ON TUESDAY, May 10, Adrianne (also known as Branwen, a wise woman in medieval times) Jones gave a talk to the Dinas Powis Probus Club about herbal medicines, their history and the herbs used.

Adrianne was dressed as a peasant lady of the late 15th century and started by describing how ladies at that time would be dressed. A long cloak over a loose full under-skirt which doubled as night gown.

No under-garments but long woollen socks. The way a lady laced her cloak was important.

Strait down showed her to be a respectable person, diagonal lacing was an indication of lower morals, hence the name “strait laced". Life expectation was low, the average for a lady was 29 years, 28 for a man.

Sanitation simply did not exist, streets were full of filth and human waste, none were paved. Cholera, typhoid and leprosy were common killers. After the black death had decimated the population, things began to improve as people realised that cleanliness might prevent further plagues.

Man has used herbal remedies for thousands of years, cave paintings list herbal cures. The Egyptians were using them 2,000 years BC.

Britain lagged far behind other nations until the Romans arrived in 43AD. Their gardens were full of useful plants.

They brought over 400 new plants to Britain including rosemary, lavender and peas. Sage was known to extend a person’s memory which is why wise old men were referred as “old sages”.

When cold, the soldiers rubbed themselves with stinging nettles to stimulate blood flow to warm the skin and nettle fibre was used in Germany in the Second World War to make shirts. Blood letting became common often using leeches to suck out blood. (A leech farm exists in West Wales to supply today’s doctors.)

The wool from black sheep, soaked in honey and garlic was a cure for earache, if left in for a week.

Surgery was carried out by barbers who had a ready supply of scissors, knives and the like. They had no knowledge of the human body as the Church forbade mutilation of what it considered to be desecration of Christ’s body. That is why barber’s shops have a red and white pole outside their shops, red for blood, white for bandages.

There was no knowledge of antiseptics or anaesthetics so death was often the result of the barber’s work rather than from the original problem. Witchcraft was common until 1542 when the Witchcraft Act was passed, which made it punishable by death to practice without some knowledge of a potion’s benefits.

The Act was not repealed until 1951, and during the Second World War, a Helen Duncan was imprisoned for an offence against the Act. The beneficial use of digitalis, extracted from foxgloves, was discovered purely by accident in the 17th century by Dr William Withering when a patient confessed to using them to ease his heart pain.

Adrianne finished with a Chinese proverb. If you only have two pennies, spend one on bread and the other on a plant, because it might keep you alive one day.

The Society of Herbalists was founded in 1920 in Culpepper House in London which was probably the peak of herbalist treatments.

The vote of thanks was given by Malcolm McGuire.