'' In his
Natural History,
Pliny the Elder claims betony was "a plant more highly esteemed than any other", and documents a popular belief that merely possessing betony would protect a house from harm. Pliny also states it was discovered by the
Vettones of Spain, hence the Gaulish name for the plant, Vettonica.
De herba Vettonica liber, a book originally attributed to
Antonius Musa but now thought to have been written in the 4th century, lists nearly 50 uses for the plant. These include easing of pain and fever after childbirth, prevention of drunkenness, against snake and mad dog bites, curing of various pains, and against horrors. Pseudo-Musa also claims the herb was discovered by either the Greek god of medicine
Aesculapius or the centaur
Chiron. Information about and uses for betony are compiled in Chapter 232 of
John Gerard's 1597
Herball, or, Generall historie of plantes. Properties ascribed to it include help for those with "the falling sickness", cramps, ague, jaundice, and sciatica, clearing of the lungs, chest, liver, and gallbladder, killing of worms, and breakage of kidney stones, among many others. In his 1652 work
The English physitian,
Nicholas Culpeper called it Wood-Betony to contrast it from Water-Betony, but noted it was also called Common Betony. He observed that "Bettony that grows in the shadow is far better than that which grows in the Sun, because it delights in the shadow". He mentions Antonius Musa as a source. His summary of uses for betony is vast, and reflects influence from Pseudo-Musa and the same tradition as Gerard: "
Epidemical Diseases, Witchcraft, Apetite, Indigestion, Stomach, Belching, Jaundice, Falling-sickness, Palsey, Convulsion, Shrinking of the Sinews, Gout, Dropsie, Frensie, Cough, Cold, Shortness of Breath, Agues of all sorts, Sore Eyes, Worms, Obstructions of the Liver and Spleen, Stitches, Pains in the Back and Belly, Terms provokes, Mother, Childbirth Stone, Toothache, Venemous Beasts, Mad-dogs, Weariness, Bleeding at Mouth and Nose, Pissing & spitting of Blood, Ruptures, Bruises, Wounds, Veins and Sinews Cut, Ulcers, Fistulaes, Boyls, Ears." Culpeper classifies betony under the planet
Jupiter and the sign
Aries. A Welsh prescription attributed to the
Physicians of Myddfai ascribes dream-controlling properties to betony, advising hanging its leaves around the neck or drinking the juice before sleep. The plant was commonly grown by monks and apothecaries for medicinal purposes, hence the
specific epithet officinalis which indicates use for medicinal or culinary purposes. Betony was an ingredient of
Pistoia powder, an old remedy for arthritis and gout. Betony is among the herbs possibly used by the
Druids to make wine and holy water. 12
Prairial in the
French Republican calendar is dedicated to betony. Betony is mentioned in Cadfael season 1, episode 1, One Corpse Too Many, as Cadfael soaks a bandage with betony to help make the wound of a wounded person knit. Betony has also been used in traditional Austrian medicine internally as tea, or externally as compresses or baths for treatment of disorders of the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, nervous system, skin and gynecological problems. Modern herbalists prescribe betony to treat
anxiety,
gallstones,
heartburn, high
blood pressure,
migraine and
neuralgia, and to prevent
sweating. It can also be used as an
ointment for cuts and sores. ==References==