MEDICINAL USES OF HERBS AND SPICES
Herb or Spice?
Herbs are plants, parts of which contain essential oils useful in food, medicine and/or cosmetics. Herbs usually grow in temperate regions, both in the wild and as cultivators. They do not develop persistent woody tissue. Because herbs would have been plentiful and inexpensive, we will concentrate on their application in the early 18th century household. Spices are generally derived from woody plants that grow in tropical areas. They had to be imported, making them quite expensive. Therefore, the use of spices in the early colonial home would have been limited.
Herbs and Spices as Medicine
Herbs and spices have been used for generations to treat ailments. Modern medicine has isolated the important elements of some commonly used plants for use in current drugs. Spices, in general, are the products of tropical and subtropical trees, shrubs, or vines and are characterized by highly pungent odors or flavors. The bark, fragrant leaves, roots, flowers and stems of certain plants of temperate regions are called herbs. Spice seeds such as anise, fennel hand herbs were believed to have magical powers. For example, thyme was considered a source of courage, and tansy and sesame were associated with immortality.
When reading herbal receipts, it is important to understand the difference between a decoction and an infusion. An infusion is made by pouring hot water over the herb and letting it steep for fifteen minutes. A decoction is made by boiling the herb in water for an average of thirty minutes. In general, leaves and flowers are prepared using the infusion method. Roots, stems, bark and seeds are prepared by the decoction method.
Tincture: herb is soaked in alcohol, strained and used.
Decoction: This method was used for tougher parts of the herb plants, the roots, stem and bark. The herb is boiled in water until water is reduced by 1/2 to 1/3.
Infusion: Immersing the herb in water as in tea.
Distilled: Infusing the herb with water, boiling same and catching the condensed steam. Makes a condensed form of an infusion.
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In Colonial America, when tea drinking became unpatriotic, conventional tea leaves were replaced with sassafras bark, chamomile flowers, spearmint leaves, lemon balm leaves, raspberry leaves, loosestrife, goldenrod, dittany, blackberry leaves sage and many others. Rye and chestnuts, ground and roasted, or roasted crushed barley were made in to coffee substitutes.
Leaf teas are easy to make. Boil water. Remove from the heat and pour over tealeaves and let steep for 3-5 minutes. Use a metal or bamboo strainer to remove the leaves. Don’t boil herbs. Use one rounded spoon of herbs for two cups of water or thereabouts. Every herb is different so you will need to experiment t o get the flavor and strength just right. You’ll soon be able to judge your tea by its color. Sweeten with brown sugar or honey to complement the taste of the tea, but many teas do not need it.
Plants and herbs can be further processed. A tincture is made by infusing the herb in alcohol, which absorbs the soluble parts of the plant. Another way to derive plant oils is to pout the plant materials in a kettle with water and simmer over a low fire for 24 hours. Then slowly cool the mixture and skim the oil from the top of the water. A spirit is an infusion made with brandy. An herbal syrup can be made by adding a simple sugar syrup to a hot herbal infusion. Herb powders were made by pulverizing dried bark or herbs in a mortar and pestle. A simple water is a medicine distilled from an herb in water.
18th Century Treatments for Common Ailments
Sage - decocted as a gargle for sore throats.
Horehound - to make an expectorant.
Comfrey - decocted.
Earaches: Rue decocted.
Sage - decocted for infected gums.
Thyme - dried as an antiseptic.
Kidney Stones: Lovage as a tea.
Queen Ann’a Lace - the seeds.
Melancholia: Feverfew as a tea.
St. Johnswort Flowers - tincture.
Lady’s Mantle, "A Woman’s Best Friend".
Plaintain Seeds to prevent miscarriage.
Queen Ann’s Lace Seeds as a method of birth control.
Feverfew as tea or leaves eaten.
Rosemary as a tea or aromatherapy.
Medicinal Uses of Herbs
Seneca Snakeroot
A member of the dogbane family, snakeroot has been used as a sedative for
centuries. The active element, reserpine, is now used in treating a variety of
psychiatric disorders and hypertension.
Willow
Tea made from the bark of the willow tree has been used since the Romans for
curing headaches or other pains. Its ingredients, Salicylates, is known to us
today as aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid).
Comfrey
Roll the leaves and tape them on as a poultice for sores. The fresh leaves
are also helpful when rubbed on itchy places.
Mustard
Store mustard is made from the seeds of the white mustard plant, which is
not the same as wild mustard, To make a mustard plaster, a favorite home remedy
for chest colds, mix one-part mustard with eight or ten parts flour. Add
lukewarm water until you have a smooth paste. Spread this between two pieces of
cloth such as muslin, sheet scraps or flannel. Rub the chest well with petroleum
jelly before applying, and don’t leave it on after the skin is well reddened.
Keep away form mouth and eyes.
Sassafras
This tree grows in many parts of the United States. The wood, root and bark
can all be used for tea making. File, a traditional gumbo ingredient, is made
from dried sassafras leaves. Colonial treatments called for sassafras poultices
for treating sores. In the 17th century large quantities of Sassafras
were exported to England to be used in medicine as a blood purifier.
Lavender
Noted for its fragrant flowers, which are cut off when first opened and
dried for sweet bags (sachets). Lavender oil is distilled from fresh non-dried
flowers.