Angelica (also Called Master-wort)
The wild Angelica grows commonly throughout England in wet
places as an umbelliferous plant, with a tall hollow stem, out of
which boys like to make pipes. It is purple, furrowed, and downy,
bearing white flowers tinged with pink. But the herb is not useful
as a simple until cultivated in our gardens, the larger variety being
chosen for this purpose, and bearing the name Archangelica.
Angelica, the ha
py counterbane,
Sent down from heaven by some celestial scout,
As well its name and nature both avow't.
It came to this country from northern latitudes in 1568. The
aromatic stems are grown abundantly near London in moist fields
for the use of confectioners. These stems, when candied, are sold
as a favourite sweetmeat. They are grateful to the feeble stomach,
and will relieve flatulence promptly. The roots of the garden
Angelica contain plentifully a peculiar resin called angelicin,
which is stimulating to the lungs, and to the skin: they smell
pleasantly of musk, being an excellent tonic and carminative. An
infusion of the plant may be made by pouring a pint of boiling
water on an ounce of the bruised root, and two tablespoonfuls [24]
of this should be given three or four times in the day; or the
powdered root may be administered in doses of from ten to thirty
grains. The infusion will relieve flatulent stomach-ache, and will
promote menstruation if retarded. It is also of use as a stimulating
bronchial tonic in the catarrh of aged and feeble persons. Angelica,
taken in either medicinal form, is said to cause a disgust for
spirituous liquors. In high Dutch it is named the root of the Holy
Ghost. The fruit is employed for flavouring some cordials, notably
Chartreuse. If an incision is made in the bark of the stems, and the
crown of the root, at the commencement of spring, a resinous gum
exudes with a special aromatic flavour as of musk or benzoin, for
either of which it can be substituted. Gerard says: If you do but
take a piece of the root, and hold it in your mouth, or chew the
same between your teeth, it doth most certainly drive away
pestilent aire. Icelanders eat both the stem and the roots raw with
butter. These parts of the plant, if wounded, yield a yellow juice
which becomes, when dried, a valuable medicine beneficial in
chronic rheumatism and gout. Some have said the Archangelica
was revealed in a dream by an angel to cure the plague; others
aver that it blooms on the day of Michael the Archangel (May 8th,
old style), and is therefore a preservative against evil spirits and
witchcraft.