Literary Lunch: Margaret Willes on ‘Nature’s Apothecary’

Herbs have been used for centuries to cure all manner of ailments. In the Middle Ages, before the advent of affordable healthcare, monastery gardens were used to cultivate plants to treat both the monks’ own house and the surrounding secular community. Information about the medicinal properties of plants was gathered into books known as herbals, which gained a much-increased audience with the advent of printing.

This beautiful book features 100 plants showing how herbs, as well as flowers, fruit and vegetables, have been used medicinally. Drawn from the writings of a range of herbalists, particularly John Gerard and Nicholas Culpeper, the text is accompanied by exquisite illustrations from the renowned Herball by Gerard, first published in 1597. Together with recipes from household books, these selections give a fascinating history of nature’s role in both formal and folk medicine.