A Renaissance Herbal I

The women of the Middle Ages and Renaissance knew a good herb when they saw one. They grew them in little gardens or window pots, or went into the fields or the roadside to pick the herbs wild and fresh. Along with their virtues in cooking, sweetening the air or killing pests, herbs formed the basis of the pre-modern pharmacopoeia. I've gathered here just some of the most common herbs used then-and today-with some of the uses from the time period.

Basil (Ocimum Basilicum): Used in the past from pottage to pickling, basil also, according to Diosorides, dulled the eyesight and was hard on digestion. In a strange use for the herb, one medieval source suggested laying a little green basil under the plate of a women, who would mysteriously refuse to eat the food from that plate.

Mint (Mentha aquatica): Mint showed up in recipes for salads, omelettes and meats and a mint sauce supposedly increased the appetite for meat. As for mint's curative side, early sources say it was good for toothache, would prevent vomiting, and would cure blotches on the face if applied as a poultice.

Sage (Salvia officinalis): One of the most popular herbs, medieval and renaissance cooks used sage to cook pottage, salad, chicken stuffing and meat pies. But it was also highly popular for its health benefits. Sage was said to improve digestion, soothe palsy, counteract venom and ease itching. Sage tea is still a remedy in many countries today for weak stomachs, headaches, fevers and colds.

Savory (Satureja hortensis): Cooks used savory when they wanted a peppery flavor in their pottage or meat dishes. Some old sources say not to use too much savory, though, because it "stirreth him that useth lechery." On the health side, savory could be used as a purgative, to help the lungs and liver and to bleach tanned complexions.

Thyme (Thymus serpyllum): This herb as a flavoring wasn't as popular in the Middle Ages and Renaissance as it is now, but it was used for pottage and some meat dishes. Thyme was said to be good for improving the eyesight, clearing the throat of phlegm and for asthma. A wine with thyme in it warmed the heart, liver and spleen.

Source: "Herbs for the Medieval Household" by Margaret B. Freeman. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, 1943.

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