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271
The Folk-lore of Plants
·
T. F. Thiselton-Dyer
243
The
Angelica
sylvestris
was
popularly
known
as
"Holy
Ghost,"
from
the
angel-like
properties
therein
having
been
considered
good
"against
poisons,
pestilent
agues,
or
the
pestilence."
Cockayne,
in
his
"Saxon
Leechdoms,"
mentions
an
old
poem
descriptive
of
the
virtues
of
the
mugwort:--
"Thou
hast
might
for
three,
And
against
thirty,
For
venom
availest
For
plying
vile
things."
So,
too,
certain
plants
of
the
saints
acquired
a
notoriety
for
specific
virtues;
and
hence
St.
John's
wort,
with
its
leaves
marked
with
blood-like
spots,
which
appear,
according
to
tradition,
on
the
anniversary
of
his
decollation,
is
still
"the
wonderful
herb"
that
cures
all
sorts
of
wounds.
Herb-bennet,
popularly
designated
"Star
of
the
earth,"
a
name
applied
to
the
avens,
hemlock,
and
valerian,
should
properly
be,
says
Dr.
Prior,
"St.
Benedict's
herb,
a
name
assigned
to
such
plants
as
were
supposed
to
be
antidotes,
in
allusion
to
a
legend
of
this
saint,
which
represents
that
upon
his
blessing
a
cup
of
poisoned
wine
which
a
monk
had
given
to
destroy
him,
the
glass
was
shivered
to
pieces."
In
the
same
way,
herb-gerard
was
called
from
St.
Gerard,
who
was
formerly
invoked
against
gout,
a
complaint
for
which
this
plant
was
once
in
high
repute.
St.
James's
wort
was
so
called
from
its
being
used
for
the
diseases
of
horses,
of
which
this
great
pilgrim-saint
was
the
patron.
It
is
curious
in
how
many
unexpected
ways
these
odd
items
of
folk-lore
in
their
association
with
the
saints
meet
us,
showing
that
in
numerous
instances
it
is
entirely
their
association
with
certain
saints
that
has
made
them
of
medical
repute.
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