Happy Birthday, You Mad Bastard

October 18th, Nicholas Culpeper

Nicholas Culpeper,

October 18th, 1616,

When Nirvana sang “Sit and drink pennyroyal tea, distill the life that’s inside of me .. “ from the song Pennyroyal Tea from the album In Utero in 1994, it’s probably no surprise, given the general gist of the album that the song was, in part, about the abortifacient properties of the pennyroyal plant.

For centuries, such plants have been used by women as a means of controlling unwanted pregnancies. Nothing new there. The spectacular wealth of the Roman city of Cyrene, on the coast of Libya, was based almost entirely on the growth and export of the plant silphium, to the extent that the plant became the city’s unofficial symbol and featured on their coins. Nobody is entirely sure what the now-extinct plant was, precisely, but it appears, from the images on coins, to have been a member of the wormwood family, another plant also known to have abortifacient properties. Silphium was exported by the ton from Cyrene around the empire, and one of its recorded usages was in controlling childbirth.

The Empire had a huge population of prostitutes, and anyone who knows me knows I love a Roman prostitute, the woefully underestimated and represented powerhouse of the Roman economy. As they were mainly women and as prostitutes were the lowest members of society, history has been fucking awful to them. Previously, it was thought they were almost constantly pregnant and disposing of newborn children like serial killers. Any archaeological find that contained the remains of more than a few newborn infants was nearly always considered to be the slaughtering ground of the children of prostitutes. Because they’re scum, right? Well, more modern interpretations of such burials are more sympathetic to the women who gave birth to these poor children. None of them ever show any signs of murder, and nothing has ever indicated that prostitutes were responsible. Daft old white men just put two and two together and came up with ‘psycho whores’. Now, they are considered nothing more than the tragedy of a world in which infant mortality was staggering.

What’s more, with a greater understanding of how herbs and plants like silphium worked, it’s become clear that women, in general, have always had access to abortifacients and have always controlled their own decisions when it comes to childbirth. Women had more choices in that respect in 1st Century Rome than they do in 21st Century Texas.

When the silphium of Cyrene was harvested to extinction, the city fell into poverty and never again reached the dizzying wealthy heights it once held. The population of the Roman Empire also began to swell alarmingly, one of the many factors that led to its eventual downfall.

It’s no surprise to learn then that in the 17th Century, pennyroyal was still being recommended for use as an abortifacient. What might come as a surprise is that it was also being recommended to ward off the plague, helping to expel excess gas and as a treatment for vertigo. But in the 17th Century, as to be fair, had been going on for some while before, so-called ‘doctors’ like Nicholas Culpeper had been prescribing all sorts of weird shit for all sorts of daft reasons.

Pennyroyal Tea also contains the line “I'm on my time with everyone, I have very bad posture” and ‘backache’ was also one of the things Culpeper prescribed pennyroyal for, so perhaps he was on to something after all?

Nicholas Culpeper, born on October 18, 1616, in Ockley, Surrey, was an English botanist, herbalist, physician, and astrologer whose work made significant contributions to the field of herbal medicine. Culpeper was born into a family with a strong educational background. His grandfather was a former chancellor at Oxford University, and his father, though dying shortly before Nicholas was born, came from a well-to-do clerical family. This early loss had a profound effect on him, and he was raised primarily by his mother, who ensured he received a good education. Culpeper showed an early interest in classical studies and medicine, which would shape his future career.

At age 16, Culpeper was sent to Cambridge University to study for the clergy, but he quickly became disillusioned with the path laid out for him and instead chose to pursue medicine. His interest in plants and herbal remedies intensified, and he abandoned university life in 1634 to apprentice himself to an apothecary in London. The practice of herbalism and medicine in Culpeper’s time was highly influenced by the use of astrology, and Culpeper embraced these ideas. It was common during this period to link planetary movements to the treatment of ailments, and Culpeper would later integrate these concepts into his most famous works.

Culpeper’s approach to medicine was revolutionary for his time, as he sought to make medical knowledge accessible to the common people. In the early 17th century, medicine was largely in the hands of the wealthy, and professional physicians closely guarded their knowledge. Culpeper believed this knowledge should be made available to the public. He translated and adapted medical texts, which were usually in Latin, into English, so that anyone could access them. This marked a significant departure from the established norms of the medical profession, as it democratized knowledge that had long been reserved for the elite.

One of Culpeper’s most significant contributions was his book The English Physitian, first published in 1652, which became a best-seller and was reprinted many times over the centuries. The work was essentially a comprehensive herbal, cataloguing various plants and their medicinal uses alongside astrological data that linked the plants to different planets. Culpeper’s Complete Herbal, which expanded on this work, remains one of his most famous publications. It described hundreds of plants, their healing properties, and how they could be used to treat various illnesses. The book was highly influential and remains in print today.

Culpeper’s writings were not just confined to herbals; he also worked on translating major medical texts from Latin into English. One of his most notable translations was the Pharmacopoeia Londinensis, a work of the Royal College of Physicians. By translating this into English, Culpeper made a bold statement against the College of Physicians, an institution that had a near monopoly over medical knowledge. This defiance brought him into conflict with the medical establishment of the time, which viewed him as a threat to their status and income. However, Culpeper’s goal was to provide practical medical knowledge to ordinary people who could not afford expensive physicians.

Culpeper was a strong advocate of using herbal remedies over chemical treatments, which were becoming more popular among mainstream physicians. His belief in the healing power of nature was central to his medical philosophy. He argued that God had provided all the necessary remedies in nature and that every illness had a corresponding plant that could cure it. This holistic approach to medicine, rooted in a deep respect for nature, appealed to many people and contributed to the popularity of his works.

In addition to his work as a herbalist and translator, Culpeper was also a practising astrologer. Astrology was deeply intertwined with medicine in the 17th century, and Culpeper’s belief in the influence of the stars on health was not unusual for his time. He used astrological charts to diagnose patients and guide treatment, arguing that certain plants were governed by specific planets and could, therefore, be used to treat ailments associated with those planets. This combination of herbalism and astrology was highly unconventional but resonated with many of his contemporaries.

Culpeper’s career took place during a period of significant political and social upheaval in England. He lived through the English Civil War (1642–1651), a conflict between the monarchy and Parliament that resulted in the execution of King Charles I and the establishment of the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell. Culpeper sided with the Parliamentarians during the war and served as a field surgeon for the New Model Army. His medical experience during the war exposed him to battlefield injuries and illnesses, further informing his practice.

Despite his contributions to medicine and herbalism, Culpeper's professional life was not without controversy. His outspoken criticism of the medical establishment, particularly the Royal College of Physicians, earned him many enemies among the London elite. Culpeper accused the College of Physicians of exploiting the poor and hoarding medical knowledge for financial gain. His publication of the Pharmacopoeia Londinensis in English was a direct challenge to their authority, and although it increased his popularity with the public, it deepened his conflict with the medical profession.

Culpeper died on January 10, 1654, at the age of 37, likely from tuberculosis, which he had suffered from for many years. His early death cut short a career that had already had a profound impact on medicine in England. Despite his relatively short life, Culpeper’s legacy lived on through his writings. His Complete Herbal continued to be printed and used by practitioners of herbal medicine for centuries, and his approach to making medical knowledge accessible influenced the development of healthcare in Britain and beyond.

Today, Culpeper is remembered not only as a pioneer of herbal medicine but also as an advocate for the democratization of medical knowledge. His belief in the power of nature and the accessibility of medicine to all people has left a lasting impact. While some of his methods and beliefs, particularly his reliance on astrology, may seem outdated today, his contributions to the popularization of herbal medicine remain relevant. His works are still studied by those interested in traditional and alternative medicine, and his Complete Herbal is considered a classic in the field.

If you’re interested, Wikipedia has a whole list of plants from The English Physitian that you can laugh at. Click here to see the list.

Here are some, for fun:

Anemone, as a juice applied externally to clean ulcerations, infections and cure leprosy; or inhaled to clear the nostrils

• Bedstraw, boiled in oil and applied externally as a stimulant or consumed as an aphrodisiac; also applied raw externally to stimulate clotting

• Burdock, crushed and mixed with salt, as a treatment for dog bites; taken orally for flatulence, as an analgesic for tooth pain, and to strengthen the back

• Cottonweed, boiled in lye as a treatment for head lice or infestations in cloth or clothing; inhaled for headaches and coughing

• Dittany, as an abortifacient, to induce labour; as a treatment for poisoned weapons, and to draw out splinters and broken bones; the smell is said to drive away "venomous beasts". (One species of dittany, Dictamnus albus, is now known to contain alkaloids, limonoid triterpenoids, flavonoids, sesquiterpenoids, coumarins, and phenylpropane)

• Fleabane, for bites from "venomous beasts", and its smoke for killing gnats and fleas; but dangerous to pregnant women

• Hellebore, causes sneezing if ground and inhaled; for killing rodents if mixed with food. (Hellebore is now known to contain poisonous alkaloids: cardiac glycosides in the roots and ranunculin and protoanemonin, especially in the leaves and sap.)

• Mugwort, for inducing labour, assisting in birth and afterbirth, and easing labour pains

• Pennyroyal, for strengthening the backs of women, assisting with vertigo, and helping expel gas. (The active constituent of pennyroyal is now known to be pulegone.)

• Savory, for helping expel gas, and mixed with peas and beans for this reason

• Wood Betony, for "falling sickness" and headaches, anti-anoretic, "helps sour belchings", cramps, convulsions, bruises, afterbirth, gout, and killing worms