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Lamium orvala L. Lamiaceae Balm-leaved red deadnettle. Orvala is the Latinised name for the French name, orvale, for Salvia sclarea Distribution: Southern Europe. I can find no information about it. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
Dr Henry Oakeley- Digital Images
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Teucrium chamaedrys L. Lamiaceae. Wall Germander. Distribution: Europe. Teucrium is named after king Teucer (who lived in the era between 1400 and 1000 BC) the first King of Troy. Dioscorides named a medicinal herb after Teucer, and Linnaeus consolidated this in 1753
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Teucrium fruticans L. Lamiaceae. Tree germander Distribution: Western Mediterranean. Teucrium is named after king Teucer (who lived in the era between 1400 and 1000 BC) the first King of Troy. Dioscorides named a medicinal herb after Teucer, and Linnaeus consolidated this in 1753
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Stachys byzantina K.Koch also known as Stachys lanata. Lamiaceae. Lamb's Ears. Distribution: Europe. Its woolly leaves were regarded as a vulnery, to stop bleeding, which it would have done in a manner similar to cotton-wool, allowing platelets to clot on its hairs. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Teucrium marum L. Lamiaceae Cat Thyme Distribution: Europe. Teucrium is named after Teucer (who lived in the era between 1400 and 1000 BC) the first King of Troy. Dioscorides named a medicinal herb after Teucer, and Linnaeus consolidated this in 1753. Assume property is the same as Germander, Teucrium chamaedrys. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Teucrium scorodonia 'Crispum Marginatum' L. Lamiaceae Distribution: Europe Teucrium is named after king Teucer (who lived in the era between 1400 and 1000 BC) the first King of Troy. Dioscorides named a medicinal herb after Teucer, and Linnaeus consolidated this in 1753. Probably the Scordium or Water Germander. It was given very similar properties. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Rosmarinus officinalis L. Lamiaceae Rosemary. Woody perennial. Distribution: Mediterranean. Quincy (1718) commended the flowers for epilepsy, apoplexy, palsies, uterine obstruction, jaundice, gout, and syringed into the ear with warm water for dislodging wax. It is licensed for use in Traditional Herbal Medicines in the UK (UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)). Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Westringia longifolia R.Br. Lamiaceae. Long leaf Westringia. Shrub. Distribution: Australia. Commemorates Dr Johan (John) Peter Westring (sometimes West Ring (1753-1833), also known as Johan Petter Westrin), physician to King Karl XIV of Sweden, and a keen lichenologist. He was born in Linköping, Sweden, where his father was a shoemaker. No information has been found for any medicinal use or toxicity, Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Cedronella canariensis (L.)Webb & Berthel. Basionym Dracocephalum canariense. Lamiaceae. Canary balm, Balm-of-Gilead, Canary Island tea. It smells slightly resinous of cedar, hence the diminutive name Cedronella. Perennial herb. Distribution: Canary Islands. True Balm-of-Gilead is the sap of the poplar, Populus candicans. It was drunk as a tea, and the aroma was believed to relieve colds. No medicinal use. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Plectranthus argentatus S.T.Blake Lamiaceae Silver spurflower. Herbaceous perennial. Distribution: Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. Little is known of its chemical constituents. It does contain many novel diterpenoids in its leaf glands (Alder, A.C. et al, Helvetica Chimica Acta, 2004, 67(6): 1523 – 1530).This genus has had some species from the genus Coleus incorporated into it, and these form a separate clade on phylogenetic analysis. The species in the ‘Coleus’ clade have a higher incidence of medicinal usage, being used to treat digestive, skin, infective and respiratory problems. They contain monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, and diterpenoids. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Prostanthera ovalifolia R.Br. Lamiaceae Alpine anise bush, Oval leaf Mintbush, Purple mintbush. Woody shrub. Distribution: Australia. Minty flavoured leaves used in jams and jellies. Various essential oils are produced from commercially grown P. ovalifolia (cis-dihydroagarofuran, kessane, 1,8-cineole which is also known as eucalyptol, p-cymene,) and P. cuneata also contains eucalyptol. Concentrations of essential oils in the plants vary according to the clonal variety, growing conditions and time of year. Aboriginal peoples used Prostanthera leaves in medicinal ointments and washes, but one species, P. striatiflora, was used to poison waterholes to kill visiting emu (Hegarty, 2001). Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Acinos alpinus (L.) Moench. Lamiaceae. Rock thyme. Small herbaceous perennial. Distribution: C. and S. Europe. This is Mountain wild Basill, Clinopodium alpinum, of Parkinson (1640), the Teucrium Alpinum and Clinopodium Alpinum hirsutum of Bauhin. Then as now, when it has the synonyms Thymus alpinus, Satureja alpina and Calamintha alpina, its nomenclature has been confused. It is unlikely to be the Acinos or Clinopodium of Theophrastus or Disocorides. Dioscorides gives opposing medicinal uses to the plants he knows by these two names, and Parkinson (1640) makes no judgement as to its uses. Reportedly drunk as a tea in Greece, but evidence for it being used historically for fevers is lacking. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Prunella vulgaris L. Lamiaceae Self Heal, Carpenter’s Herb, Sicklewort, Consolida minor. Distribution: Europe. Culpeper (1650): ‘See Bugle. So shall I not need to write the same thing twice, the vertues being the same.’ Under Bugle he writes: ‘Bugula. Bugle or middle Comfrey ... excellent for falls or inward bruises, for it dissolves congealed blood, profitable for inward wounds, helps the rickets and other stoppings of the Liver, outwardly it is of wonderful force in curing wounds and ulcers, though festered, as also gangrenes and fistulas, it helps broken bones and dislocations. To conclude, let my countrymen esteem it as a Jewel...’ Bugle is Ajuga reptans which has the same creeping habit, but is in another genus. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Salvia coahuilensis Fernald Lamiaceae Coahuila Sage. Perennial shrub. Distribution: Mexico. Most of the historical medicinal literature is on common sage, Salvia officinalis. The name Salvia meaning 'healthy'. Elizabeth Blackwell (1737) wrote that it had "... all the noble Properties of the other hot Plants more especially for the Head, Memory, Eyes, and all Paralytical Affections. In short, 'tis a Plant endu'd with so many and wonderful Properties, as that the assiduous use of it is said to render Men Immortal" with which Hans Sloane agreed. Its health giving properties were recorded in the aphorisms of the School of Salerno (fl 9-13th century) - quoted in the Decameron [c.1350, translated: Why should man die when Salvia grows in the Garden']. Some salvias, such as Salvia divinorum contain hallucinogenic compounds. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Salvia nemorosa L. Lamiaceae Woodland sage. Balkan clary Distribution: Central Europe, Western Asia. Most of the historical medicinal literature is on common sage, Salvia officinalis. The name Salvia meaning 'healthy'. Elizabeth Blackwell (1737) wrote that it had "... all the noble Properties of the other hot Plants more especially for the Head, Memory, Eyes, and all Paralytical Affections. In short, 'tis a Plant endu'd with so many and wonderful Properties, as that the assiduous use of it is said to render Men Immortal" with which Hans Sloane agreed. Linnaeus (1782) also: 'Timor, Languor, Leucorrhoea, Senectus [fear, tiredness, white vaginal discharge, old age]'. Its health giving and immortality conferring properties were recorded in the aphorisms of the School of Salerno (fl 9-13th century) - quoted in the Decameron [c.1350, translated: Why should man die when Salvia grows in the Garden']. Some salvias, such as Salvia divinorum contain hallucinogenic compounds. Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi Lamiaceae. Baikal skullcap. Distribution: China. There are several hundred species of Scutellaria, also known as skull caps, so correct identification is important - in particular from Scutellaria lateriflora an American species known as Blue skullcap. The latter is used as an abortifacient and to expel placenta by the Cherokee and for cleaning the throat by the Iroquois (Austin, 2004). Much vaunted as a treatment for rabies with unlikely statistics (1,400 cases cured by one doctor alone). Also as ‘antispasmodic, nervine, [for] chorea, convulsions, tetanus, tremors, delirium tremens, [and as a] diaphoretic and diuretic'. Toxicity symptoms include mental confusion, stupor, headache, vertigo, photophobia, dilated pupils, difficulty in micturition, bradycardia, tremulousness and languor, followed by wakefulness and restlessness (Milspaugh, 1974). Hutchens (1991) reported that it reduces sexual desire and was used for almost every nervous illness. Scutellaria baicalensis contains baicalin, baicalein and wogonin (European Medicines Agency, September 2010). It is used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for treating inflammation, cancer, bacterial and viral infections of the lungs and gut and is one of the '50 Chinese herbs' in the lists of some authors. Scutellaria lateriflora (combined with Verbena officinalis, Passiflora incarnata and the seed of Avena sativa (oats) is licensed for use in Britain as a herbal medicine for temporary relief of mild symptoms of stress such as mild anxiety and to aid sleep, based upon traditional use only. Scutellaria baicalensis is not licensed for use in the UK (UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)). Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Origanum dictamnus L. Lamiaceae Dittany of Crete, Hop marjoram. Distribution: Crete. Culpeper (1650) writes: ‘... hastens travail [labour] in women, provokes the Terms [menstruation] . See the Leaves.’ Under 'Leaves' he writes: ‘Dictamny, or Dittany of Creet, ... brings away dead children, hastens womens travail, brings away the afterbirth, the very smell of it drives away venomous beasts, so deadly an enemy is it to poison, it’s an admirable remedy against wounds and Gunshot, wounds made with poisoned weapons, draws out splinters, broken bones etc. They say the goats and deers in Creet, being wounded with arrows, eat this herb, which makes the arrows fall out of themselves.' Dioscorides’ Materia Medica (c. 100 AD, trans. Beck, 2005), Pliny the Elder’s Natural History and Theophrastus’s Enquiry into Plants all have this information, as does Vergil’s Aeneid where he recounts how Venus produced it when her son, Aeneas, had received a deadly wound from an arrow, which fell out on its own when the wound was washed with it (Jashemski, 1999). Dioscorides attributes the same property to ‘Tragium’ or ‘Tragion’ which is probably Hypericum hircinum (a St. John’s Wort): ‘Tragium grows in Crete only ... the leaves and the seed and the tear, being laid on with wine doe draw out arrow heads and splinteres and all things fastened within ... They say also that ye wild goats having been shot, and then feeding upon this herb doe cast out ye arrows.’ . It has hairy leaves, in common with many 'vulnaries', and its alleged ability to heal probably has its origin in the ability of platelets to coagulate more easily on the hairs (in the same way that cotton wool is applied to a shaving cut to hasten clotting). Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
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Chemical examination of Micromeria chamissonis (yerba buena) / by Frederick B. Power and Arthur H. Salway.
Power, Frederick B. (Frederick Belding), 1853-1927.Date: [1908]- Books
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An experimental inquiry into the chemical and medical properties of the statice limonium of Linnaeus / by Valentine Mott.
Mott, Valentine, 1785-1865.Date: 1806- Pictures
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Four flowering plants, one possibly a labiate. Watercolour, c. 1870.
Date: 1870Reference: 28545i- Pictures
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Four flowering plants, one possibly a labiate. Watercolour, c. 1870.
Date: 1870Reference: 28547i- Pictures
Two flowering plants, one of the Labiatae family. Watercolour.
Reference: 23419i- Pictures
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Four flowering plants, one possibly a toad lily (Tricyrtis species). Watercolour, c. 1870.
Date: 1870Reference: 28592i- Pictures
A plant (Salvia species): flowering stems. Watercolour, 1856.
Date: 1856Reference: 22144i- Pictures
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Two flowering plants, one possibly a Stachys species. Watercolour.
Reference: 22909i