Culpepper was Re: HERB - Wemon Cycle issues

[Jenne Heise]

On Sat, 21 Aug 1999, Roberta R Comstock wrote:
> Culpepper isn't necessarily a good cross reference in terms of modern
> uses of herbs and plant safety.  Try one of the modern medicinal herbals.
> 
> Hertha

You know, I'm curious as to the popularity of Culpepper in the SCA. For
one thing, it's postperiod. For another thing, the histories of herbals
I've looked at seemed to imply there was a good chance that a lot of his
materials were 'made up'-- that is, he was not recording local usage, but
only his own personal formulas -- and that he was considered something of
a kook in his time.

Having just ordered a copy of the Complete edition (for the formulas,
etc. that the standard editions leave out), I know that it's actually a
reprint of _The English Physician_ which he claimed was a reprinting of
the lore of the physician's colleges/guilds. However, even given the
astrological theories of the time, I've heard that his assignments of
signs to plans was non-standard for the time.  What do you all think?

And speaking of kooks, I've just picked up a copy of _The Elixirs of
Nostradamus_, which is supposedly out of print, at a local discount place.
Has anyone ever heard of this, or have any information on it? (Other than
me, of course, as I've got a copy.) It claims to be a translation of two
books Nostradamus wrote in the 1550s on cosmetics and on fruit
jellies/preserves...

Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise	      jenne at tulgey.browser.net
 "in verbis et in herbis, et in lapidibus sunt virtutes"
(In words, and in plants, and in stones, there is power.)

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