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Borage ~ The Herb that Cheers
Herbs
Today, we are concerned about pollution, rivers poisoned by chemicals, the ozone layer which becomes increasingly thinner, etc., with the result that a simple lifestyle is becoming more popular. Wonder drugs and pills available over the counter from pharmacists often have unwelcome side effects, but many herbs from the kitchen, garden centers, greengrocers and supermarkets, or those grown indoors in pots or in the garden are easily available and beneficial for minor, everyday ailments.
A Brief History
During biblical days prophets sanctioned the use of medicinal herbs which grew in the Bible lands and throughout the Middle East where marjoram, mint, sage and thyme grew.
In Babylon circa 2000 B.C, the medicinal use of herbs was recorded with instructions for their preparation and administration.
The ancient Egyptians imported herbs and spices from Babylon and India. Through trade they learned how to use many including anise, caraway, fenugreek, opium and saffron from The Middle East.
Greeks studied herbal lore. The writings of Hippocrates, ‘The Father of Modern Medicine’, a physician and teacher, circa 400 B.C. was the pattern for medicine as we know it today. In the first century A.D. Dioscorides, the Greek physician listed more than 500 plants and herbs in his book Materia Medica, the standard work on the subject which Christian religious orders consulted.
Galen, a physician in Imperial Rome wrote medical books which were consulted for 1,500 years. Wherever Romans went they took medicinal seeds and plants. In Great Britain they introduced more than 200 herbs which included borage, betony, fennel, parsley, rosemary and thyme. After the Romans left, monasteries had ‘physick’ gardens. The monks became famous for their use of herbs to heal the sick. Herbal knowledge was mostly passed down by word of mouth until James Gerard, James 1st’s apothecary wrote his well-known ‘Herball’ in which he drew on the work of a Flemish physician, Dodens. Gerard wrote about plants in ‘that new lande’, America and mentioned the potato and the tomato - ‘The Apple of Love.’
The seeds and roots settlers took to America flourished. Native Americans introduced them to bergamot, discovered by the Spanish doctor call Nicholas Monardes, who wrote the first herbal recorded in America. In the 18th century the Shakers, whose influence lasted 100 years, grew and sold medicinal herbs, they included basil, borage, marjoram, horehound, hyssop, sage tansy and thyme with which they made ointments, pills, powders and salves.
During the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom, people moved into small terraced houses without gardens. The use of home remedies that required herbs declined. By the 20th century, scientific advancement meant there was no need to support an expensive herb industry. However, the use of herbs survived to this day in Mediterranean countries and elsewhere.
Ready made food made in large quantities to which preservatives have been added lacks aroma, colour and flavor, so many people try out recipes which include herbs and value their health-giving properties. They also drink herb teas and use other herbal remedies.
Herb Tea
In England a wide variety of herb teas are available from health food shops and supermarkets, and fresh herbs are available from greengrocers and supermarkets.
I often make a cup with herbs from my garden. One of my favourites is made with home grown freshly picked black peppermint or home- grown dried leaves.
To prepare most herb teas add a breakfast cup of boiling water to a sachet, to three teaspoons of fresh chopped herbs or one teaspoon of dried herbs and sweeten the drink to suit your taste. Leave it to brew for five minutes then strain it and drink it. To enjoy a refreshing drink on a hot day put a cover over the cup and put it in the refrigerator and enjoy your tea when it is chilled.
Novels by Rosemary Morris
Early 18th Century novels: Tangled Love, Far Beyond Rubies, The Captain and The Countess
Regency Novels False Pretences, Sunday’s Child, Monday’s Child, Tuesday’s Child, Wednesday’s Child and Thursday’s Child. Friday’s Child to be published in June 2019
Mediaeval Novel Yvonne Lady of Cassio. The Lovages of Cassio Book One
www.rosemarymorris.co.uk
http://bookswelove.net/authors/morris-rosemary
