HERBAL RECIPES
Magistra Rosemounde of Mercia (copyright Micaela Burnham 2007)
Cosmetic recipes
Hungary Water: believed to be the first alcohol based perfume, credited to a queen of Hungary in the 14th century. This is my adaptation.
1 bottle isopropyl alcohol
Six large stalks of fresh rosemary
1 sprig of fresh mint
The peel from half of a small lemon
Mix all the ingredients in a clear glass or plastic container, so that all the herbs are covered by the alcohol. Close the container to make it air tight. Set in a sunny window for 1 week, shaking gently every day. Then strain through cheesecloth into a clean container and bottle in glass bottles.
Sweet bags: sachets. These were known throughout the middle ages, and were used, as now, to scent clothes or linens in storage. This is my adaptation.
1 cup dried lavender leaves and flowers
1 cup dried rose petals
¼ cup powdered sandalwood
1 teaspoon whole cloves
Cloth bags about 3” X 4” with one long end left open (linen or cotton is best)
Pretty twine or cord
Chop the rose petals and lavender fine in a food processor. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Stuff the bags 1/2 full. Wrap the twine around the top and knot securely. (You may want to use rubber bands, and then cover with twine to make sure they don’t come undone.)
Mouth wash: popular by the 16th century. This one is adapted by me from Gerard.
4 cups white vinegar
4 cups distilled water
½ cup fresh rosemary leaves (removed from the stems)
¼ cup fresh mint leaves (removed from stems)
Put the rosemary and mint in the vinegar in a clear airtight container. Place in a sunny window for 2 weeks, swirling gently every other day. Strain through cheesecloth. Add the water and stir. Bottle.
Herbal remedies (these are all my versions from a variety of sources)
To repel insects:
Mix equal parts dried lavender (for flies), cedar wood chips (for moths), and dried pennyroyal (for fleas and mosquitoes). Place these in small bags (see the directions for sweet bags) and place with clothing and/or carry on your person in a pouch or in the sleeves.
For an upset stomach:
Make a weak infusion of mint by pouring boiling water over 1 Tablespoon of dried spearmint leaves. Let steep 5 minutes, strain and drink.
For insomnia:
Wrap several sprigs of fresh rosemary in a clean napkin and place under your pillow. Or make a weak infusion of primrose leaves and heather. Strain and drink ½ cup before bed.
For the nerves—anxiety and depression:
Make a strong infusion, steeping for 30 minutes, of lily-of-the-valley, lavender, and valerian in equal parts. Strain and bottle this and take 2 Tablespoons once or twice a day.
For correcting imbalances in the bodily humours:
For a sanguine temperament (an excess of blood) drink an infusion of fennel and bay.
For a bilious temperament (an excess of yellow bile) drink hot red wine with lemon peel.
For a melancholic temperament (an excess of black bile) eat parsley and watercress.
For a phlegmatic temperament (an excess of phlegm) drink a cool infusion of sage, hyssop, and dill or anise, mint, and marjoram.
Cures based on the Doctrine of Signatures (like cures like): I listed these particular ones because, coincidentally, they actually work. From The Magic of Herbs by David Conway.
Wild pansy (with its heart shaped leaves) is a good tonic for a weak heart.
The inner bark of the willow tree should be taken for rheumatism.
Take lesser celandine and make an ointment of it. Use this for the treatment of piles (hemorrhoids).
Magistra Rosemounde of Mercia (copyright Micaela Burnham 2007)
Cosmetic recipes
Hungary Water: believed to be the first alcohol based perfume, credited to a queen of Hungary in the 14th century. This is my adaptation.
1 bottle isopropyl alcohol
Six large stalks of fresh rosemary
1 sprig of fresh mint
The peel from half of a small lemon
Mix all the ingredients in a clear glass or plastic container, so that all the herbs are covered by the alcohol. Close the container to make it air tight. Set in a sunny window for 1 week, shaking gently every day. Then strain through cheesecloth into a clean container and bottle in glass bottles.
Sweet bags: sachets. These were known throughout the middle ages, and were used, as now, to scent clothes or linens in storage. This is my adaptation.
1 cup dried lavender leaves and flowers
1 cup dried rose petals
¼ cup powdered sandalwood
1 teaspoon whole cloves
Cloth bags about 3” X 4” with one long end left open (linen or cotton is best)
Pretty twine or cord
Chop the rose petals and lavender fine in a food processor. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Stuff the bags 1/2 full. Wrap the twine around the top and knot securely. (You may want to use rubber bands, and then cover with twine to make sure they don’t come undone.)
Mouth wash: popular by the 16th century. This one is adapted by me from Gerard.
4 cups white vinegar
4 cups distilled water
½ cup fresh rosemary leaves (removed from the stems)
¼ cup fresh mint leaves (removed from stems)
Put the rosemary and mint in the vinegar in a clear airtight container. Place in a sunny window for 2 weeks, swirling gently every other day. Strain through cheesecloth. Add the water and stir. Bottle.
Herbal remedies (these are all my versions from a variety of sources)
To repel insects:
Mix equal parts dried lavender (for flies), cedar wood chips (for moths), and dried pennyroyal (for fleas and mosquitoes). Place these in small bags (see the directions for sweet bags) and place with clothing and/or carry on your person in a pouch or in the sleeves.
For an upset stomach:
Make a weak infusion of mint by pouring boiling water over 1 Tablespoon of dried spearmint leaves. Let steep 5 minutes, strain and drink.
For insomnia:
Wrap several sprigs of fresh rosemary in a clean napkin and place under your pillow. Or make a weak infusion of primrose leaves and heather. Strain and drink ½ cup before bed.
For the nerves—anxiety and depression:
Make a strong infusion, steeping for 30 minutes, of lily-of-the-valley, lavender, and valerian in equal parts. Strain and bottle this and take 2 Tablespoons once or twice a day.
For correcting imbalances in the bodily humours:
For a sanguine temperament (an excess of blood) drink an infusion of fennel and bay.
For a bilious temperament (an excess of yellow bile) drink hot red wine with lemon peel.
For a melancholic temperament (an excess of black bile) eat parsley and watercress.
For a phlegmatic temperament (an excess of phlegm) drink a cool infusion of sage, hyssop, and dill or anise, mint, and marjoram.
Cures based on the Doctrine of Signatures (like cures like): I listed these particular ones because, coincidentally, they actually work. From The Magic of Herbs by David Conway.
Wild pansy (with its heart shaped leaves) is a good tonic for a weak heart.
The inner bark of the willow tree should be taken for rheumatism.
Take lesser celandine and make an ointment of it. Use this for the treatment of piles (hemorrhoids).