The Ghost of Culpeper Lingers

Nicholas Culpeper. To many this name may draw a blank. To those heavily involved in herbal medicine or the history of Western medicine in general, a chuckle may be a first reaction. A colorful soul, Culpeper was an English 17th century man who wrote a well-known book on healing botanicals, the Complete Herbal. He relied heavily on the "Laws of Signatures" and many see a clear astrological bent to his descriptions. One of the main reasons for this (which many fail to see) is that Culpeper used ancient Greek and Roman texts as his research material concerning the botanicals he was covering.

While the techniques may have been a bit more English flavored, many of his passages are clearly plagiarized from the works of such medicinal giants as Galen. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed a sick person's "sign" was very important when diagnosis and treatments were to be given. This carried through to Western medicine although the Christian church and scientific advances expelled astrology from the healing arts. In any event, Culpeper is a name you will frequently find indexed in the reference area of Aromatherapy books new and old. While Culpeper in a classical or historical sense is a wealth of information, one has to somewhat question if the information he provides is valid enough for our modern use of pure essential oils for health and healing. Books such as a Modern Herbal, which was published in the 1940's, is today looked down upon because it contains herbs that are extremely unsafe to use. Culpeper is frequently quoted in this work and many antique herbals.

The reason Culpeper became popular in conjunction to Aroatherapy is likely due for a number of reasons. This may include his providing many recipes in conjunction to the botanicals described. A number of which are oil based or combine popular plants such as the rose. His close proximity to the main production and sale of perfumes in his area (which were also used for medicinal applications) is also a likely contributing factor. Still one has to ask how valid is his information today? It is likely his information is quite important for its historical worth, especially when you imagine he used many ancient sources. This provides us with a small window in which to look not only at 17th century medicinal (or natural health) history but also the ancient use of botanicals as well. Especially ones that were somewhat exotic to England. That perhaps is where Culpepers legacy in Aromatherapy should stay. Or, at least his notations should be heavily scrutinized and compared to modern investigations into essential oils effect on the body and mind. A number of authors seemingly haven't done so and this is what likely drew the intense disfavor cast over Aromatherapy as a legitimate means of healing. To counter this, studies need to be done on even the smallest scale concerning essential oils healing and counterproductive effects so that those wishing to have an alternative may actually get the results they are hoping for.

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