Medicinal and aromatic plants – industrial profiles

William Turner (1508–68)
He stated that ‘because wyse men founde by experience that it was good to washe mennis heades
with, which had anye deceses therein’. Indeed Turner was a passionate gardener, creating gardens
wherever he was living, he writes of growing ‘Stechas or Lavender Gentle (
L. Stoechas
), a variety
not seen in England, growing in my gardens in Germany’. And ‘Stechas groweth in the islands
of France over against Marseilles which are called Stechades, whereupon the herb got its name’.
John Gerard (1545–1612)
First, he writes of common lavender – 
L. flore caeruleo
(or most probably 
L. vera
) the drawing of
which has round tips to the leaves and slightly drooping flowers. White floured lavender – 
L. flore albo
. And lavender spike or in Spanish spica – 
Lavandula
minor sive spicae which he
describes as having pointed tips to the leaves and a more upright habit (if lavender can ever be
described as upright in its behaviour!). He then says that:
We have growing in our English gardens and being of a small kind, altogether lesser than
the other, and the floures of a more purple colour and grow much less and shorter heads, yet
have a far more grateful smell. The leaves are less and whiter than those of the ordinary sort.
This doth grow in plentie in His Majesties Private Garden at Whitehall. And this is called
Spike, with out addition and sometimes Lavender Spike and this by distillation is made
that vulgarly known and used oile which is termed Oleum Spicae, or oile of Spike. In Spain
and Languedocke in France, most of the mountains and desert fields, are as it were covered
over with Lavender. In these cold countries they are planted in gardens.
He reminds us that some think it is the sweet herb cassia which Virgil mentions, but states
wisely that here is another type of cassia sold in the shops called cassia lignea, and also cassia
nigra or cassia fistula.
He writes: ‘Lavender is hot and dry in the third degree, and of a thin substance, consisting
mainly of airy and spiritual parts, good for cold diseases of the head’. He advocates: ‘The distilled
water of lavender smelt unto, or the temples and forehead bathed therewith is refreshing for
those with Catalepsie, a light Megrim (migraine) and to them that have the falling sickness
(epilepsy) and that swoune (faint) much’. And continues, ‘the floures of lavender picked from the
knaps, I mean the blew part and not the huske, mixed with Cinnamon, Nutmegs and Cloves
made into a pouder and given to drinke in distilled lavender water, doth help the panting and
passions of the heart; prevaleth against giddiness or swimming of the braine, and palsie’. In
other words a decoction of lavender distillate with powdered lavender flowers, cloves, nutmeg
and cinnamon, is beneficial to what may be panic attacks, palpitations, giddiness and the shakes
associated with Parkinson’s.
He cautions against taking lavender ‘when there is an abundance of humours’ and he advised
against the use of lavender ‘taken in distilled wine: in which such kinds of herbes, floures, or
seeds, and certain spices are infused and steeped, though most men do so rashly’. He continues
‘for by using such hot things that fill and stuffe the head, both the disease is made greater, and
the sick man also brought into danger’. This is probably referring to the distillation of herbs,
spices and wines, which produced very potent spirits in the stills which were abundant in big
households of the period.
Gerard also suggests that a conserve made with lavender flowers and sugar is also very good
for the diseases previously mentioned, taken in the amount of a bean in the morning fasting and
advises washing those with the palsie with either lavender distillate or lavender oil and olive oil.

---

Gerard also admonishes the ‘unlearned physitians and diverse and over-rash Apothecaries and
other foolish women’ who treat people with such mixtures regardless of their condition, for
example, those with ‘Catuche or Catalepsis with a fever; to whom they can give nothing worse,
seeing those things do very much hurt and often times bring death it selfe’.
L. stoechas
after Gerard
He describes French lavender or sticados also known as stickedoue and sticadoue, which has
spiky heads out of which the flowers grow, Gerard calls this ‘Stoechas sive spica hortulana’.
Jagged sticados or lavender with the divided leaf he calls ‘Stoechas multisida’. Toothed sticados,
with nicked or toothed leaves like a saw for which he gives ‘Stoechas folio serrato’, and naked
stoechas have long naked stems on which the spike of flowers grow, this he calls ‘Stoechas sum-
mis cauliculus nudis’. He gives clear descriptions of each variety and again these are illustrated,
but his Latin names have no real botanical significance.
He continues, ‘These herbs do grow wilde in Spaine, in Languedocke in France, and in the
islands called Stoechas over against Manilla, we have them in our gardens and keep them with
great diligence from the injurie of the cold’, in other words considered very tender. Gerard cites
Dioscorides and Galen and gives the names in Latin (stoechas), High Dutch (stichas kraut),
Spanish (thomani and cantuesso) and in English (French lavender, steckado, stickadoue, 
cassidonie, and by some simple people cast me down).
For medicinal use he cites Dioscorides as teaching that a decoction of French lavender helps
diseases of the chest, and is with good success mixed with counter poisons. The later physicians
are not named but cited as writing that the flowers are ‘most effectual against paines in the head,
and all diseases proceeding from cold causes, and therefore they be mixed in all compositions
which are made against head-ache of long continuance, the Apoplexie, the Falling Sickness, and
such like diseases’.
Lastly, Gerard states that the ‘decoction of the husks and floures drunk, openeth the stoppings
of the liver, the lungs, the milt (melts), the mother (womb), the bladder and in one word all
other inward parts, cleansing and driving forth all evill and corrupt humours, and provoking
urine’.
A summary of uses suggested by Gerard
L. vera
was used to treat catalepsie (?), megrims (migraines), epilepsy, fainting and panting and
passions of the heart (the latter may be panic attacks or palpitations and heart problems). He also
includes giddiness, and palsy (Parkinson’s etc.), and lastly a conserve of lavender as being good
for all these diseases.
L. stoechas
he recommends as good for diseases of the chest (lungs), in counter poisons (theriac
and hiera picra), pains in the head, diseases of cold cause and in compositions (compounds) for
headaches of long history. Also for apoplexy, epilepsy and similar diseases and lastly a decoction
to open all internal organs and provoke urine.