Review: Matt Wood, Earthwise herbal, old world plants.

I thought I already responded to S. Barthell’s comments earlier but don't see my response, so I may not know how this system works. Here are some additions.

I got some of my history of lycopus mixed up with scutellaria lat. in my original response (where are you?), but now am at home and have the references right.

The history is clear. We owe the introduction of lycopus into Western herbalism to Constantine Rafinesque (1829-30). He gives the specific pulse, symptomology, and type of disease (heat agitating the blood, one might say). I am very prickly about giving credit to original research and especially to someone like C. R. who has been so maligned. Also to the American Indians, whom he cites. Lycopus virginicus was latter picked up by British herbalists and has always been the officinal species (see materia medica schedule by Priest and Priest, Herbal Medication, c. 1980); the European species has only recently been introduced as a substitute.

The reference to coltsfoot and PAs comes from Rudolf Weiss but I have it here from Penelope Ody, The Complete Medicinal Herbal (London, New York, Stuttgart: Dorling Kindersley, 1993, p. 107): “The herb contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, which have caused liver damage in rats. (The quantities in the plant are, however, minute, and Swedish research also suggests that in coltsfoot they are destroyed when making a decoction).” My statement under coltsfoot wasn’t referring PAs in general or in any other plant and is therefore correct and, I thought, widely known. A critic should never project ideas into the head of an author when they are not there.

Lycopus was invasive my garden, so I was surprised that Barthell would criticize me about this. However, I think the difference is cultural. We take invasive plants very seriously over here. Growing teasel is a $1000 offense in Wisconsin. As I know from customs, bringing in plants are not a big deal in Europe, but all my Canadian and American readers know how big a thing they are over here. We are taught about invasive species in all levels of school in the US. Britain does not have an extant native forest or prairie; we do and we try to protect them. My critic cannot be blamed for a situation that is unimaginable in Britain. I cannot be blamed for assuming the invasive species in my garden would not go berserk outside it---though I am happy to learn that it is ‘controlled by grass.’

Fresh means fresh, and dry means dry. I noticed that Rudolf Weiss uses this terminology. I can't understand how anyone can seriously confuse the two. Is this an Americanism? I have never heard of a 'green tincture.' So we speak a different language, I guess.

Matthew Wood

I didn't like the layout either, and spoke up about it, but was over ruled by nonherbalists at the publishing house. As to the references, sorry. . . but as far as I know, I am the first person to actually credit historical sources for every single symptom, when possible, and I made up my own system. As the entries got longer it became apparent that it would be difficult to follow and even difficult to maintain, it got out of hand even for me, but this book in two volumes is 1000 pages and took ten years to write. If you need a reference, contact me. Believe me, if I could do it over again, I would have put in numbers.

I was rather perplexed by my critic's comments on Lycopus, but realized that he hadn't read the volume on North American plants. Otherwise, he would have been informed that the Lewis family, of central Westchester Co., N.Y., who actually were neighbors by my family, the Woods, introduced this as a secret remedy in the eighteenth century. They used it for 'rabies.' A customer grew it out from seed, discovered what it was, and it was introduced to the public by Mr. Robert Bowne, of the Bowne house (still standing) in Flushing, NYC, about 1805. He was the older brother of my great-great-great grandmother, Mary Bowne King. I don't know that I mentioned all this in the monograph on Lycopus virg. Subsequently, it was used by allopaths, eclectics, and a little by the physiomedicalists. Rafinesque gives Indian uses and added the pulse and characteristic symptoms used by the eclectics. It was given a proving by homeopaths. The use of Lycopus virg. went across the ocean and was adopted into British herbalism, where Lycopus virg. was officinal, not Lycopus europea.

This is very decidedly an herb whose uses came to Europe from North America. Unfortunately, my critic has not spent ten years reading every major North American and European (English language) herbal, and does not know this. If he had both my volumes on hand he would have a very detailed account of who originated what because that is what I studied.

The original impulse came from the Lewis family and NYC doctors, but the major specific indications were added by Rafinesque, and may reflect American Indian origins. The Lewis family used it for several generations, they said, which brings us back to the original settlement of central Westchester Co. about 1730-40. They said they learned about it from a passing German man, so it is possible that their knowledge reflects European sources, but that is only the 'rabies' use and this is not found in European sources I have ever seen.

As to the invasiveness of Lycopus. . . I presume you are right, it is controlled by grasses, but it is the most invasive plant I have ever had in a garden other than Japanese Knotweed. You don't have the right to say I was wrong about this because I was there and you weren't. This, I thought, was preposterous criticism.

As to gypsywort being a racial slur. . . you may get along with gypsies, but I know that 2 million were killed by Nazis, along with 10 million Jews. I think 'gypsewort' is probably on a par with 'squawvine.'

The reference for the PAs in Coltsfoot comes from Rudolf Weiss, if I remember. Not at home right now to reference it, but he says the PAs are not extractly from Coltsfoot in water, hence the use of the tea is safe.

Is fresh not self-evident? Or is this an Americanism that would not be evident in your neck of the woods? I had a very good editor and she didn't have a problem with that. I never heard or used the term 'green tincture.' Fresh means fresh, dried means dried. How can you get a fresh tincture from a dried herb. Explain.

Matthew Wood