annieb123's Review of Medieval Plants and their Uses

by Michael Brown

Plants were an essential part of medieval life. Most people lived in houses made of wood and thatch, which often accidentally burned down when they cooked their food or huddled over wood fires to keep warm. People wore linen clothing dyed with plants. They drank ale, cider and wine as they danced to music played on wooden instruments. Beauty, love and seduction could all be made easier with a few herbal preparations. If you became ill, plants provided many of the cures. The unwary may have mistaken a poisonous plant for one that was good to eat, with fatal consequence. Others may have used the poisonous plant to remove an unwanted rival. Some plants had magical properties. The mysterious mandrake could kill anybody who tried to dig it up without taking the appropriate precautions. Demons could be summoned or dismissed by the aid of plants. The church used powerful incense to clean the air and induce a sense of religious euphoria.

This book is designed to give a broad introduction to the plants that were used during the medieval period. With many colourful photos, a list of plants that were available and some original medieval recipes to try, you can set out on an adventure to explore the wonderful world of medieval plants.

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Medieval Plants and their Uses is a concise and well written herbal history of plants by Michael Brown. Released 2nd Dec 2022 by Pen & Sword on their White Owl imprint, it's 184 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a well presented and layman accessible monograph on the historical importance of plants and agriculture to medieval society. The author is engaged and very knowledgeable, and that enthusiasm (and expertise) comes through clearly in the text.

The book is arranged thematically: medieval vegetables, fruits & nuts, grains, plants & medicine, symbolism & superstition, magical & mysterious, love seduction & beauty, childbirth babies & nursemaids, clothing laundry & household tips, dyes inks & paints, animal health care, harvesting & preserving, fun things to do, and and plant lists with charts in alphabetical order showing botanical & common names for various types of plants including abbreviated uses and historical names in the literature from the medieval period.

The book is enhanced throughout with colour photographs of subject plants as well as diagrams and facsimiles of period illustrations.

Four and a half stars. A valuable and interesting read. It would make a good choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, smallholding, allotment garden library, historical re-enactors, and similar.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reading updates

11 March, 2023: Started reading

11 March, 2023: Finished reading

11 March, 2023: Reviewed