The Royal Castle of Quierzy : Medicinal plants at the castle

Guards men room

For the second year in a row, the Royal Castle of Quierzy has held an open house during the European Heritage days.
The theme being “the sciences” it was decided to highlight medicinal plants through two exhibitions presented by the “Art et Culture d’Europe” association.

Charlemagne’s apothecary and the secrets of medicinal plants with the collaboration of Dominique Kassel, curator of the collections of the history of pharmacy of the National Order of Pharmacists. The theme was about the secrets remedies extracted from the region’s plants.
More than 300 species have been cataloged and a conservatory should soon be put in place at the castle.
A botanical path along the Oise’s banks allows the visitor to discover some of them.

The art of antic gardens from the middle Ages to the Renaissance.
Through history, gardens have not only mirrored the evolution of civilizations, they have also been considered as works of art.

The Royal Castle of Quierzy and the park were open to the public on Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th of September of 2004.

“From the apothecary monk to the pharmacist” by Dominique Kassel: Collection histoire de la pharmacie (Ordre national des pharmaciens)
Early in their evolution, humans have used the resources of their environment to cure their ailments. Plants have held an undeniable importance and it is important to reckon that most plants used nowadays as a therapy had been discovered long before the scientific approach to exploration. The first know prescription dated from 3000BC in Mesopotamia already advised to use sage to cure headaches. The poppy, already represented on bas relief in Mesopotamian palaces, and the sap of its fruit was the first known remedy against pains and aches. The Gaul used to cut mistletoe and knew how to use toxic plants like the yew the extract of which they used to poison their arrows. From the Eber’s papyrus in 1550BC to the 17th century, remedies were essentially obtained from plants and picking was the very first means of acquiring medicines. Through time luck and observation have allowed to discover and to understand the plants’ softening, antiseptic, depurative, cardio tonic capacities. Remedies were prepared in very basic way mixed with water for infusions, decoctions, macerations or percolations and they were taken orally as teas or potions, applied on wounds as plasters.

Illnesses existed on earth long before the apparition of humans: many sign of them have been observed on fossil animals. Discoveries in paleontology show that our prehistorical ancestors knew of plant therapies: medicinal plants were found in a cave among bones of a Neanderthal man’s contemporary. Digs around and about homo-sapiens’ dwellings have shown that poppy, valerian and chamomile were cultivated.

The first healers were sorcerer or priests and used rituals or incantations: illness was thought to be the works of evil spirits and could only be fought by a man endowed with supernatural powers.
In antic Greece, the mythology made Asclepios, king of Thessaly and renowned physician, the son of Apollo, God of medicine, and named him Aesculapius. During the 5th century temples were built in Greece honoring both the deity and the Asclepiads; priests and physicians maintained the cult. The activity of these temples was flourishing and the fame of the one erected in Epidaurus reached the whole of the antic world.

Around the end of the 5th century BC Hippocrates may be considered as the father of medicine. He abandoned empiricism and established his medical practice on the observation of symptoms. After him other scientists caused science and therapeutics to progress: Celsus, Dioscorides and above all Galen an illustrious physician born in Asia Minor created the principle of pharmaceutical form.

• Histoire et renouveau des plantes médicinales / Pierre Delaveau. - Paris : Albin Michel, 1982
Secret remedies of the apothecary: Betony is a magical plant; before picking it it is proper to say with a pious heart, leaning over it:
Betony is a magical plant; before picking it it is proper to say with a pious heart, leaning over it:

“Betony herb, thou who was found by Asclepios, I call on you by this payer, thou who is called the Lady of all herbs, and by He who ordered that you be created to work in so many remedies, … I call on you to be gracious enough to help me in all matter that I would want.”

Betony is “hot and dry” in the third degree. The leaves are adequate for remedies. They have great virtues, green and dry. It is active in 47 remedies.
It cures fractures and wounds of the head when crushed and applied on it.
It extracts bone chips.

Against stomach ache give a concoction with absinth juice. To clean the womb and help conception, apply a warm decoction.
For pains and ailments of the eyes wash every three days with a decoction and apply crushed betony on the forehead and temples. You will have a good result.

Against tooth aches, cook betony in vinegar and keep at length in the mouth.
Same for those who suffer from vomiting, those who breathe with difficulty and feel pains in the chest; give 1 _ drachma of betony powder in 5 measures of water thus making a goblet that should be taken on an empty stomach.

Against pain of the bladder, take 4 drachma of betony and 4 roots of aache; let steep in water until half of it has evaporated then give to patient.
To prevent inebriation eat betony before drinking, you will never be drunk.

Betony doubtless was the first placebo: the 19th century chemists never found any of the virtues that made its prodigious reputation in the Middle Ages.
Wild Hollyhock and Althea: 15th century illumination of simples: Hollyhock
They are cold and humid in the second degree.
Against hot tumors at the beginning, fold hollyhocks and cover to make them fester; mix with lard.
It is good as well against hardness of the liver and of the spleen.

A foot bath with a decoction helps sleep through acute fevers
Eaten when pureed they release the abdomen.

Here is a sure and well experimented remedy to provoke menstruations. Take a large finger sized root of hollyhock, peel it lightly, sprinkle some scammony and insert in the vagina. You could also cover the root with honey and then the powder.

A decoction with hollyhock and althea seeds is good against a dry cough and those who’ve lost weight.

Althea is a perennial biannual herbaceous plant. It grows in damp areas of prairies, pastures, at the edge of forests and in clearings. It originated in Europe and western Asia.

It was cultivated in monastery gardens and spread in all vegetable gardens as soon as the 9th and 10th centuries. Like wild hollyhock it was a constituent of soups.
Dioscorides and Macer recommended it to extract venoms. It is mostly know for it emollient and softening properties in teas and as a cosmetic. Althea was renowned as a laxative and had anti inflammatory as well as cough preventive properties.

The roots are used against inflammations: paste come from a concentrated concoction. Dried roots are also given to new born babies to chew and sooth their gums.

Web sites to consult !...

Collection d'histoire de la pharmacie		Des histoires de plantes et de remèdes de pharmaciens célèbres en ligne
L'herbier d'Apulée, milieu du IXe siècle. bnf latin 6862 dép		Pseudo-Apulée (Laon ou Reims ?), est un herbier contenant 75 dessins rehaussés de couleurs soutenues, enrichie pour certaines plantes. Textes et images tirés de Dioscoride, c'est un manuel à l'usage du praticien correspondant aux usages médicaux en cours au IXe siècle. Walfrid Strabon l'utilisera pour la rédaction de son "liber de cultura hortorum".
Capitulare de villis vel curtis imperii		Les plantes du Capitulaire De Villis de Charlemagne