Nicholas Culpeper was a 17th century herbalist who went on to write the famous book, "The English Physician, or Herball." I have to say, it contains some really fascinating stuff. Take ‘Lady’s Mantle’ for instance. Here’s what Nicholas had to say about this innocent little plant:
“...Venus claims the herb as her own. Lady's Mantle is very proper for those wounds that have inflammations, and is very effectual to stay bleeding, vomitings, fluxes of all sorts, bruises by falls or otherwise, and helps ruptures; and such women as have large breasts, causing them to grow less and hard, being both drank and outwardly applied; the distilled water drank for 20 days together helps conception, and to retain the birth; if the women do sometimes also sit in a bath made of the decoction of the herb. It is one of the most singular wound herbs that is, and therefore highly prized and praised by the Germans, who use it in all wounds inward and outward, to drink a decoction thereof, and wash the wounds therewith, or dip tents therein, and put them into the wounds, which wonderfully dries up all humidity of the sores, and abates inflammations therein. It quickly heals all green wounds, not suffering any corruption to remain behind, and cures all old sores, though fistulous and hollow...”
The botanical name for Lady's Mantle is "Alchemilla", which comes from the Arabic 'alkemelych' => alchemist, bestowed by olden writers because of the wonder-working powers of the plant.
There. So now you know. Okay, time's up. Back to the dungeon I go. #am writing
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