Subject: Re: Historical useage of herbs

From: Stephanie Goble <[email-masked]>
Date: 15 Jun 1995 00:09:39 GMT

[email-masked] (Ladyspnr) wrote:

>I am looking for information on the historical use of herbs for daily
>healing in the late 1700's.   I am a living history re-enactor and I wish
>to research the art of healing with herbs.  My "character" is a woman who
>would have been a midwife and healer in the Ohio Territory.
>

At that time, a settler would be using English books on herbs, probably the 1600something 
Culpeper's, and growing things from imported seeds and cuttings. I've seen it in herb 
stores as a reprint for <$20.
There is also a "North American Herbal" (name escapes me, and my references are at home) 
that lists the typical native plants and their uses.  The settlers would use whatever was 
 used by the local Indians in addition to their own.
And ... Diary of a Midwife, a reprint of the journal of an 1800 midwife in the NorthEast, 
may have some information on what she used.

Some imported medicines, like Jesuit Bark, were used.  these were expensive.

If you can find pre-1930s pharmacy and pharmacology books, like the 1927 "Materia 
Medica", they are very helpful.  Antibiotics weren't invented yet.
-- 
Stephanie

[email-masked]