Surratt House Museum A Victorian Herb Garden

Herbs in General

Herbs have been around for a long time. Archeological evidence suggests that Neanderthal men used yarrow, marshmallow and groundsel 60,000 years ago.⁶ Sumarians used thyme and laurel and, in 2700 BC, the Chinese were known to use over 30 plants for medicinal purposes. The ancient Greeks and Romans used herbs for medicinal, culinary, cosmetic and religious purposes.

The herbs commonly found in Victorian gardens were brought to the New World by the first European settlers. That repertoire was expanded by the addition of herbs used by Native Americans. Some of the new plants became "cash crops" for the settlers as they cultivated and exported tobacco, sassafras and ginseng.

In the early 19th century, the Shakers began producing and selling herbs and seeds commercially. This change enhanced the variety and availability of herbs to most everyone. No longer would they have to rely upon the "spurious and adulterated" herbs and drugs that generally were sold before then.

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Herbs generally are described in terms of three categories of use:

Medicinal Herbs -- While both physicians and medicines were available to most people by the middle of the 19th century, home remedies were important, especially in the southern United States and in rural areas. Asia Booth Clark, who was John Wilkes Booth's sister, said,

We were not friends of the doctors, and entirely unknown to chemists and druggists. Both father and mother were skilled as well as our Negroes in the preparation of simples [Medicinal herbs were called simples because each herb was supposed to hold in its power some simple remedial virtue.]; on occasions draughts of liquorice and green figs, or camomile, or sassafras perfumed the house, or pennyroyal, marsh mallows, or spearmint brought comfort to the sufferer.⁷

For information about herbal remedies, see Herbal Home Remedies and Preparing Herbal Remedies.

Culinary Herbs -- These are the herbs that we eat. Culinary herbs are divided into "pot herbs" which are cooked with food to flavor it (e.g., sage, thyme, rosemary) and "salad herbs" which usually are eaten raw (e.g., parsley, garlic, chives).

Aromatic Herbs-- This category includes herbs used in cosmetics and household preparations as well as herbs used for their scent. Aromatic herbs were strewn in the house to freshen the air and repel vermin. "Strewing herbs" include tansy (flies hate it), chamomile, mint, rosemary (also repels evil spirits), hyssop, sweet woodruff, lavender, sage, rue (repels fleas), santolina and marjoram.

Sometimes categories overlap. An example of an overlap between aromatic and culinary herbs is the farmer's practice of planting "bee gardens" which consist of a variety of "honey herbs" (thyme, rosemary, lemon balm, bee balm, lavender, borage and savory). The flavor of the honey is influenced by the particular herbs to which the bees have access.

Harvesting and preserving herbs was an important activity in the Victorian household. To learn how to keep herbs for use all year long, see Preserving Herbs.

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