HERB - Period references and lists

khkeeler kkeeler at unlinfo.unl.edu
Fri May 8 07:01:33 PDT 1998


Christine A Seelye-King wrote:
> 
> >> >>> You know what I really wish we had? A comprehensive reference of
> plants that are listed in original source material and any other period
> source material [....]
> 
> Well, I knew it was a good idea when we started to work on it.  Mistress
> Rhiannon and I wanted to start with articles about individual herbs, and
> work up from there.  We have found a very good web site that lists ALL of
> the properties that have been tested in MANY plants.  What we were
> specifically looking for was information on *Counterindications*.  I feel
> that this very important information is very lacking in most sources.
> I will have to go on-line to get that web address, and then I will post
> it to the list.  I'm for this project though, it could get pretty big,
> but I think the chance to design our own herbal is wonderful.  I have
> taught a class in the History of Herbals, and I will also review that to
> see if I can add anything here.
>         More to come...
>         Christianna

I hear a lot of different goals here. 
A list of plant names, a list of herbals, a list including safety
statements,
our own herbal

Going back to the plant reference list--it needs scientific name, and
I'd like to include plant family because it lets you search if you're
off a little (a search on the mint family would get you balm and
peppermint and catnip and calamint) which might answer your question
where just going for "catmint" might draw a blank.
Common names are going to be many many.
I'd argue scientific name/ plant family/ period name/ Period source(s)
in which it appears/ some modern common names /comment 
	would be enough for quite a while.  Armed with the scientific name you
can search  medical botany and professional herbalism sources to find
what is known about efficacy and safety.  The list can and should be
linked to pages with recipes for salves and using herbs in foods.

It is also my impression that the SCA still prohibits any herbal taken
internally unless you can prove its safe by modern standards.  Taking a
stand on safety on an SCA webpage strikes me as a risk we don't want.

Agnes

Agnes deLanvallei, Mag Mor, Calontir
kkeeler1 at unl.edu
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