Posts Tagged ‘medicinal plants’
From Borage to Brownwort: John Gerard’s Revolutionary Herbal
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. December 1, 1597 On this day, as winter’s chill began to embrace the English countryside, a most extraordinary tome unfurled its pages to the world. John Gerard, that esteemed English herbalist, unveiled his…
Read MoreChamomile & Camphor: A Day in the Life of Colonial Herbalist Martha Ballard
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 30, 1791 On this day, in the annals of herbal history, Martha Ballard, the esteemed herbalist and midwife of Hallowell, Maine, put quill to paper and recorded her daily work. Little did…
Read MoreWilliam Withering’s Foxglove Legacy: From Poison to Panacea
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 6, 1799 On this day, dear garden enthusiasts, we bid farewell to a luminary in the world of botany and medicine. William Withering, that most accomplished English botanist, geologist, physician, and chemist,…
Read MoreA Simpling We Shall Go: Elias Ashmole’s Botanical Adventure
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. June 6, 1648 On this day, dear readers, we find ourselves transported to a time when the pursuit of botanical knowledge was as thrilling as any modern-day adventure. Picture, if you will, the…
Read MoreSeeds of Healing: Martha Ballard’s Medicinal Garden Legacy
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 16, 1809 On this day, dear readers, we find ourselves in the quaint town of Hallowell, Maine, peering over the shoulder of a remarkable woman as she tends to her garden. Martha…
Read MoreQuinine’s Royal Roots: How a Spanish Countess Changed Medicine Forever
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 16, 1735 On this day, dear readers, we find ourselves aboard a French ship, witnessing a moment that would change the course of medical history. Picture, if you will, a group of…
Read MoreGeorge Bentham: The Lawyer Who Revolutionized Botany
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 22, 1800 My dearest garden friends, on this day, we celebrate the birth of George Bentham, a man whose decision to abandon law for botany would alter not only his own destiny…
Read MoreFrom Moss to Malaria: Richard Spruce’s Amazonian Adventures
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 21, 2024 On this day in 1817, we celebrate the birth of Richard Spruce, a botanical adventurer whose passion for the diminutive wonders of the plant world would forever change our understanding…
Read MoreA Verdant Legacy: 400 Years of the Oxford Botanic Garden
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 25, 1621 On this day, at the stroke of two in the afternoon, a most extraordinary event transpired in the hallowed grounds of Oxford University. The Botanic Garden, known also as the…
Read MoreFrom Muck to Marvel: 400 Years of the Oxford Botanic Garden
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 25, 1621 On this day, at the stroke of two in the afternoon on a Sunday, a most extraordinary garden took root in the heart of Oxford. The Botanic Garden, or Physic…
Read MoreBotanist Hugh Weddell’s Legacy: the Cinchona’s Healing Gift of Quinine
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 22, 1877 On this day in gardening history, we bid farewell to a botanical titan whose legacy continues to bloom long after his mortal coil has shuffled off. Dr. Hugh Algernon Weddell—physician,…
Read MoreThe Mathematical Mystery of Nine-Leaf Lomatium: Lewis and Clark’s Botanical Discovery
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 6, 1806 On this day in 1806, that intrepid duo of botanical explorers, Lewis and Clark, stumbled upon what would become known as the Nine-leaf lomatium (Lomatium triternatum) while traipsing along the…
Read MoreClove Encounters of the Pungent Kind: Celebrating National Garlic Day
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: April 19th every year On this day, dear devotees of the pungent and flavorful, we celebrate National Garlic Day. Yes, every April 19th, we pay homage to that most aromatic of bulbs, the garlic, or as some whimsically call it, the ‘stinking rose’. Now,…
Read MoreSweet Roots and Ancient Wisdom: Celebrating National Licorice Day
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 12th, every year Today, dear garden enthusiasts and confectionery connoisseurs, we celebrate National Licorice Day. Let us delve into the rich history and surprising botanical heritage of this sweet and storied plant.…
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