281 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
281 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
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An Introduction to the Doctrine of Signatures Tamarra S. James
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It is unthinkable that any serious student of herbal
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medicine would be unaware of the existence of a diagnostic system
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called, "The Doctrine of Signatures". Most people have read of
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it in passing with little or no explanation. In the historical
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perspective, it is one of the most important modes of medical
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thinking to have evolved, and it was expounded in medical texts
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from the middle of the sixteen hundreds right up to the end of
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the nineteenth century.
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The Doctrine of Signatures is most notable in that it was not
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originally formulated for the medical profession. It took shape
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as a spiritual philosophy that had as its base the simple concept
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that God had marked everything he had created with a sign. This
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sign was a clear indicator of the item's true purpose as intended
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by God.
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There are allusions to this sort of theory in the writings of
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Galen A.D. 131-200. But it was not until the publication of
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Jacob Boehme's Book "Signatura Rerum; The Signature of all
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Things" was published in the first half of the seventeenth
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century that it took form as a complete philosophy.
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Jacob Boehme was not a learned man, he was in fact, a
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shoemaker from a poor family just outside Goerlitz, Germany. In
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1600, he was visited by a sudden illumination of the mind in
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which was made clear to him the doctrine he espoused for the
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remainder of his life. He published his revelations in the book,
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"Aurora" 1612, and was promptly exiled from his home town by the
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city council on the advice of the pastor of Goerlitz. The city
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council reversed the banishment the next day on the condition
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that he wrote no further books. He was apparently unable to
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comply with the conditions and left for Prague the next year. He
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died in 1624 having authored two books and several treatises on
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the subject of his visions.
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The first person to look on Boehme's theories as something more
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secularly useful than a method for spiritual meditations was
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Paracelsus who was writing in the first half of the sixteen
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hundreds. Paracelsus is considered by modern scholars to be the
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father of modern chemistry, and he did much in his lifetime to
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popularise the Doctrine of Signatures in its medical application.
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(Put in its simplest terms, the Doctrine states that by
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careful observation one can learn the uses of a plant from some
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aspect of its form or place of growing.) The level of signature
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often got a little far fetched, and it would seem that this was a
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case of attempting to make the known facts fit the popular
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theory. In a period where most of the world was still largely
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illiterate, it is likely that the Doctrine of Signatures was
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useful as a mnemonic aid for the apprentice who was learning by
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observation and rote.
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I will give here a series of examples from William Cole who was
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writing in the Seventeenth Century and was greatly influenced by
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the teachings of Paracelsus. They will give you some idea of the
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practical application of the Doctrine. These examples are taken
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from notes that were intended to teach the practices of medicine.
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His books are titled, "The Art of Simpling" and "Adam in Eden".
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The distilled water of Hawthorn: "It is found by good experience,
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that if cloathes and spunges be wet in the said water and applyed
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to any place whereinto thornes, splinters etc. have entered and
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be there abiding, it will notably draw forth, so that the thorn
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gives a medicine for its own prickling." The signature is in the
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thorn itself in this case.
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Lung wort, due to the spots on its leaves was related to
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Pulmonary complaints.
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Plants with yellow flowers or roots, such as Goldenrod were
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believed to cure conditions of Jaundice by the signature of
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colour.
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Plants with a red signature were used for blood disorders.
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John Gerard states in his herbal when speaking of St. John's
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Wort, "The leaves, flowers and seeds stamped, and put into a
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glass with oile olive, and set in the hot sunne for certaine
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weeks togather and then strained from those herbes, and the like
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quantity of new put in, and sunned in like manner, doth make an
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oile of the colour of blood, which is a most precious remedy for
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deep wounds..." In this sort of case, the doctrine goes a little
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far in demanding that the preparation be made before the
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signature evidences itself.
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The petals of the Iris were commonly used as a poultice for
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bruising because of the signature of colour, the petals
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resembling in hue the bruise they were to alleviate.
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Beyond the signature of colour was that of form. If a portion of
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a plant resembled an organ or other part of the Human Anatomy, it
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was believed to be beneficial to that part, thus, Cole speaks of
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Lily of the Valley in the following terms, " It cureth apoplexy
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by Signature; for as that disease is caused by the dropping of
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humours into the principal ventricles of the brain: so the
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flowers of this Lily hanging on the plants as if they were drops,
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are of wonderful use herein."
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Poplar or "Quaking Aspen" leaves were used for shaking
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Palsy, and Byrony root, which, with a little imagination could be
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said to resemble a swollen human foot, was obviously signed for
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use in cases of Dropsy which caused swelling of the foot.
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There are many more examples of similar types, but this will
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give a sort of general overview to the theory.
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The Doctrine of Signatures naturally led to the concept of
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Astrological influence, and this was developed and put forward by
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Nicolas Culpeper in his book, "Judgement of Diseases" in the mid
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sixteen hundreds. This was a sort of scientific version of the
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Doctrine of Signatures that set itself up in opposition to the
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simpler folk style we have seen previously. In fact there were a
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number of vituperative arguments and clashes between Cole and
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Culpeper over the relative merits of the two systems.
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In short, the two systems weren't that far different from each
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other, and their evaluations of the uses of herbs were generally
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the same, the means of arriving at the interpretation was the
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thing in dispute. Culpeper felt that only astrologers were fit
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to study medicine, being an astrologer himself did not, I'm sure
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hinder him in the formation of this bias. Cole was of the
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"College of Physicians in London" whom Culpeper loudly decried
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as, " A company of proud, insulting, domineering doctors, whose
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wits were born about 500 years before themselves." Cole was also
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the most avid proponent of the Doctrine of Signatures.
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They carried on a literary battle for supremacy which was
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effectively won in 1649 by Culpeper, when he published, " a
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physicall directory or a translation of the London dispensary
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made by the College of Physicians in London..." In this book, he
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had translated the College's main medical text from the Latin,
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into the vernacular so that the common man could wean himself
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away from dependance on the Doctors by delving into the mysteries
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that were formerly known only to the learned physicians. He also
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added his own commentary on the formulas, and included a healthy
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dose of his astrological theories, seeming to give them the
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credence of the College. The College was not amused and
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proceeded to attack Culpeper in broadsides from this time, and
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continued unceasingly, even after his death.
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The astrological system of diagnosis and treatment was set forth
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in Culpeper's "complete herbal" in the following way:
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1. Consider what planet causeth the disease; that thou mayest
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find it in my aforesaid "Judgement of Diseases". (His other
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book).
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2. Consider what part of the body is affected by the disease and
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whether it lies in the flesh or blood or bones or ventricles.
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3. Consider by what planet the afflicted part of the body is
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governed; that my "Judgement of Diseases" will inform you also.
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4. You may oppose diseases by herbs of the planet opposite to the
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planet that causes them; as diseases of the luminaries by the
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herbs of Saturn and the contrary; diseases of Mars by the herbs
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of Venus and the contrary.
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5. There is a way to cure diseases sometimes by sympathy and so
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every planet cures its own diseases; as the sun and moon by their
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herbs cure the eyes, Saturn the spleen, Jupiter the liver, Mars
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the gall and diseases of the choler, and by Venus diseases in the
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instruments of generation."
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Astrology was consulted for diagnosis, classification of
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medicinal plants and bodily functions, the preparation of
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medicines, and the determination of the most favorable time to
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administer the remedy.
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I will briefly set down the basic planetary divisions of the
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botanic kingdom. One will note how similar the method is to the
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broader Doctrine of Signatures, in fact, there is little
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deviation here from the planetary catalogue set down by
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Paracelsus.
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SUN:
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The sun was said to rule the heart, circulation, and the
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vertebral column. All plants that appeared solar, such as
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Calendula and Sunflower fell under its influence, as did those
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plants that followed the sun in their growth such as Heliotrope.
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Plants that were heat producing, such as Clove and Pepper, and
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all those having a tonic effect on the heart were classified
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under the Sun.
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MOON:
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The moon was held to influence growth, fertility, the breasts,
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stomach, womb, and menstrual cycle. It also exerted control over
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the brain and the memory. All body fluids and secretions were
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believed to be under the lunar sway. To some extent, the entire
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plant world was subject to the Moon, as harvesting and planting
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was performed in accordance with the lunar phases. Most
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especially lunar were those plants with a diaphoretic action, or
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with juicy globular fruits. Moisturizing, cooling, or soothing
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juices fell in here as well.
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MERCURY;
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Mercury ruled the nervous system, and the organs of speech,
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hearing, and respiration. Mercuric plants bore finely divided
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leaves such as fennel, dill, and carrot. The smell was usually
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sharp and distinctive. The most typical of Mercury's plants had
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a mood elevating, slightly tonic effect.
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VENUS:
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Venus ruled the complexion, the sexual organs, and the hidden
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inner workings of the body cells. Venusian plants almost all bore
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heavily scented, showy blossoms such as the Damascus Rose or the
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Apple Blossom. The medicinal effects were commonly emollient,
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anti-nephritic, and alterative. Of course, many of the
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aphrodesiac plants were included under the auspice of Venus as
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well.
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MARS:
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Mars ruled the muscles, body vitality, and the libido. It
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also had influence in the combustion processes of the body and
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the motor nerves. Its plants generally affected the blood, and
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were stimulating, and in many cases aphrodesiac. Many were hot
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and acrid in their nature.
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JUPITER:
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Jupiter ruled the liver, the abdomen, the spleen, and the
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kidney. Digestion was governed by this planet as was body
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growth. Most of Jupiter's plants are edible, many bearing nuts
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or fruit such as the chestnut and the apricot. Its medicinal
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traits are antispasmodic, calmative, hepatic, and anthelmintic.
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SATURN:
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Saturn ruled over aging, the bone structure, teeth, and all
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hardening processes. Many of its plants are poisonous such as
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Hemlock and Belladonna. The effects of Saturnian plants are
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sedative, pain relieving, coagulant, or bone-forming.
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Beyond these seven planets, the proponents of this theory
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had no knowledge of any other heavenly influences.
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To many of us, this method seems very arbitrary and unreliable,
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but one must note, that it was more a system of catalogue than a
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real formula for discovery. A budding herbalist may know that
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Mercury has many plants with highly divided leaves like Parsley,
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but he also knew, that Jupiter had the Hemlock, also with finely
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divided leaves, and so he could not trust that all plants with
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the leaf type would act the same. Most of the herbal apprentices
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could read little and write less, and the Doctrine of Signatures
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came to the rescue as a slightly more dignified mnemonic key than
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the doggerel verse of the village witch-wife.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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"The Signature of All Things", Jacob Boehme: James Clarke & Co.
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Ltd., Cambridge 1969.
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"The Golden Age of Herbs & Herbalists.", Rosetta E. Clarkson:
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Dover Publications Inc., New York 1972.
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"Culpeper's Complete Herbal", Nicholas Culpeper; W. Foulsham &
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Co. Ltd. London
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"The Herbal of General History of Plants": John Gerard: Dover
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Publications Inc. 1975.
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"Practical Handbook of Plant Alchemy": Manfred M. Junius: Inner
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Traditions International Ltd., New York 1985.
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THANK YOU TAMARRA JAMES.
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THIS ARTICLE IS COPYWRITE. IT MAY BE COPIED AND DISTRIBUTED
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PROVIDED THIS NOTICE IS NOT REMOVED.
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BOTANIC MEDICINE SOCIETY, BOX 82, STN. A, WILLOWDALE, ONTARIO,
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CANADA. M2N 5S7.
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Membership in the Botanic Medicine Society is available. Mail
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$25.00 to the above address and receive the quarterly magazine The
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Herbalist for one year. An essential reference for all those with
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an interest in herbs and herbalism.
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