Wintertime
sets in, beckoning us to dream. With a cup of linden tea and a cozy shawl on my
shoulders, I write this to inspire a bit of armchair travel to a time and
garden that holds great purpose.
Special Gardens, Specialized Gardeners
Physic refers to
the use of garden harvests for physical healing. In history, these gardens were kept by apothecaries and their apprentices. Apothecaries were, and still
are, traders and dispensers of medicinal herbs. They have always been trained
in the identification and quality purchasing of herbs, and so avoiding
adulteration, poisoning and ineffective treatment. Physic gardens were
established to train apprentices, in assisting with the ability to recognize
each herb and in growing herbs for the production of medicines.
Physic gardens were also established at monasteries. Although herbalism
was practiced and hospitals existed prior to the establishment of churches, in
the medieval era hospitals were formed in connection with monastic
institutions. Each monastery had an infirmary where treatment was available
with herbal medicines from the herbs cultivated in their physic gardens. The German abbess, author and herbalist Hildegard von Bingen who lived from1098 to1179 CE surely had a physic garden. Her two
books Physica and Causae et Curae on the curative powers of
natural substances are very inspiring and enlightening reading.
In 1164CE The House Of The Holy Trinity At Soutra was founded in
Scotland near
Edinburgh by King Malcolm IV as an Augustinian
hospital, monastery and church complete with physic gardens. The remains of
these physic gardens and the hospital, now called Soutra Aisle, was reviewed by Archeo-botanist Brian Moffat in the 1990’s.
He revealed similar herbs Irish monks in Switzerland planted in the monasteries
there were being grown and used in Scotland at Soutra. These Swiss
monastic physic gardens contained over 30 herbs and vegetables including beets,
cabbage. celery, chervil, climbing beans, coriander, costmary, cumin, dill,
fennel, fenugreek, garlic, iris, lettuce, lilies, lovage, various mints, onion,
parsley, parsnip, pennyroyal, pepperwort, poppies; including opium variety,
radishes, roses, rosemary, rue, sage, shallots and watercress.
You may
have many of these very same herbs and vegetables growing that were in the
physic gardens of the medieval era. Maybe this little article will inspire you
to create a medieval physic garden of your own.
The Grand Garden Dream
As the
winter is a splendid and creative time to plan medicinal gardens, start
dreaming of yours now. Garden plans are good to have and can always be
adjusted, but with out one there is a tendency to run into troubles and
realizing something important too late. This helps prevent the potential of
wasting of energy, and the unfortunate occurrences, which turn into obstacles
needing to be dealt with, which adds to our work and frustration. Ultimately
its best to create this plan in the winter so you will be ready for herb
planting come spring-time, keeping in sync with natures cycles.
To begin
the process, explore a plant conservatory, botanical garden, arboretum or
physic garden near you, taking notes all the while. There are many indoor gardens
and some that can be viewed online.
 |
Milk Thistle detail from the The Unicorn in
Captivity tapestry The Cloisters Museum |
Some Places To Explore
The Cloisters Museum & Gardens in
Northern Manhattan is a beautiful start. The buildings are reconstructions of
historic monasteries and the gardens are well researched and well planted. May
and June is the best time for an in-person visit, with all the new herbs up and
beginning their bloom.
The Cloisters
99 Margaret Corbin Drive
Fort Tryon Park
New York, New York 10040
Information: 212-923-3700
In
the1670’s Andrew Balfour and Robert Sibbald studied and grew many of the
healing plants indigenous to Scotland. They established a physic garden that
started with 800 to 900 plants, growing at one time to the size of 2000 plants.
This would evolve into the Royal Botanic Garden Of Edinburgh, which has been
used by generations of students to learn botany and herbalism.
Royal
Botanic Gardens
20a Inverleith Row
Edinburgh EH3 5LR
0131 552 7171
The
Apothecaries Garden established in 1673, now called the Chelsea Physic Garden
originally contained mints, sage, pennyroyal, sweet marjoram and rue among
hundreds of other herbs. The book The Apothecaries Garden by Sue Minter
chronicles this garden, its herbs and tradition from its beginnings to its
modern keeping.
Chelsea
Physic Garden
66 Royal
Hospital Road
Chelsea,
London
 |
| Spring Parterre Linnaeus Gardens |
Swedish
botanist and physician Carl Linnaeus, a historically significant developer of
botanical nomenclature, studied and went on to be a professor in Uppsala Sweden
in the 1700’s. His garden is still maintained and can be visited. Arranged to
his own system of botanical order, approximately 1300 plant species known to
have been cultivated by Linnaeus are grown.
The
Linnaeus Garden
Svartbacksgatan
27
SE-755
98 Uppsala
Once
your mind is blooming with the possibilities, consider what inspired you about
these gardens. What herbs do you love the idea of having growing right near you
and that you use regularly yourself? As you are envisioning this garden, also
consider the growing conditions and the soil type you have. This will help you
narrow your selection of herbs for your garden plan. You can change the soil
some with amendments to accommodate the herbs you will grow, however don’t try
to change the soil too much.
Next,
map out the garden on paper. Start small such as a 4’x6’ plot and don’t get too
ambitious. It’s stressful if the garden is taking too much of your time or if
it is too expensive to plant. Make sure that the center of your garden will be
able to be reached from both sides, or if it is a border garden, that you can
reach to the back of it. It’s location and size needs to be so that you can
reach all parts of it without stepping into it and destroying the soil texture.
Your own
physic garden design can to be structural and formal, or sort of wild or
informal looking. Make distinct garden shapes with your plantings like squares,
circles or triangles or follow the natural contours of rocks, mounds, stumps
and trees. It can be then categorized by botanical genus or flower colors or by
herbs that are used on a specific body system. You may want to clip some
pictures from herb start and seed catalogs, books and magazines to help you
begin to visualize. Come early spring, you will be prepared for the work ahead
and can enjoy and be healed by the herbs you that have dreamt.
A Few Medieval Physic Garden Herbs & Their Uses
Peppermint (
Mentha piperita) also known in Gaelic as Lus
an Phiobair or herb of the piper is a native European perennial. The plant
spreads by way of underground and over ground runners, doing best in rich moist
soil. As an Anti-viral and Decongestant its blended with other herbs for
coughs, colds and flu, and for decongesting both upper and lower respiratory
tracts. A favored drink in Britain before tea was common, it’s a Nervine Stimulant
loaded with the minerals calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium and the B
vitamins niacin, riboflavin and thiamine.
Rose (Rosa arvensis, Rosa canina, Rosa centifolia, Rosa gallica, Rosa
rubiginosa, Rosa villosa) also known in Gaelic
as An Fheir Dhris or the fragrant flower. Native to Europe, Britain and
temperate regions of the world, it prefers rich soil in the woods, thicket and
hedgerows as a trailing or upright deciduous perennial shrub. The fruit forms
after the fully open petals drop. These ‘hips’ are oval and begin green,
ripening to a rich red to be harvested after the first frost. The flower petals
are Anti-depressant and filled with aromatic compounds, volatile oils and
Vitamin E. The alcohol or vinegar extract of these petals is effective for most
kinds of headaches, restlessness, insomnia and depression. As an
Immunomodulator and Nutritive the ripe hips are loaded with flavinoids and
minerals such as calcium, chromium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium,
selenium, zinc and with Vitamin C. They help to remedy fragile capillaries,
which can help to prevent bruising. They can also be used with good results for
colds, influenza, other infectious diseases, coughs and sore throat.
Spearmint (Mentha Spicata) also known in Gaelic as Meannt Garraidh or garden
spear mint is native to Britain, Europe and Asia. A perennial that is easily
identified by its slightly wrinkled bright green lance shaped leaves, it
thrives in ditches and meadows, preferring cool, moist, lightly shaded and
protected situations. Like peppermint, the herb spreads by way of underground
and over ground runners. It is best to plant these two mints away from each
other, as the mingling of the two may taste fine, but diminishes the medicinal
properties of both. As a Carminative and Cholagogue it’s used to strengthen the
appetite and to assist in the digestion of meat and animal fats when used in
culinary applications such as in infused vinegar or being made into a jelly.
The Renaissance era Herbalist and Apothecary Nicholas Culpepper says it ‘stirs
up bodily lust’ raising emotions and desires. As a relaxing Nervine it is
uplifting, brings joy, is restorative and nerve strengthening.
Here is
a recipe to sooth nerves and assist with the dreaming process in a fine herbal
bath mixture using all three ‘physic’ herbs.
Herb Bath
Peppermint
Spearmint
Rose
Petals
Combine
equal parts of each herb and fill a cloth bag with the mixture. Tie the bag
closed and put under the faucet when filling a bathtub. Squeeze water through
the bag and use as a body sponge and aromatherapy inhalation.
Sweet and fragrant garden dreams to you...
This book is beyond
food-fads, and a valuable resource that causes us to think for ourselves and
reintroduces food as traditional art and medicine. Exploring what there
is to eat, when and how to eat it and preparation tools, the guidance in
this book helps us to bring about health and wholeness. It's also a
scholarly feast of information and an excellent addition for the
libraries of physicians, naturopaths, nutritionists, herbalists and
students of these disciplines. Purchase Food As Medicine directly from the author here.
Herbal Constituents: Foundations of Phytochemistry is an excellent book by herbalist Lisa Ganora.
Plant Healer Magazine: 
Plant
sleuth Flora Delaterre has informed public radio listeners across the
country about medicinal plants on the weekly program The Plant Detective
produced by Montana Public Radio for years. Now, Flora presents a
coloring book of black and white drawings of 14 plants by botanical
illustrator DD Dowden, plus information about past and current
medicinal uses of the plants; fascinating facts (from tidbits of lore
to conservation status and dangerous side effects); and coloring tips
for the drawings. A light, fun and informative romp with Flora herself appearing throughout the pages as she investigates the plants of the book. 
If your herbalist is ready for a guide, maybe I can be of service in my distance learning program: Village Herbalist Independent Herbal Study Course. This is an 18 lesson course complete with booklets, audio CD's and personal guidance with each lesson. A hands-on course, it's designed to weave herbalism into your kitchen, garden, laundry and bath. This is intensive study of traditional and practical Herbalism, nutrition, health-promoting lifestyles, healing and aromatherapy. Although those with a background in herbalism gain much from the course, no prior herbal experience is required to enroll.
