This column first appeared in the Victoria Daily Times on Feb. 15, 1941.
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A few months ago, I wrote about the medicinal plants that had become valuable because of the war, and of the chance that we in sa国际传媒 have now to grow these to supply the drug manufacturers.
I got my material from a government bulletin issued by the Department of Agriculture in Victoria, and additional information from an article printed in the London Spectator.
Since then I have had many letters. Did I really say that the dried roots of couch grass have a value? And dandelions? And many others? Yes, I did. Now that the British herb gardens have been dug up to give place to vegetables, and Holland and Belgium are overrun by Germany, and Spain鈥檚 horticulture is interrupted, new sources must be found for medicinal plants, and sa国际传媒 is asked to come to the aid of the Empire.
Wise people have foreseen this need and already there are foxglove farms on Vancouver Island, and more being planted. From foxglove comes digitalis, the heart regulator.
One thousand tons of cascara bark are used each year, and so care is being taken now to preserve the cascara trees that grow in the woods of this province. There are cascara trees near where I am sitting, rough grey-green trunks that send up many shoots each year. The leaves fall each autumn and the only sure way of knowing it is a cascara tree is to chew a leaf, or a piece of bark. There is no mistaking the bitter taste.
Much is being written now about the problems of youth and how to keep youngsters employed in these modern houses, where gas or oil is burned, and therefore there is no woodbox to fill and no woodshed for heart-to-heart talks with young offenders; light comes by pressing a button, so no one needs to fill lamps or clean lamp chimneys; milk comes in bottles left at back doors, so there are no cows to come lowing to the bars at evening. How then can the young be trained in ways of industry and responsibility?
Let them remove the dandelions from the lawn, clean and dry the roots and sell them. But before entering into any extensive operation, it is as well to find out from the Dominion Herb Distributors of Montreal how the market stands. The address is 1428 St. Lawrence St. Dandelion roots are used in medicine as a laxative and tonic. In Italy and France they are used for wine and for greens. Many Canadians have eaten dandelion greens, too. Other medicinal plants are seneca, anise, thyme, peppermint, juniper, slippery elm and bloodroot.
The list grows. Another plant of value is the Calendula or marigold, which grows easily and blooms continuously. The fence corners are full of them now. It is listed on the National Formulary as a carminative 鈥� that is, painkiller. In country districts, marigold syrup is still used for ulcers of the mouth. The flowers are also used to stop bleeding. During the last war, a noted Sussex garden was given over to the growing of marigolds and bushels of flowers were sent to the hospitals to be used as dressings for wounded soldiers.
Before the ninth century, the monasteries of France and Switzerland began to collect all available condiments and medicinal herbs to help to cure the sick and afflicted who came to their doors, and to add a bit of variety to their vegetable diet. The Normans appreciated highly seasoned food, and bought many herbs with them to Britain and a herb-woman was an employee of the manor houses.
The history of herbs tell the story of mankind. The word 鈥渞ug鈥� means dried roots 鈥� 鈥渄roogan鈥� is the Dutch word.
And now I am going to return to one of the first families of herbs, than which no family has had a more honorable or distinguished history.
The family name is 鈥渓iliacea鈥� (plain lily to you and me), and the members of the family with which we are concerned are called garlic, onions, leeks and chives. I always knew the onion had a noble history. Now listen to this. Garlic was the chief article of diet for the slaves who built the pyramids.
The Israelites depended on it for a part of their sustenance, and when starvation faced them on the long march they complained to Moses. 鈥淲e remember,鈥� they said sadly, 鈥渢he cucumbers, melons, leeks and onions and garlic which we had in Egypt.鈥� There now, that鈥檚 being mentioned in dispatches, surely.
Garlic was known in China as听early at 2000 BC. The whole onion family is listed among the 18听herbs growing in the garden of the monastery of St. Giles in the ninth century and Charlemagne grew them all in his garden at Aix-la-Chappelle for demonstration and revenue. An author of 1608 says: 鈥淵ou are still sending me to the apothecaries, but our apothecary shop is in the garden, and our doctor a good clove of garlic.鈥�
I thought of that when I went to a shop were health foods are sold recently and was advised to eat garlic and parsley for a heart conditioner. Leeks, of course, have the proud distinction of being the national emblem of Wales. Roman literature abounds in references to onions 鈥� sliced onion was used with honey for colds and I was told today that sliced apple and onions eaten at night will break up a cold.
The thought of a herb garden is fascinating, and with the prospect of belt-tightening ahead of us, we are well advised to look into the possibility of adding some of these to our usual plantings of beets, carrots, beans and peas. Parsley, dill, thyme, mint, anise, basil, balm, will grow just as easily, and will add piquancy to stews, meat pie and soups. Clever blending of herbs is the secret of French cooking. What soups, what stews a French cook can make with meat, potatoes, onions and herbs!
And it might be well for us to plant a corner with fennel, remembering all the virtues with which tradition has endowed this plant. The Battle of Marathon was fought on a field covered with fennel. The Romans had fennel for their garlands, but they ate it, too, as a green vegetable, or chopped fine in a salad. It has great powers and is an emblem of victory. It clears the eye and strengthens the heart.
