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Article By: LeeDobbins
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Medieval Herbs
The Medieval herb garden was a helpful and beautiful place, if it was used for medicine, seasoning or even quiet meditation. By visiting New York's Cloisters, you can observe a modern sample of what they were like. Even though it was built in the 1930's, it was made to mirror its Medieval counterpart almost identically. The designers of the Cloisters met their goal excellently.
Even though New York's seasons vary greatly from freezing winters, hot and humid summers, and soggy Spring and Fall, the Cloisters flourish; including the herb garden, an important piece of the Bonnefont cloister.
It isn't an exact replica of any particular herb garden, as it's base was from many sources. The results are the standard features of any historical herb garden, like wattle fences, raised beds, and a central wellhead. These Medieval herbs form an enviable centerpiece when surrounded by other plants and orchards that many home practitioners try to copy.
Most are held in appropriate pots which resemble those often found during that period. They let herbalists bring more fragile ones in during winter, when New York temperatures dip well below zero Fahrenheit and snow is a common sight.
Medieval herbs were often used to keep evil spirits away or thought to have possessed magic powers, which was the case with dill. Rosemary was believed to prevent the plague, and sage was used to help epileptics.
At the Cloisters, herbs can be found placed in nine specific collections based on the original medieval groupings. The first group is for absinthe and thistles, while the second is dedicated to herbs used in medical applications, such as licorice or St. John's Wort. Aromatics such as lavender and lemon balm are in the third group.
Caraway and Fennel, Parsley and Borage were used for cooking. Other herbs like Meadow Rue were used for questionable reasons and there were herbs that were thought to be magical like Herb Robert.
Despite the availability of the same plants, modern day herbalists are using medieval herbs less than in past times when their use was wide-spread. The medicinal properties of these herbs is more publicly discussed and correlates with similar uses of those in ancient times.
Article Source: ArticleZones.com
About the Author
You can learn more about all types of herbs including medicinal herbs, culinary herbs and even medieval herbs at http://basicherbgardeningtips.com/ where you will get basic tips for growing herbs both indoors and out.
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