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Title: The Wisdom of Nature: The Healing Powers and Symbolism of Plants and Animals in the Middle Ages by Werner Telesko ISBN: 3-7913-2585-X Publisher: Prestel USA Pub. Date: January, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (1 review)
Rating: 5
Summary: Passing Health
Comment: About 1,300 years ago Charlemagne said that farms under his rule needed to grow sunflowers, scilla, roses, rosemary, peppers, marsh and common mallow, lilies and irises. Author Werner Telesko gives the possible why for growing some of them, by looking at the gardens of medieval monasteries. Monks planted kitchen gardens for food, flower gardens for religious symbolism, and medicinal and herbal gardens for healing. They were skilled gardeners and healers, what with what they learned in copying the manuscripts of ancient medical writers and physicians. For example, Walahfrid Strabo, Abbot of Reichenau, wrote Hortulus, over 1,600 years ago, from the ancient herbal writings of Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder.
Typically for the Middle Ages, ancient medical writings were kept alive, for a Christian purpose. Doctors were to be Christlike in their healings, by putting health back in balance and getting patients to lead Christian lives. Over 1,400 years ago, Isidor, Bishop of Seville, wrote of doing this by diet, then herbals and medicinals, and finally by surgery.
Usually, plants were seen as healing the body part that it most looked like. For example, bryony was supposed to heal dropsy, because it looked like a swollen human leg. But some of the plants in these medieval manuscripts, and from ancient manuscripts, aren't so easily known to us. One such example's the herb moly, from Dioscorides and from Homer's Odyssey
Others are known or can be figured out, because of realistic illustrations. For example, over 600 years ago Jacopo Filippo, a monk from Padua, wrote an herbal by translating an Arabic manuscript by Serapion the Younger of over 500 years earlier. In fact, his melon plant's still praised today for accurate coloring, shading and veining through the different stages of development.
THE WISDOM OF NATURE especially got my attention about what medieval manuscripts said on the dangers, healing qualities and symbolism of foods. In terms of plants, that brought in basil, lilies, mandrake, mint, pomegranates, pumpkins, quinces, roses, rue and violets. In terms of drinks, that just brought in spring water and a snow and ice mix. In terms of animals, that only brought in beef; lampreys; the meat of camels and hares; and spleen.
It's a complicated subject. The author does a good job of writing clearly and putting in beautifully helpful illustrations. His book even gives me a better understanding of two of my favorite, quality medieval mystery series: the Brother Cadfael books by Ellis Peters and the Owen Archer books by Candace Robb.
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Title: Folklore and Symbolism of Flowers, Plants and Trees by Ernst Lehner, Johanna Lehner ISBN: 0486429784 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 23 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: An Aztec Herbal : The Classic Codex of 1552 by William Gates ISBN: 0486411303 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: 31 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: Maya Medicine: Traditional Healing in Yucatan by Marianna Appel Kunow ISBN: 0826328644 Publisher: University of New Mexico Press Pub. Date: May, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: The Book of Magical Herbs: Herbal History, Mystery, & Folklore by Margaret Picton, Michelle Pickering, John Woodcock ISBN: 0764152246 Publisher: Barrons Educational Series Pub. Date: 15 February, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Divine Nature of Plants: Wisdom of the Earth Keepers by Laura Aversano ISBN: 1893183343 Publisher: Granite Publications Pub. Date: 18 December, 2002 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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