HERBS AND THEIR ORIGIN 33 



In olden days the herb Rue was brought into 

 court to protect the Judge and Bench from the 

 contagion of gaol fever, and it was probably quite 

 effective, though nobody knew the reason. Recent 

 research has shown that the essential oil contained 

 in rue, as in other aromatic herbs like elecampane, 

 rosemary, and cinnamon, serves by its germicidal 

 principles to extinguish bacterial life. Nobody 

 knew much about bacteria in the time of Elizabeth 

 Fry, nor was much known about the alkaloids 

 contained in plant tissues prior to the discovery 

 of " opium salt," or morphine, by Derosne in 1803. 

 Yet rue had been disinfecting stuffy law courts, 

 and poppies had been acting as soporifics, long 

 before the action of either came to be explained. 



According to old beliefs, one of the most useful 

 plants to grow in one's garden is the Camomile^ 

 regarded as the plants* physician. Nothing was 

 thought to keep a garden so healthy, and it was 

 even said to revive drooping and sickly plants if 

 brought near them. 



Saffron was used very extensively for dyeing, in 

 fact so much so that Henry VIII. issued a royal 

 proclamation strictly forbidding its use for hair- 

 dyeing purposes. Bacon says of saffron that it 

 conveys medicine to the heart, cures its palpitation, 

 removes melancholy and uneasiness, revives the 

 brain, renders the mind cheerful, and generates 

 boldness. Rather many virtues for one small plant 

 to claim ! 



For any meek and 'gentle souls who may wish to 

 cultivate ferocity for the time being, it may be 

 useful to them to know that the root of Cat Mint, 

 when chewed, will make the most quiet and gentle 



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