmary, as well as maudlin, provoketh urine abundantly, and moisteneth the hardness of the mother; it gently purgeth choler and phlegm, extenuating that which is gross, and cutting that which is tough and glutinous, cleanseth that which is foul, and hindereth putrefaction and corruption; it dissolveth without attraction, openeth obstructions, and healeth their evil effects, and is a wonderful help to all sorts of dry agues. It is astringent to the stomach, and strengtheneth the liver, and all the other inward parts, and if taken in whey worketh the more effectually. Taken fasting in the morning, it is very profitable for pains of the head that are continual; and to stay, dry up, and consume, all thin rheums, or distillations from the head into the stomach, and helpeth much to digest raw humours that are gathered therein. It is very profitable for those that are fallen into a continual evil disposition of the body called cachexia, being taken, especially in the beginning of the disease. It is a good friend and helps to evil, weak, and cold livers. The seed is familiarly given to children for the worms, and so is the infusion of the flowers in white wine, given them to the quantity of two ounces at a time: it maketh an excellent salve to cleanse and heal old ulcers, being boiled with olive oil, and adder's tongue with it; and after it is strained, to put in a little wax, rosin, and turpentine, to bring it to a convenient consistence.”

  It can be made into a tisane with a quarter cup of fresh leaves with five or six whole cloves to one cup of boiling water, left to steep for five to ten minutes before straining and drinking with honey for coughs, colds, catarrh, and stomach cramps.

  Costmary leaves can be added to lemonade and other drinks for the flavour which is actually refreshing. The leaves can also be infused in boiling water and left to steep for a few hours and used in rinse water after washing clothes. Lavender can also be added to this water. The dried leaves may also be added to sleep pillows with dried rose petals, lemon balm and cloves, or to pot-pourri. The leaves are best collected when the flowers are in bloom along with the flowering tops and dried for later use. The plant flowers between July and September.

  In cookery the leaves can be added to stuffing for veal or poultry and can be chopped and used with butter to flavour peas and new potatoes in place of mint. They can be laid on the base of cake tins and cooked with fruit cake and a few- but use sparingly because of their somewhat overpowering taste- may be added to salads.

  Costmary or Alecost is an old-fashioned herb that deserves more consideration in modern times.

THE CHRISTMAS ROSE: HISTORY OF USES AS MEDICINE, NO LONGER USED

THE CHRISTMAS ROSE, BLACK HELLEBORE, HELLEBORUS NIGER 

The Christmas rose is also called the Lenten rose, as some flower in December and January while others are a little tardy and bloom in February or March the period of Lent which begins with Carnival and is a period of fasting until Easter. Black hellebore as the plant is also known, a direct translation of the Latin name of its genus, was once used in medicine as a cardio stimulant in much the same way as digitalis (from the foxglove) is. However it is highly toxic and is no longer used. It is not, as the English name suggests a member of the rose family, although the flower does resemble that of the wild dog rose, but a member of the Ranunculaceae or Crowfoot family, which means that it a relation of the buttercup, marsh marigold, black cohosh, goldenseal and the Lesser Celandine.

  It is a native of south-eastern Europe where it can be found in woods and thickets and sometimes in open grassland.  Its roots have, in the past, been used to get rid of intestinal worms, as a diuretic, emetic and to bring on women’s menstrual flow, but it was principally still used in the Middle Ages and Renaissance for melancholy and madness.

  Pliny the Elder writing in his Natural History says that

  “The fame of Melampus is well known for his skill in divination. One kind of hellebore was named after him and is called Melampodiam. Some relate, that a shepherd of the same name invented it having observed his goats to purge by eating it, and that, by giving their milk to the daughters of Proetius, he cured them of their madness.” Its fame for curing madness then goes back to ancient Greece.

  In 1621 Robert Burton’s “Anatomy of Madness” was first published, (he was an Oxford don) in which are these lines: -

  “Borage and hellebore fill two scenes

    Sovereign plants to purge the veins

    Of melancholy and cheer the heart

    Of those black fumes which make it smart.”

If you feel depressed it would be better to try borage though as hellebore is extremely toxic. The name Hellebore comes from the Greek, elein meaning to injure and bora meaning food, so it is harmful food.

  John Parkinson (1567-1650) wrote that black hellebore is

   “…good for mad and furious men, for melancholy, dull and heavie persons, and briefly for all those with blacke choler, and molested with melancholy.”

   Nicholas Culpeper writing his “Complete Herball” in the 17^th century had this to say of it: -

  “Government and virtues. It is an herb of Saturn, and therefore no marvel if it has some sullen conditions with it, and would be far safer, being purified by the art of the alchymist than given raw. If any have taken any harm by taking it, the common cure is to take goat's milk. If you cannot get goat's milk, you must make a shift with such as you can get. The roots are very effectual against all melancholy diseases, especially such as are of long standing, as quartan agues and madness; it helps the falling sickness, the leprosy, both the yellow and black jaundice, the gout, sciatica, and convulsions; and this was found out by experience, that the root of that which grows wild in our country, works not so churlishly as those do which are brought from beyond sea, as being maintained by a more temperate air. The root used as a pessary, provokes the terms exceedingly; also being beaten into powder, and strewed upon foul ulcers, it consumes the dead flesh, and instantly heals them; nay, it will help gangrenes in the beginning. Twenty grains taken inwardly is a sufficient does for one time, and let that be corrected with half so much cinnamon; country people used to rowel their cattle with it. If a beast be troubled with a cough, or have taken any poison, they bore a hole through the ear, and put a piece of the root in it, this will help him in 24 hours time. Many other uses farriers put it to which I shall forbear.”

  John Gerard had no such scruples and writing a century earlier says that the “old farriers” used to “cut a slit in the dewlap and put in a bit of Beare-foot and leave it there for daies together.”

  The root that Culpeper writes about that grows in Britain is that of Stinking Hellebore, Helleborus foetidus while the other hellebore native to the British Isles is Helleborus viridis, the green hellebore.

  The leaves of the plant contain the bioflavonoid compounds of quercetin and kaempferol among others, and the plant contains protoanemoin or ranunculin which is of an acrid taste and can cause mouth ulcers and a burning sensation in the throat, eyes and mouth. The plant reputedly kills parasites such as body lice and fleas, but is dangerous to use because of its toxicity and the fact that it causes irritation to the skin.

  In the past, where the flower grew wild it was used for strewing in houses to ward off evil and witches, although it was also believed that witches used it to make themselves invisible (as bracken seeds could be used).

  There is a legend which says that the flower sprouted from a young girl’s tears as she was crying because she was too poor to buy a gift for the baby Jesus, but took the Christmas roses to him after they had sprouted.