Title page of The Grete Herball by Peter Treveris, printed in London in 1526 and illustrated with woodcuts.
Likely with a physick, tonic, or salve.
These medicines would often be prepared by local apothecaries, wise women, or savvy housewives.
Title page of “The Grete Herball” by Peter Treveris, printed in London in 1526 and illustrated with woodcuts. (Photo:The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain)
Tocure a headache, you might try a concoction including bishopwort and garlic.
Magic or superstitious talismans were thought to aid healingas could pious prayer.
Many of the richly illustrated texts have survived to be studied.
An Iris germanica shown in watercolor by Elizabeth Blackwell in “A Curious Herbal,” circa 1737 to 1739. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
What is an herbal?
An Iris germanica shown in watercolor by Elizabeth Blackwell in A Curious Herbal, circa 1737 to 1739.
The medical uses of a plant are often included as well.
A bestiary and herbal from Iran, circa 1600. (Photo:The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain)
European herbals began in manuscript form and were painstakingly written by hand by professional scribes.
These manuscripts could be richlyilluminated and illustrated.
This marginalia contributed to a living tradition of text.
Left: The 6th-century Leiden manuscript of the “Pseudo-Apuleius Herbarius” (MS. Voss. Q.9.). This page shows Caelidonia. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)Right: A mandragora or mandrake in the Kassel manuscript of “Pseudo-Apuleius Herbarius,” 9th century. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Where and when were herbals made?
A bestiary and herbal from Iran, circa 1600.
(Photo:The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain)
Herbals are an ancient textual tradition.
“The English Physitian” by Nicholas Culpeper, 1652. (Photo:Wikipedia, Public domain)
Medical in nature, these texts often codified knowledge that had long been orally passed on.
Other ancient compilations of herbal knowledge can be traced in ancient Indian, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian traditions.
The Greeks and Romans created some of the most influential herbal textsalthough the originals do not survive.
The Ebers Papyrus, an ancient Egyptian herbal and medicinal text dating to the 16th century BCE. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 2.0)
The ancients were very interested in medicine as part of natural history.
For example, Pliny the Elder wroteNaturalis Historiain the 1st century CE.
Like other ancient works that survived, it is known through repeated medieval and early modern editions.
A 17th-century Japanese herbal showing a plant from Peru. (Photo: Wellcome Collection viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY 4.0)
In the industrial age, growing herbs for medicinal uses became increasingly less critical to everyday life.
Modern pharmacologywhile greatly in debt to botanical knowledgemeant that medical textbooks replaced illustrated herbals.
However, the herbal text has never vanished into complete disuse.
Gardening as a hobby has produced useful guides to diverse flora.
Modern herbalists and those who use traditional medicines still turn to the healing properties of plants.
Explore a few famous examples of herbals from different eras.
ThePseudo-Apuleius Herbarius
Left: The 6th-century Leiden manuscript of the Pseudo-Apuleius Herbarius (MS. Voss.
This page shows Caelidonia.
(Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Among the ancient texts turned medieval lore is thePseudo-Apuleius Herbarius.
The text is thought to be a 4th-century synthesis of Pliny’sHistoria Naturalisand the Greek Discorides’sDe Materia Medica.
The earliest manuscript dates to the 6th century and is lavishly illustrated.
However, countless copies were made of the text through the 14th century and beyond.
The work was even translated into Old English, proving the spread of knowledge from Latin to local vernacular.
The authorship of this important work remains shrouded in mystery.
Explore thisdigitized 10th-century versionfrom the British Library or check out thisearly printed editionfrom North Africa.
The English Physitian
The English Physitian by Nicholas Culpeper, 1652.
His herbal would influence the development of medicine across the expanding British Empire.
you might read hiswork onlinethanks to Project Gutenberg.
It is quite extensive; the scroll measures over 20 meters long.
Although not fully decoded, its hundreds of useful recipes include many herbal ingredients.
While the herbs are not listed as in a classic herbal, the text is an earlystudy in toxicology.
Licorice, for example, is used as a laxative while sesame is recommended for asthma.
And many more…
A 17th-century Japanese herbal showing a plant from Peru.
From papyri to printed manuscripts, the herbals of yesteryear have informed the medical developments that save lives today.
To explore more herbals, check out thisarticlefrom the experts atBotanical Arts & Artists.
TheBritish Libraryis also home to many illustrious manuscripts, many of which are able to explore digitally.
