Medicinal and aromatic plants – industrial profiles

Thomas Palmer (d. 1696)
He was an American physician practising in the harsh world of the newly founded colonies, and
he also preached, but not very well. His medical practise was better, but so hard were these times
he could not afford a horse to get him around his practise. In 1696 he wrote ‘The Admirable
Secrets of Physick and Chyrurgery’, written in New England, giving us a window into the work
of a colonial practitioner at the end of the seventeenth century. In Palmer’s world there was little
room for unwarranted frills in medicine, despite this many drugs considered essential were
transported from the Old World because they were believed to be irreplaceable.
Only under ‘Cold Distempers of the Heart’ do we find lavender:
The weakness, slowing and thinnes of the pulse & such a breath know this distemper. The
air breathed out appears cold and sometimes the whole body is cold. Medicines that heat the
heart are: Balm, Rosemary, Cardus Benedictus (Blessed Thistle), Calamint, Angelica,
Rosemary flowers (an ancient favourite), Lavender, Lily of the Valley, Citron seeds, grains of
Alchornes (Kermes or Alkermes a scarlet red colouring), Lignum Aloes (Aloes wood),
Cinnamon, Cloves, Zeadary (Zedoary), Mace, Nutmegs, Amber, Musk. Of these there are
divers compositions, waters & spirits, conserves, syrups, preserves, oyls, species; confections
of Alkermes, Treacle & Mithradite, all sorts of Aqua Vitae and electuarys.
Of these only balm, rosemary, blessed thistle, calamint, angelica, lavender and lily of the 
valley could have been grown in New England, the rest are very expensive Mediterranean or
tropical imports.
He also suggests as treatment for palpitations or passion or beating of the heart in addition to
medicines: external applications of bags with melissa flowers, lavender, rosin (pine resin), bor-
age, bugloss or white wine and water of musk roses. Under none of the other infirmities does he
mention lavender, suggesting that it was probably also an import or difficult to grow.