Medicinal Herbs for Fictional Use

For those of you writing either historic novels, or novels where such wonders as penicillin and morphine have yet to be discovered, you may be wondering what you can use to help your ailing characters without just throwing random (or made-up) herbs into a poultice. So here is a list of herbs used in the 19th century for various ailments. 

As a disclaimer, this is not sound medical advice for real world people living in the 21st century, so please do not try any of these remedies on yourself without doing some thorough research of your own.

1. Chocolate Root (purple avents, geum rivale) can be used to treat fever, consumption and sore throat. Mix about twenty grains of the powder with honey. Take every day. Can also be made into a tea.

Indian Chocolate: Photo by Jeffdelonge , Les Verrières de Joux, France, mai 2005

 2. Bloodroot (sanguinaria canadensis, bloodwort) is used for fever, wound cleaning, cough and croup, dental hygiene, and, in those cases where it is desirable, to cause vomiting. The underground part of the stem (rhizome) was used for medicinal purposes. Dosing is not specified. However, if taken orally it is an emetic (causes vomiting) or it can be placed directly on the skin around a wound to clean away dead tissue and reduce inflammation. Bloodroot may have some antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Bloodwort: CC-BY-SA-3.0/Matt H. Wade

3. Crow's foot (buttercup, ranunculus) is supposed to be good for blisters and can be used to treat asthma if made into a tea.

Creeping Buttercup: Photo by Laura Brolis, Wikimedia Commons

4. Canada Snakeroot (asarum canadense) has a "spicy" flavor and was used to treat catarrh, cough, colds, scarlet fever and lung complaints, such as tuberculosis. It must be said, however, that it is now known to contain a carcinogen.

Asarum canadense: Photo by Chris S. Packard, Wikimedia Commons

5. Comfrey (comphrey, knitbone, boneset) is still used today, and I can actually vouch for the authenticity of this one when used to treat burns. It is also supposed to heal with healing fractures, various skin ailments, bruises, wounds and sprains. Either create a poultice with honey and oil and place it directly on the wound or ailing part, or boil it down and use the extract, or have them drink it as a tea.

Syphytum officinale: Photo by Agnieszka Kwiecień, license: CC-BY 3.0

Well, that's all for now. Join me next time for URINE and its various uses.

Note: Most of these herbs were found in "The Ladies' Indispensable Companion and Family Physician" published in 1854. Another of the remedies for burns found in said book is to burn the inside sole of an old shoe and sprinkle the ashes on the wound...