Spiral Way

This article comes from a class I taught at LORE, the Loyal Order of Renaissance Enthusiasts. The regular type is the outline, and the italicized are from the lecture and additional information. Powdered Herbs The easiest way to powder herbs in our time is a good coffee grinder. For the Renaissance times, a mortar and pestle were an herbalist’s best friend; or rather, the herbalist’s apprentice’s best friend. Some examples of how a powdered herb would be used include: Cayenne pepper. This is a powerful, although painful, styptic, meaning that it causes the blood to clot very quickly. Because of the capsaicin contained in Cayenne, it is almost like cauterizing a wound, and the person you’re treating is not going to be happy. However, it will accomplish the job. (As an aside, if you’re around someplace with spider webs, it’s a much less painful way of accomplishing the same thing, although slower.)  Licorice root. This is a mild anti-depressant which, if used in food (works w