Lesson Fourteen ~ The Use of Herbs
Herbal remedies were popularly used throughout the ancient world. Whilst no truly old Celtic herbal books have survived, many medieval manuscripts are extant and give remedies that were probably quite similar to what the Iron Age peoples were using.
Irish myth gives us the story of the goddess Airmid, daughter of the surgeon deity Diancecht. Her brother Miach followed his father into the surgical arts (mastering the skills of organ transplant and reattaching severed limbs.) Following a family row, Miach was killed and 365 herbs grew from his grave. Airmid gathered these herbs and laid them on a cloak, placing each one over the part of the body that it effected. Her father did not wish this knowledge to fall into mortal hands, and so scattered the herbs. Only Airmid can remember what each does. We can only speculate that the early healers may well have used 365 plants, and learnt the uses of each one. There is an obvious link here with the calendar, and the fact that there is one herb for each day of the year. Astrology continued to have a major impact on medicine for thousands of years, and maybe the Druids also used the stars to help either diagnose illness, or decide on the best treatment.
Another goddess strongly associated with the healing arts is Brigid. One of the three sisters who make up the Brigid is referred to as The Healer. The Gaelic word for a flame, lus, is also the word for a healing herb (and probably the original form of the Ogam letter L.) The dandelion is one particular plant named after Brigid, in Gaelic.
Back in Lesson 11 we discussed the role of hospitals and medical care in early Gaelic society. In addition to formally trained healers, many people would have learnt some basic healing techniques passed down the generations ~ herbal concoctions for treating coughs, colds, bruises, sprains and everyday problems. Scottish women who conducted basic healing within the family were referred to as Cailleach-nan-Cearc, meaning hen wives, and were much like the wise women of English villages. Many of the herbal cures and spells of the Gaelic wise women survived into recent times, and were recorded by folklorists. How old these traditions are is uncertain, but many do seem to echo the ideas of a much earlier period. Even the more recent ones are worth learning about, if they prove to work well (we shouldn’t ignore something just because it is new.)
A popular technique for healing was the eolas. This combined a herbal concoction with a prayer, chant or other spell that had to be sung over either the herbs as they were prepared, or the patient as they were healed. The Carmina Gadelica contains many such eolas spells, collected by Alexander Carmichael when he travelled the Scottish Highlands and Islands during Victorian times.
A good example of a eolas chant comes from the blind poet Ailein Dall. Another Victorian writer, William Sharp (using the pseudonym of Fiona Macleod), recorded Ailein’s healing spell, which was used to cure an amadan (a madman or simple-minded person, the word can be used for either condition.) The original version has one more verse invoking various Christian figures. The original last two lines of the section printed below called upon the Son of Peace (Jesus) and the Heart of Mary. I have changed them to make them usable in a Druid ritual. The Yellow Shepherd and the Wandering Shepherdess referred to in the fifth verse are probably the sun and the moon respectively.
Deep peace I breathe into you,
O weariness, here:
O ache, here!
Deep peace, a soft white dove to you;
Deep peace, a quiet rain to you;
Deep peace, an ebbing wave to you!
Deep peace, red wind of the east from you;
Deep peace, grey wind of the west to you;
Deep peace, dark wind of the north from you;
Deep peace, blue wind of the south to you!
Deep peace, pure red of the flame to you;
Deep peace, pure white of the moon to you;
Deep peace, pure green of the grass to you;
Deep peace, pure brown of the earth to you;
Deep peace, pure grey of the dew to you,
Deep peace, pure blue of the sky to you!
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the sleeping stones to you!
Deep peace of the Yellow Shepherd to you,
Deep peace of the Wandering Shepherdess to you,
Deep peace of the Flock of Stars to you,
Deep peace of the Old Gods to you,
Deep peace of the Shining Ones to you.
Another popular magical healing practice was the Beannachd na Cuairte, which means “blessing of the circle”. A large ring would be woven out of healing plants, such as woodbine, through which the patient could be passed (one person either side to support the patient’s head and feet.) Usually the person would be passed through three times, and then the decorative ring chopped up into nine pieces (or just burnt.) The number nine crops up in various contexts in Celtic mythology, as well as appear in Norse mythology where a disease-causing serpent was hacked into nine parts and nine healing herbs created from the venom. In Egyptian mythology an ancient papyrus describing how to defeat the serpent of chaos was divided into nine chapters ~ curioser and curioser!
Similar ideas can be found in other parts of the country, where a diseased person is passed through a man-made or naturally occurring ring. The Men-a-Tol stones in Cornwall have one big stone with natural hole in it, large enough to pass a sick child through for a blessing from the stone. Psychologists tend to get all Freudian and see images of vaginas and rebirth here, but we shouldn’t automatically assume that our distant ancestors were as obsessed about such things as we have become since the days of Victorian repression. They may have recognised a power present in the stone, and have agreed on the passing-through with the spirit of the stone, as a means of seeking its assistance.
The Welsh have a book of herbal medicine called ‘Physicians of the Myddfai’. This book contains the healing techniques passed down a particular family of doctors that served in the Myddfai area of Wales as far back as the Middle Ages. The doctors were Christian, and the book contains many references to Jesus, Mary and the Saints. Some of the ideas on health are clearly influenced by Greek philosophy, but many of the recipes probably date back to pagan times. The book contains a whole list of diseases and the herbal concoctions used to treat them. One of the botanical gardens in Wales today is trying to regrow a lot of these herbs.
Sticking with the earlier theme of nine sacred things, we will have a brief look at nine herbs used in Britain for many centuries. Before getting over-excited and running out to use these (or any other) plants, bear in mind that first it’s worth learning about safe doses, learning to tell the difference between healing herbs and poisonous ones etc! You might also want to give some thought to how you gather them ~ make sure not too pick too many, or the crop might not be there next year. Talk to the herb before you pick it. Plants have spirits too, and can be communicated with. The plant may be willing to give a few leafs, flowers etc in exchange for an offering. If it can be taken willingly, the potency of the plant is quite likely to be improved.
Crios Cuchulainn ~ Meadowsweet (filipendula ulmaria). This beautiful plant has delicate white flowers that open in September. It derives its English name from its popular use in sweetening mead, and can still be used in this way when brewing mead for ritual usage. As the Gaelic name suggests, it was popularly associated with the warrior Cuchulainn, there being a legend that he used a bath of this herb to heal himself when fevered. In the days before carpets, it was a popular herb for spreading on the floor. As people walked over it, the crushed leafs released a pleasant aroma. It was often recommended as a potion for treating upset stomachs.
Liath-lus ~ Mugwort (artemisia vulgaris). In Gaelic this means “the grey herb”. Mugwort is popular still as a tea to aid clairvoyant skills and lucid dreaming. Stronger doses were also used for treating intestinal worms, constipation and menstrual cramps. In medieval times mugwort was used as a good luck charm for travellers.
Lus-na-fala ~ Yarrow (achillia millfolia). Before the introduction of hops, yarrow was a popular plant for making strong beer. Medicinally, it was very popular for treating fevers and for assisting with liver illnesses. It was also commonly used to treat cystitis, and used externally for cleansing wounds.
Suibheag ~ Raspberry (rubus idaeus). As well as the fruit being used for food and drink, the leafs can be made into a tea. This was often used to treat labour pains, but is best not given to women earlier on in their pregnancy. Stronger doses were often recommended to people suffering from diarrhea.
Athair an Talmhainn ~ Camomile (anthemis nobilis). The flower heads and leafs remain popular as a tea for calming nerves and treating insomnia. It has also been used for curing diarrhea, and sooting upset stomachs. Generally the tea has long been used for curing indigestion.
Bainne bo Buidhe ~ Cowslip (primula veris). The Gaelic name means ‘yellow milk cow’. Cowslip wine used to be a very popular tonic. A balm can be made from the flowers, which are best collected in spring, that helps with sunburn, and some other skin problems. The flowers are often used by herbalists for treating arthritis. The root helps with conditions like whooping cough and bronchitis.
Bearnan Brighde ~ Dandelion (taraxacum officinalis). As the Gaelic name suggests, this plant is especially associated with Brigid (both the saint and the goddess.) Its main use was a diuretic, helping people piss more – which cleanses the system of toxins. It was also frequently used in the treatment of jaundice, and a few other liver conditions. Dandelion leafs can also be added to salads.
Some questions for you to think about:
Have you used herbs before to any extent ~ in cooking, brewing, healing, spells, incense making etc?
Have you ever attempted to communicate with a plant, or felt any sort of sapient presence from one?
Have you ever gone vegetarian, or changed your diet in anyway to include foods that you thought might be healthier? How did you feel?.
Practical exercise:
If you haven’t already got one, create a herb garden (use a trough if you live in a flat.) If you already possess such a thing, use edible herbs to create a healing concoction for yourself, a pet, or another person. Check that none of the herbs would be adverse tot he person being treated first!