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Home Home and Family Garden Medieval Herbs Are Still Useful Today
Medieval Herbs Are Still Useful Today PDF Print E-mail
Written by Lee Dobbins   
For millenniums, in all different cultures throughout the world, cultivating and reaping herbs has been performed. It was even considered a high art in medieval Europe. With the Greeks lacking medical know-how and technology, the Middle Ages relied heavily on Medieval herbs for medicines. The practice they used mixed knowledge through experience with balderdash, but they did know much that was well-grounded.
by LeeDobbins


For millenniums, in all different cultures throughout the world, cultivating and reaping herbs has been performed. It was even considered a high art in medieval Europe. With the Greeks lacking medical know-how and technology, the Middle Ages relied heavily on Medieval herbs for medicines. The practice they used mixed knowledge through experience with balderdash, but they did know much that was well-grounded.

The Medieval herb garden was both beautiful and functional, providing herbs for medicinal purposes and cooking as well as a setting for calm reflection. These gardens have been reincarnated in New York's Cloisters. Constructed in the 1930's, it was carefully planned based on its Medieval predecessor. The result of the planners' attention to detail resulted in a stunning accomplishment of that goal.

The Cloister's many sections most notably feature herb gardens. In spite of New York's harsh frigid winters, humid and stifling summers, and unpredictable rainy Fall and Spring, over 250 species thrive there.

This was loosely based on many sources but does not follow any of them perfectly. This resulted in elevated beds, wattle fences and a central wellhead which are all common traits of any Medieval herb garden model. Encompassed by orchards and a number of other plants, the Medieval herbs form the centerpiece of the garden, which any home practitioner would be envious of.

In the winter, many are placed inside pots that are similar to ones found in the period. This helps the fragile ones survive in the cold, harsh climate.

During the Middle Ages, people grew herbs for warding off evil spirits, which they viewed as a very useful purpose. They associated many herbs with special abilities. For instance, they thought Dill in particular possessed magical powers. They also thought some herbs had healing properties. For instance, they believed rosemary could prevent the plague and that sage could treat epilepsy.

At the Cloisters, herbs can be found placed in nine specific collections based on the original medieval groupings. The first group is for absinthe and thistles, while the second is dedicated to herbs used in medical applications, such as licorice or St. John's Wort. Aromatics such as lavender and lemon balm are in the third group.

Caraway and Fennel, Parsley and Borage were used for cooking. Other herbs like Meadow Rue were used for questionable reasons and there were herbs that were thought to be magical like Herb Robert.

Herbs were widely used in the middle ages, more so than today. But the same Medieval herbs remain available to modern herbalists. New research continues to identify medicinal properties of these herbs, often confirming that they are effective for the purposes they were used for centuries ago.

About Author:

You can learn more about all types of herbs including medicinal herbs, culinary herbs and even medieval herbs at http://basicherbgardeningtips.com/ where you will get basic tips for growing herbs both indoors and out.

Kindly provided by 4Girls.dk You are welcome to use this article on your own website, if you include this link.
 
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