Herb History
The history of herbs, the folklore and legends often read like something from a horror movie - scorpions in the brain, worms in the brain, and all sorts of univited guests making their way into the bodies of their victims. And through it all, physicians tried their best to use what was available to them to treat and cure their patients. Herbs were often part of the cure and in some cases the cause of the problem.
Throughout history many herbs took on a religious significance and were credited with providing protection from evil spirits, ghosts, and even the devil. Many are mentioned in the Bible and some have become controversial or mis-identified due to differences in translations.
Many of the healing and other powers attributed to herbs are reflected in their names and prior to our building this site, we had no idea that the herbs we cover on Our Herb Garden have such a varied and sometimes dubious past.
We have included the thoughts and theories of many of the doctors and experts of their time including Pliny, Culpepper and a host of other medical, botanical and horticultural scholars.
We hope you enjoy the herbal histories we've included and in time we hope to include a history of every herb we discuss. In the meantime, we invite you to journey back through history and see the clever and downright ridiculous uses that mankind has found for herbs.
A list of the reference materials and sources we have used can be found on our About Us page.
Herb History & Folklore
Many of the culinary herbs we discuss on Our Herb Garden have long and varied histories. The following list identifies those herbs that we have researched and included on this site/
History of Angelica
Name Origin & Early History, Origins, & Early Uses
History of Anise
General History, Medicinal Uses, & Anise and The Animal World
History of Basil
Name Origin & Royal References, Once Thought to Be Harmful, Migration, & Modern History
History of Caraway
Name Origins, Early History, Folklore, The Shakespearean and Victorian Connection, Medicinal Uses, and Modern Uses of Caraway
History of Catnip
Names Origins and General History
History of Coriander
Names Origins, Early Uses & Folklore, and Medicinal Uses of Coriander
History of Cumin
Early History & Folklore, and Medicinal Uses of Cumin
History of Fennel
General History, Historical Medicinal Uses, Fennel As An Antidote, and Modern Medicinal Uses
History of Hyssop
General History, Folklore, Early Medicinal Uses, and Modern Medicinal Uses
History of Lavender
General History
History of Lavender - Folklore & Medicinal Uses
Folklore, Historical Medicinal Uses, and Modern Medicinal Uses
History of Mint
General History and Spearmint Uses
History of Parsley
Folklore and General History
History of Peppermint
General History and Peppermint Uses
History of Rosemary
General History, Rosemary & Weddings, Thievery Cure, Early Medical Uses,
Early Folklore & Non-Medicinal Uses of Rosemary, and Hungary Water
History of Tarragon
Name Origins, Folklore, & General History
History of Thyme
Name Origins, Folklore, & Natural and Medicinal Uses