Plant
St John's wort
Picture to come.
A yellow-flowered plant of hedgebanks and open ground that blooms around midsummer; its leaves show tiny translucent dots against the light. It was linked with the feast of St John the Baptist (24 June), when it was hung up against evil spirits and ill fortune, and medieval herbals recommended it for staunching bleeding and healing wounds. These beliefs are chiefly recorded in later medieval sources; described here as historical belief, not medical advice.
Caveats (confidence: medium)
The herbal cited by the source (Hortus Sanitatis) dates from 1491; how widely these uses were current in 12th-century England is uncertain.
Sources: blog.metmuseum.org
Made by
- Forage