Parcelsus: Magus & Medic?

Paracelsus - possibly one of the Renaissance's greatest herbalists - remains an enigma to later generations. He was an outspoken critic of the Galenical school and could be seen as a "modern" medical practitioner; he was also almost certainly a practising alchemist and well deserved the title of "magus". Brian Moore looks at his life and work.

Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, better known as Paracelsus - meaning "greater than Celsus" (1493 - 1541) was one of the most remarkable men of the Renaissance period. Born near Zurich and the son of a local physician and a peasant mother (who died when he was nine years old), Paracelsus came from a poor, humble background. As a young man he worked in the mines and smelting plants of the Tyrol where his interest in alchemy had its roots. Indeed, he later wrote a book on the diseases of miners - the first book ever written on occupational health. For a while he studied under the famous alchemist Trithemius and travelled widely as a surgeon throughout Europe. Paracelsus is alleged to have been awarded a medical degree at Ferrara in 1515, although there is no confirmation of this. In 1527 he was appointed municipal physician at Basel, and his lectures there, though popular, were scathing and critical of orthodox medicine. He lectured in German instead of the customary Latin, and is reported to have begun a lecture by publicly burning textbooks of Galen and Ibn Sina. He castigated both the apothecaries and the physicians, considering them to be in conspiracy to milk the public.... Article continues in the members area, if you're not a member join us!

It was known in the north of England as Boretree, after the ease with which the pith can be removed from the stem. This feature is actually what gave the tree its name. The Saxons apparently used hollowed stems of elder to start fires, part bellows and part blowpipe. Elder comes from the Saxon word for kindler: eller, and sambucus comes from the Greek sambuke, which is the name of a musical pipe made from a hollowed out stem. ... Article continues in the members area, if you're not a member join us!

Herbal Oils

Using herbs in beauty and body care products may only seem to take the value of herbs skin deep. But in a time when the cosmetics industry, with its confusing messages and deceptive promises, has gone so far astray, coming back to our roots and learning simple, herbal ways to take care of ourselves is truly valuable. In this series of articles, I’ll be sharing with you my own explorations in the use of herbs for beauty – from head to toe!

As well as using herbs in the beauty and body care products I make, I am also fascinated by the many nutritional benefits we can provide to the skin through the choice of vegetable oils. It really is a lot like cooking. Some of my favourite oils for the skin are:

• Safflower for its high omega 3 & 6 content.
• Olive is one of the most frequently used oils, valued for being protective and nourishing.
• Jojoba often appears in massage blends and leaves the skin feeling soft and velvety.
• Peach or Apricot kernel are very similar and are both useful for sensitive skin.
• Macadamia nut is valued for mature skin due to its palmitic acid content which can help to reduce the skin's aging process.
• Evening Primrose contains high levels gamma linoleic acid which supports the skin's. natural functioning and is used for many skin conditions including eczema and acne. ... Article continues in the members area, if you're not a member join us!

“Not from mother or father was I engendered [but] … from the nine elemental forms – from fruit, from fruition … from primroses and highland flowers, from the flowers of trees and shrubs, from soil and earth … from the flowers of nettles … was I charmed [into being] by Math [and] by Gwydion …” - Cad Goddeu, my adapted translation.

However, most accounts of Blodeuwedd, including the Mabinogion, mention only three specific plants so I will concentrate on those – Broom, Meadowsweet and Oak. ... Article continues in the members area, if you're not a member join us!

Keeping The Pets Happy On Herbs

When Tim Couzens worked as a general practice vet, he soon found out that conventional medicine could not always provide the answers. His researches led him to Chinese traditional therapies. Here he shares some of his experiences.

My interest in alternative medicine started some years ago when I was still working in general practice. Conventional treatment, at times, seemed inadequate: the side effects outweighed the benefits and there were some problems for which treatment was non-existent. Fortunately, homoeopathic courses in veterinary medicine were being run at the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital and I attended these.

A few years later I decided to concentrate on complimentary medicine and diverted from routine practice to specialise. Despite the effectiveness of homoeopathy there were always a few animals which either failed to respond of for which a suitable remedy could not be found. This led me to consider using herbal remedies, many of which I was already with from having studied homoeopathy.

Books on veterinary/herbal medicine were few and far between, A day spent at the Royal College/Library searching through old veterinary textbooks revealed that herbal remedies were in regular use at the turn of the century and provided me with at least a basic list of useful herbs. I was also aware that several companies sold herbal products specifically for pets, so initially I set about trying out some of these... Article continues in the members area, if you're not a member join us!

announced itself on the menu with smells that seeped through classrooms in the hours before lunch and lingered long after. And yet, turn up our noses though we might, the cooks were sabotaging a superfood.

Cabbage has played a key role in the staple diet of populations the world over for thousands of years. My abiding memory of the two winters I lived in Beijing was of cabbage, stored in huge piles on every available surface, in the main shopping street, in every bicycle park, stacked up against walls and on every balcony. Piled up on pavements under blankets, cabbage kept well all through the winter.

Commercial development may have chased the cabbages away from the centre of the city but the vegetable still has a vital place in Chinese, Japanese, Russian and European culture today, based on plenty of history.

Until the 19th century, the health benefits of cabbage were widely recognized in Britain. In the 1940’s, a writer on herbs named Mary Lavender remembered: ‘A very old herbalist said to me: “Eat cabbage if you want to live long, for the secret of life is in it.”....Article continues in the members area, if you're not a member join us!

The Bumblebee, An Amazingly Talented Lady

The late Natalie Hodgson gave an account of the life and life cycle of the busy bumble-bee and suggested ways to help establish nests in spring in Herbs Vol 27 No 1 2002.

There used to be 25 or more species of bumble-bee (genus Bombus) in Britain, but they are now in sad decline. Only six are common and these emerge at different dates, from the large yellow Bombus terrestis in early March to the red tailed Bombus lapidarius, which may come out as late as May. Pollinators for garden flowers and wild flowers nowadays are in short supply. More than 80 per cent of the total land area in Britain is used for agriculture and the changing pattern of farming means larger, cleaner fields, fewer trees and hedges and loss of habitat for insects. Much land that was considered borderline, especially wet grassland, has been reclaimed for cultivation particularly in the central lowlands. All these changes are likely to have reduced the amount of particularly favourable habitats for bumble-bees. Pesticides are also dangerous.

Bumble-bees are under serious threat from horticultural and agricultural chemicals. Urbanisation is another problem. All bumble-bees, especially local species may suffer immediately after land clearance, although they may flourish in mature town gardens. The disease of varroa has wiped out most wild honey bees and any domestic bees that are not treated, so we need to treasure and encourage all bees that remain... Article continues in the members area, if you're not a member join us!

By Anna Parkinson

John Parkinson’s two books about plants, which I own, are a treasure trove of information about every aspect of living with plants. He inspired me to write about plants, and the fantastic resources they offer us now. But more recent generations seemed a bit of a disappointment....Article continues in the members area, if you're not a member join us!

Using Herbs In Perfume

By Elizabeth Marsh

Using herbs in beauty and body care products may only seem to take the value of herbs skin deep. But in a time when the cosmetics industry, with its confusing messages and deceptive promises, has gone so far astray, coming back to our roots and learning simple, herbal ways to take care of ourselves is truly valuable. In this series of articles, I'll be sharing with you my own explorations in the use of herbs for beauty – from head to toe!

I’m not going to start at the “head” though. With Valentine’s Day approaching I couldn’t resist starting with the use of herbs in perfume, and brewing up some heady herbal scents in preparation!

While the use of perfumes dates back to ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, modern perfumes are said to have originated in the 14th Century with Hungary Water, reputedly formulated in 1370 for Queen Elizabeth of Hungary. The details of this early fragrance are somewhat debated, but it was around this time that perfume really took off in Europe, flourishing in the Renaissance period. By the 18th Century, France had become the centre of the perfume trade, a role which it continues to hold to this day. Early perfumes were sometimes used and valued for their therapeutic benefit as well as their pleasing scent - Hungary Water for example was considered beneficial for gout. ... Article continues in the members area, if you're not a member join us!

By Rachel Corby

A healthy body helps the development and maintenance of a positive mental attitude and a healthy emotional balance. Diet also affects the balance of friendly bacteria within the body, supplying the immune system with the nutrients it needs. It is generally accepted that a lack of nutrients contributes to disease, and that there is a link between diet and disease resistance. ... Article continues in the members area, if you're not a member join us!

Seasons Eatings

By Debs Cook

The festive season is a time when everyone indulges in foods that are traditionally associated with Christmas, countries around the world all have their own traditional festive fair and specialities such as Stollen in Germany, Pannettone in Italy, Pepperkake in Norway (gingerbread-like spice cookies flavoured with black pepper), Gravad Lax in Sweden and Vánocní Cukroví (Christmas cookies) in the Czech Republic to name but a few.

Herbs and spices traditionally associated with Christmas include Sage, Rosemary, Bay, Juniper, Thyme, Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves and Mace, it would be easy to write something about each of these tasty ingredients. Iinstead I thought I'd take a look at the at a few of the traditional Christmas dishes we eat in England that contain these herbs and spices and offer a few of my recipes that others may like to try.

By Sarah Head

Why do we use sage? Some will only know it as a condiment, mixed with onions as a stuffing for a fatty meat such as pork or goose or as a flavouring to replace salt in a salt-free diet. ... Article continues in the members area, if you're not a member join us!

The stinging nettle so common in Britain is also found across Europe, Asia, S. Africa, Australia, America, where it has become naturalised in several States and Japan. It hardly seems necessary to detail that it is a perennial plant, growing and spreading freely by runners in almost every kind of soil, but preferring it to have been disturbed in some way. The tallest nettles grow in damp ditches and can be far taller than the usual height of about 1 metre.

The leaves are opposite, ovate and have toothed edges. The tiny green flowers hang down in long clusters. The related pilulifera was introduced here by the Romans for using to sting their limbs against our cold climate. The pilulifera nettle is rarely seen wild in Britain now.

The other stinging nettle U.urens is the stinging nettle used in homoeopathy for treating urticaria and can be distinguished from dioica by the fact that it grows each year from seed in fairly light, usually cultivated soil. Also the lower leaves are shorter than their stems, the root is not the bright yellow of U. dioica and both male and female flowers are on the same plant. The homoeopathic preparation and treatment are entirely different from herbal use although in this case both homoeopath and herbalist treat similar conditions with the same plant. ... Article continues in the members area, if you're not a member join us!