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Herbal remedies

Herbs were widely used as remedies for all sorts of illnesses. These remedies were often written down in books known as herbals. The books contained pictures of the plants and explanations of how they should be used and in what doses. Herbs were ground using a pestle and mortar and made into liquids to drink or oils for use in ointment.

People used plants that grew locally in their gardens:

• mint for stomach complaints
• garlic for wounds
• lavender for headaches

There were also plants in and around the countryside:

• dandelions for colds and gallstones
• stinging nettles for aching joints and as blood tonics

By the late Middle Ages foreign plants were also being used more frequently. Spices such as pepper, nutmeg and cloves from Asia began to be used in medicine. Their strong smells were believed to help fight off the bad smells, miasma, that people believed caused diseases

Medical Renaissance

The early modern era saw some further developments in treatments. The period from c.1500 to c.1650 is sometimes called the Medical Renaissance.

People began to question the teachings of ancient experts. Andreas Vesalius made discoveries in the study of anatomy that highlighted serious errors made by the Greek physician Galen. An improved understanding of anatomy led to other discoveries, such as those of Ambroise Paré, who developed new methods of surgery.

The invention of printing meant that medical books could be produced more cheaply. This helped ideas to spread rapidly. William Turner authored two important works: Names of Herbs in 1548 and A New Herbal in 1551.

The voyages of discovery saw new medicinal plants introduced into Europe, such as sassafras, which has a wide range of medicinal uses.

However, though there had been some developments in medical knowledge, attempts at curing illness had made little progress since the Middle Ages.