Old Wives' Tales and Women as Herbalists

We have all probably heard the phrase "old wives' tale." My husband is constantly accusing me of giving him some old wives' tale as advice when I tell him to do something like drink ginger and water to settle his upset stomach or rub some plantain on a bee sting. In a way, he is right. Such home remedies are old wives' tales; however, at their first telling, they were considered helpful -- and much-needed -- medical advice.

If you have done any reading at all about herbs, you have no doubt stumbled across important names linked to herbs and their history and use. For example, the Greek physician Dioscorides (A.D. 40-90) contributed a great deal to our knowledge of herbs, writing De Materia Medica that served as a standard for about 1500 years. Pliny (A.D. 23-79) wrote extensively about herbal medicine. The list, of course, goes on and on; however, you will soon realize that all of these people who became famous for their studies and writings about herbs and herbal remedies have one thing in common. They are all men. Women are not mentioned very often if at all. The early male herbalists and physicians served royalty and the nobility, while women treated the working class and poor. The men scoffed at such folk healing performed by women, who used herbs grown in their small kitchen gardens and who whipped up medications in their own homes. These remedies were derided and called "old wives' tales." It has been these women, however, who have, over the centuries, done much to advance the use of healing herbs.

Women who practiced the art of healing through herbs have gone by many names; e.g., midwives, nurses, old women, wise women, and witches. The common folk and poor, who could not afford the services of a Dioscorides, turned to family members or friends -- predominately women -- for help with their health issues.

Women dominated the fields of gynecology and obstetrics right up until the 19th century. Such herbs as blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) were used to stimulate the uterus and promote menstruation. (It should also be noted that over the years, some of these herbs, such as blue cohosh, used by our ancestors -- both male and female -- have been proven to be unsafe. See my article on Using Black Cohosh to Treat Symptoms of Menopause.) These women were also responsible for supplying contraceptive herbs, such a silphion, a species of fennel. Of course, they also supplied herbs to treat a variety of other ills , such as colic, upset stomachs, respiratory infections, and even to heal wounds and mend bones. These herbal remedies were then passed on to daughters and granddaughters.

These home remedies -- or old wives' tales -- are still being passed along today from one woman to another. My mother gave me horehound candy to ease the coughing brought on by my chronic bronchitis. I have taught my daughter that cayenne pepper is great for sinus infections. So, next time you offer some sage advice that was passed on to you by your mother or grandmother and someone says that it is nothing but an old wives' tale, you can tell that indeed that is what it is. You can also tell them that many of those old wives' tales helped to ease the suffering of many people during a time when medicine was not so institutionalized.

References:

Castleman, Michael. The New Healing Herbs. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Inc., 2009.

Kowalchik, Claire, and William H. Hylton, eds. Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1998.