Macer's Herbal

Historical Context Essay

Karen O'Brien (University of Sydney)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.03: English Writing and Culture: Renaissance (Elizabethan and Jacobean periods) , 1485-1625.
Vol. editors: William M. Hamlin (Washington State University), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University), Ema Vyroubalova (Trinity College Dublin)

Domains

Pharmacology, drugs and remedies

Dates

Date of occurrence 1500-1587

Places

England (Location)

Genres and Modes

Instructional / reference

Resources

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Macer's Herbal is a handwritten manuscript: a meticulous exploration of ‘the virtues' of forty-two herbs and a summary of countless diseases and the means by which to cure them. In some instances, where a particular herb was known to cure more than one illness, the ‘virtues' of a herb might number more than twenty. Within a proposed ‘virtue' of each herb, there are instructions for the preparation and application of the medicine. The Herbal contains a catalogue of decoctions, ointments, applications, ‘plaisters', a variety of beverages, tinctures and herbal solutions. It suggests alternative cures for the many complaints that were common in Macer's time.

Macer's Herbal was compiled in Cheshire in the fourteenth or early fifteenth century. Its existence is not well known. This is

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2508 words

Citation: O'Brien, Karen. "Macer's Herbal". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 November 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1747, accessed 25 November 2024.]