After covering the history of an Anglo Saxon book called Balds Leech Book in my last post, I figured in this post I'd cover a plant that features in the work for more or less humorous reasons. So in 10th century England it had to have been awkward to approach a village wise woman or elder and say...erm... pintle Meolcliðe... (My penis is soft) Villages were small back then so the event had to be embarrassing. But interestingly it was documented as a problem that needed curing in Balds Leech Book.
YOUR TUMMY MAY FEEL BETTER AND YOUR THROAT MAY NOT HURT...BUT COUNT ON STAYING FLACCID.
Agrimonia eupatoria also commonly known as Agrimony is the name of a genus that has 15 flowering members. In the 10th century work Balds Leech Book, Agrimony was given to men boiled in milk to help remedy impotency... and interestingly to induce impotency it was boiled in Welsh beer... as a side note.. I don't think Agrimony had anything to do with the Welsh beer variant causing impotency. Apparently enough of the stuff causes brewers droop in even the most enthusiastic. But I suppose a woman who just wanted a good nights sleep would find herself liberally applying this concoction to her hǣmere (bed fellow. Or in a more modern translation... bang buddy)
Interestingly it has actually been found that Agrimony has a number of medicinal properties. This beautiful and fragrant blooming plant can be found all throughout Northern Europe in the summer. One huge benefit is that it has been proven to moderate the uptake of glucose and insulin. There are some studies that state that it's more effective at this than cinnamon as a natural aid when dealing with diabetes. One of the ones that springs to mind is a study that can be found in the British Journal of Nutrition that was conducted back in 1998 by Dr. Alison M Gray.
Agrimony is known as an anticoagulant and has been proven to be effective in the treatment of severe menstrual complications according to a study done by Joseph L. Mayo, MD. Added to which it has anti inflammatory value and also is used widely in the treatment of: chest infections, wound treatment, incontinence, and psoriasis. A number of these studies can be found in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology which covers the details intricately. A more recent study which can be found in the Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Science & Technology has shown that compounds derived from this beautiful plant are effective against free radical damage and the prevention of cancer.
PREPARING AGRIMONY:
This plant is a non toxic wonder that belongs in every medicine cabinet. Harvesting can start in early summer, and due to it's unique appearance it's almost impossible to confuse it with other dangerous species. As a tea I have never really had a problem with it, and I've found that by simply using the leaves dried and stuffing them into a tea bag then stapling it closed is the best way to prepare it. It works just as well for a bad stomach as anything else. In a strong tea using two bags it tends to get to work quickly.
In all honesty I've yet to experiment with it in tandem with things like Guelder Rose or Willow Bark for headache, but it's certainly on my to do list this year. But the tea bag method for once a day and you can't go wrong and all of the plant can be used.
Despite all of this amazing plants wonderful properties there is no research to support it helping in the bedroom arena. It wouldn't be to far fetched to think that perhaps after consuming the remedy prescribed in Balds Leech Book that the individual simply felt better in themselves thus were more up for a little bit of rumpy pumpy.... though the attention the monks gave to things along this line always makes me scratch my head a little. I mean... why would they need it with a vow of celibacy and all...
I guess even back then it wouldn't be hard to imagine the stereotype of the frisky friar having it away after Compline.... or maybe monks just found nuns a bit to scary to want to preform... who knows.
In going through Balds Leech Book I continue to be amazed at how often the ingredients used actually have real uses in natural medicine today. Given the seriousness of the previous post covering the world the book came from as well as the use of one of its remedies today in treating antibiotic resistant infection.. I figured I'd jump on a light hearted remedy in this post from the book. Unlike what the plant was originally thought to treat... it does pop up everywhere.. well when examining Anglo Saxon remedies that is..
Well guys thank you so much for giving my little post a read. As always best of luck on all your posts and projects. Keep on Steeming. :)
image credits:
pintrest
mywildflowers.com
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