Middle Ages + Herbal Remedies (476 AD-1450 AD)

The Middle Ages, also known informally as The Dark Era, brought unrest with the fall of the Western Roman Empire. During this time period, civilization saw the collapse of authority and warring feudal lords. There was great unrest with the Catholic Church, which in turn, caused heresy and controversy that brought the The Crusades. The Middle Ages further suffered in part to population declines that formed largely due to famine, plague, and war.

While historians have found resources to suggest the way flowers were honored in Ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman time periods, little is known about floral design in The Middle Ages due to the many other problems that were at stake during this civilization. Beauty was found in other forms during The Middle Ages due to the lack of availability in the same plants that the Greeks and Romans would have had an abundance of. Europeans during this time honored beauty by contributing art to the church through beautiful stained glass windows, tapestries, mosaics, sculptures and paintings. Known as the Gothic Period, The Middle Ages focused more on dark images than the celebrations that we saw in earlier civilizations.

While floral arrangements weren’t as abundant during The Middle Ages, foliage still played an important part of culture. Wildflowers and plants were collected to use in food and drink and—more importantly—medicine. Due to the many different illnesses brought about during The Middle Ages, people learned to use wildflowers to create remedies to help the sick. Healers used radish, bishopwort, garlic, wormwood, and hollowleek, among other herbs and plants, to create treatments like Yvain, an ointment that was used to treat headaches and pain. Doctors were not available to common people during these times, and citizens were often treated by “wise-women” or even monks, instead.  

While much of the culture in The Middle Ages was in turmoil due to war and religious differences, Monks stepped up to help citizens in need of assistance. Flowers and herbs were grown in monasteries to help aid in medicinal remedies. When the plague hit, Monks also grew fragrant flowers that were strewn throughout cities to freshen the air and promote recovery. These same flowers, in the late Middle Ages, paved the way for the rebirth of floral artistry that came later in the Renaissance period.

In a time of controversy and rebellion, the use of flowers in The Middle Ages brought peace and healing in new ways. Largely in part to manuscripts kept by Monks, historians are able to determine that while floral arrangements like wreaths, garlands, and vases were still available for religious ceremonies, common people utilized flowers much more realistically, and uniquely, than ever before.

Though the Middle Ages brought great unrest and pain, Western medicine originated in this time period with the discovery of herbal remedies. While commonplace medicines are used much more widely today than herbs, holistic remedies that we still use can date back to early discovery in The Middle Ages. Floral artistry is thought by many to have died during this time period to make way for medicinal qualities only. More realistically, floral design was in hibernation awaiting the cultural explosion that came with the rebirth of the Renaissance.

During The Middle Ages, Monks grew flowers and herbs in their monasteries to help local villages survive the plague, famine, and war. These same gardens eventually helped bring new growth to the Renaissance period.

The plants and herbs they grew were used to treat their patients and much of the information about herbal medicine and related medicinal substances came from De Materia Medica an encyclopedia written by Dioscorides, the Greek physician, pharmacologist and botanist, this was widely read for more than 1,500 years.

Duomo cathedral square. Milan, Italy.