HERB - Re: Arnica

[Gaylin Walli]

Mistress Christianna wrote:

>So Arnica is an old-world plant used in period?  That's interesting
>information to have.

And I responded with:
>Well, I only have secondary and tertiary mention of it, but I
>think yes.

I should have said "I'm sure, yes." I went home last night and
continued looking for the reference that I had and found it.

>From Reader's Digest "Magic and Medicine of Plants":

  In 1565 a Swiss Naturalist named Konrad von Gessner
  tested arnica [Arnica montana L.] by taking a dose
  [internally] himself. Then he wrote to a friend
  declaring that there had been no ill effect. Less
  than an hour later, Gesner was dead, presumably of
  arnica poisoning (p. 88).

I've not been able to find reference to the letter or
the friend anywhere else. However, I have a theory about
why he chose to take the arnica internally.

According to several online sources, "Gessner died in Zurich,
of the plague, in 1565 at the age of 49" (austrailian museum
online http://www.austmus.gov.au/is/icones/author.htm). If
he knew he was dying of the plague, he may have taken the
bern with hopes of (1) curing himself or (2) using his
body to ward off the fast death. Arnica has been known
to have been employed in cases where people have suddenly
fallen ill with fevers or falling sickness. Most of these
cases (as far as the books I have go) state that the people
needed the herb to seriously stimulate blood pressure.
Gessner may have taken it with hopes of using the increased
blood pressure to his advantage to ward off the plague.

Of course, this is only a theory based on extremely thin
evidence. *shrug* Lacking the original sources or some
confirmation from people who have studied the lives of
Swiss naturalists, I can't confirm it. :)

So there it is. How I spend my evenings. The guys at work
use it to their advantage because they know I jsut can't
stand not reacting to the questions "Do you know anything
about X herb?" or "Does Y herb have any uses today other than
in cooking?" I think that qualifies me as a nut. Welcome to
the club.

Cheers!

Jasmine "who wrote all this without caffeine" de Cordoba

Jasmine de Cordoba, Midrealm (Metro-Detroit area of Michigan)
jasmine at infoengine.com or g.walli at infoengine.com

"Si enim alicui placet mea devotio, gaudebo; si autem
nulli placet, memet ipsam tamen juvat quod feci."
-- Hroswith of Gandersheim
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