Aloe aloe vera:

(pictured left) Mixed with wine, this herb was believed to prevent hair loss by rubbing the head. The juice was widely believed to clear skin blemishes.

Angelica angelica archangelica: (pictured right) It was believed that this plant had the power to ward off witches, and was widely used in the making of necklaces and making of holy water. The ground leaves were the principal ingrediant for Ladies' red powder.

Artichoke cynara scolymus: (pictured left) The artichoke was grown plentifully and was featured in many medieval fabric designs fromt he 13th to 15th centuries.

Avens geum urbanum: The juice of the roots was used to take away spots or marks in the face.

Barberry The hair when washed with the lie made of ashes of the tree and water, will make it turn yellow.

Betony betonia officinalis: Water Betony leaves distilled in water should bathe the face and hands sun blemished or spotted.

Beets The beet with water and vinegar cleansed the head of dandruff, and was used to ward off the shedding of hair.

Black Poplar Schroeder says "women in Germany use the buds to make their hair grow thick and ornamental."

Bramble The leaves boiled in rye dye the hair black.

Briony The root spread on a sheeps leather in form of a plaster takes away all manner of scars and deformities of the skin. The root cleases the skin and takes away all manner of spots and freckles.

Broom-Rape The juice of the young brances made into an ointment with hog's grease and heated as oil would kill body and head lice. An infusion of the tops of the stalks and flowers cleanses the skin and removes marks and freckles.

Butter-Bur The powder of the root takes away blemishes of the skin and spots.

Cayenne Pepper or Guinea Pepper A decoction of the husks made with water preserves the teeth from rottenness and the ashes of them being rubbed on the teeth will cleanse them and make them look white.

Century or Ordinary Small Century A decoction of small century takes away freckles and marks of the skin, being washed therewith.

Cowslips The ointment of the flowers added to hog's grease or distilled water adds beauty, or restores it when it is lost. An ointment made of flowers takes away spots and wrinkles and adds beauty exceedingly.

Cinquefoil potentilla retpans: A popular ingredient of love potions. One ointment called for "cinquefoil juice, lovage, aconite juice and the fat of children dug up from their graves". (Grieve)

Cleavers galium aparine: An infusion helped clear the skin and made wash for dandruff..

Cloves syzygium aromaticum: Whole bruised cloves held in the mouth sweetened the breath.

Cuckow-Point or Alron or Janus or Starch-wort or Clave's foot The fresh roots bruised ad added to distilled milk make a cleanser to remove fromt he skin, skurf, freckles, spots or blemishes.

Cucumbers (pictured right) The juice of them cleanses the skin and helps the skin to not be red and aid the complexion with freckles and morphew.

Devil's Bit The seeds disolved in a little vitriol assists with pimples, freckles and morphew.

Dragons Mixed with vinegar and applied externally, it cleareth mightily freckles and sun-burning.

Dwarf Elder sambucus nigra: Elderflower water distilled was a longstanding skin tonic to banish freckles.

Elecampane The distilled water of the leaves and roots together is very profitable to cleanse the skin from morphew, spots and blemishes.

Fennel foeniculum vulgare: (pictured left) As a wieght loss cure- the seeds are reputed to make people lean that are too fat.

Feverfew tanecetum parthenium: (pictured right) The distilled water takes away freckles.

Figwort The distilled water of the entire plant, roots and all, takes away all redness of the face, spots, freckles and skurf.

Flax-Weed Applied alone or with some powder of lupine, it helps with all form of deformity, pimples, spots, or leprosy.

Garlic allium sativum: (pictured left) Garlic was eaten whole like a vegetable. Warm and dried, it was given against poisons. It kills worms in children, and takes away blemishes of the skin.

Gall Oak omphacitis: The coals of burned galls being quenched in wine or vinegar will dye the hair black.

Garden Patience or Great Monk's Rhubarb The roots are used in diet-drinks.

Grape see Vine Tree

Greater Celandine The juice mixed with the powder of brimstone takes away the discolourations of the skin.

Greenland Scurvy-Grass It clears the skin from pimples when the juice is expressed or made into a concoction by boiling.

Hound's Tongue The leaves bruised or the juice boiled in hog's lard, applied to the head helps with the falling away of hair.

Horse-Radish Scurvy Grass cochlearis armoracia: (pictured right) The juice used outwardly cleanses the skin from spots, marks or scars.

Iris iris florentina: In the late 15th century, a mixture of powdered anise and orris was used to perfume household linen.

Ivy Leaved Scurvy Grass The leaves bruised and laid to the face are recommended to take off freckles and spots or sunburn. Beware if you have a delicate complexions that you may be injured.

Lady's Bedstraw galium verum: A popular strewing herb and used for mattress stuffing because of it's sweet scent.

Lady's Mantle alchemilla vulgaris: Alchemists made potions with the collected dewdrops from the foliage. The astringent leaves were helpful with profuse menstruation.

Lavender lavendula vera, lavendula spica: (pictured left) Gerard recommends the distilled water of the flowers for smelling and bathing the temples as a refresher. Medieval linens were scented with lavender by being stored with it, or rinsed in lavender water, and it was used a personal perfume.

Least Water Parsnep A decocton with bran or malt is good for eruptions of the skin.

Lesser Field Scabious The juice of this plant made up with a powder of borax and samphire cleanses the skin of the face from freckles and pimples, morphew and scurvy. The head washed will dispell dandruff.

Lovage levisticum officinale: (pictured right) Takes away spots and freckles of the face.

Madder Usually used for the dyeing of red cloth, it was thought that when the leaves and roots were beaten and applied to any part discoloured with freckles or morphew or white skurf, it cleanseth thoroughly.

Marjoram origanum vulgare: (pictured left) Known as organum or oregany. Sweet marjoram was greatly used as a linen dye for reddish brown (Fox). It lent its scent in sachets, tussy mussies, and washing waters (Clarkson) and as a strewing herb, to scent washing water and furniture polish (Fox, Garland).

Marsh Sow-Thistle Tree It is wonderfully good for women to wash their faces with, to clear the skin and give it a lustre.

Moss sphagnum: Moss provided insulation for buildings, and was used for "toilet paper".

Myrrh commiphora molmol: Highly prized for it's bitter perfume.

Oats The meal of oats boiled with vinegar and applid to the skin, takes away freckles and spots on the face and other parts of the body.

Onion allium cepa: (pictured right) To cure baldness, rub onion juice on your head then lie in the sun. Warm and damp, in small quantities, believed to enhance coitus.: Used with vinegar takes away all blemishes and spots. Onions steeped all night in springwater kills worms in children after morning fasting.

Parsley petroselinum crispum: (pictured left) Parsley was grown extensively in medieval kitchen gardens. It is said to repel head lice. It was popular with the Romans as a breath-freshener.

Peach tree The kernels bruised and boiled in vinegar until they become thick applied to the head is a restorative, and causes hair to grow upon bald places or where it is thinning.

Pennyroyal mentha pulegium: In Roman times it was popular as a flea dispeller scattered or burnt in rooms, and the leaves were rubbed on the skin to deter insects. Made into a paste, it helped with blotches of the face.

Pepper piper nigera: During the Middle Ages it was comperable to gold and silver, and there was a great trade in pepper. As late as the 15th century, some rents were paid in pepper in England. It was said to aid digestion.

Periwinkle vinca major: It was also known as the Sorcerer's Violet and was commonly used in love potions. The leaves when eaten by a man and wife together "would cause love between them."

Plantain plantago major: Added to the juice of the house leek, it is profitable for eruptions of the skin.

Quince Tree The cotton or down of quinces boiled and laid as a plaster made up with wax, brings hair to them that are bald or assists with hair loss.

Roses rosa species: Red roses were made into rosewater for recipes and smelled for health. Dried rose petals feature prominently in pomander, body care, and other medieval fragrance recipes (Rohde).

Rosemary rosmarinus officinalis: (pictured left) Banckes' Herbal [1525] suggests it as a medieval antiseptic: "boil the leaves in white wine and wash thy face therewith, thy beard and they brows, and there shall no corns grow out, but thou shall have a fair face." Rosemary mixed with white wine made the face beautiful. Also suggested "Make the box of the wood and smell to it, and it shall preserve thy youth." It was put in tussy-mussy flower bunches to ward off vermin and noxious odors. Symbolic of memory and fidelity, it was used in wreaths for marriages and funerals.

Rue ruta graveolens: (pictured right) The herb o' grace o' Sundays. It was used to ward off witches and in linens and nosegays to keep away bugs and 'noxious odors'. Bruised and added to myrtle leaves and being made up with wax, garden rue helps with pimples.

Saffron or Saffon or Saf-Flower crocus sativus: (pictured left) Saffron was a popularly used hair dye and much used in dyeing silk.

Sage salvia officinalis: (pictured right) It was used to stop perspiration. Dioscorides suggests sage as a disinfectant and astringent: "It will make a man's body clean; therefore who that useth to eat of this herb or drink it, it is marvel that any inconvenience should grieve them that use it." Both Hortus Sanitatis and Dioscorides claimed that sage tea dyes the hair black.

Sheep's Rampion The juice applied is good for discolourations of the skin.

Solomon's Seal The distilled water of the whole plant used on the face cleanses it from morphew, freckles, spots leaving in place a fresh, fair and lovely skin- much used by Italian dames.

Southernwood or Old Man Tree artemesia abrotanum: (pictured left) Boiled with barley-meal, it takes away pimples that arise on the face. The ashes mingles with salad oil causes hair to grow again whether on head or beard.

Spurge or Garden Spurge The milk is good to take away warts applied externally. The oil from the seeds is good to kill lice in children's heads.

Staves-Acre The seeds coarsly powdered and strewed in the hair is a remedy for head-lice.

St John's Wort hypericum perforatum: It was used tied in sprigs suspended over over icons to sanctify the air.

Strawberry The juice or water takes away the redness in the face or spots or deformities of the skin and make it clear and smooth.

Sun Dew Mix the juice with milk to remove freckles or sunburn or other discolourations of the skin. The juice unmixed will destroy warts and corns.

Tansy (pictured left) The distilled water cleanses the skin of all discolouration and also pimples and freckles.

Thyme thymus species: (pictured right) Dioscorides mentions it breathing troubles and women's complaints ando as an ointment for skin troubles. He says, "It is good instead of sauce for the use in health." Parkinson recommended it for baths and strewing. Clarkson said "it used to be the custom for maidens to wear a nosegay of sprigs of thyme, mint and lavender to bring them sweethearts," and that medieval women embriodered thyme sprigs on favors to give their champions courage.

Vine-Tree or Grapevine The ashes of the burnt branches will make teeth that are as black as coal to be as white as snow if every morning you rub them with.

Vervain verbena officinalis: Used by Romans as an alter plant, vervain was widely used by Druids in water prepared for sacrifices. It was customary to bless the herb before picking. It was believed necklaces were lucky charms and warded off headaches and snakebite.

Wall-Rue see White Maidenhair

Walnut juglans regia: The burned kernels of the walnut taken in red wine, stay the falling of hair on the head and make it fair, being annointed with oil. The ancient Romans extracted the brown stain from the husks to use as a hair dye. In the middle ages, a walnut and iron mixture left on the head for two days was believed to dye the hair black.

Water Cress The bruised leaves or juice applied to the face helps with freckles, pimples or spots.

Water Lily The distilled water of the flowers is very effectual to take away freckles, spots, sunburn and morphew of the face.

Water Pepper It amends the discolourings and deformities of the skin, and takes away marks.

Water Pimpernel The distilled water or juice is esteemed by French Ladies to clense the skin of roughness or deformity.

Wheat (pictured left) Wheat flour mixed with vinegar and boiled together heals all freckles, spots and pimples on the face.

White Poppy papever somniferum: During the Middle Ages, a sponge impregnated with poppy juice, mandrake, hemlock and ivy was used as a form of anesthetic.

White Maidenhair The lee made thereof is singularly good for the skurf, and stayeth the falling of the hair, causing it to grow thick, fair and well-coloured. For this purpose, boil it in wine, put smallage seed and afterwards, some oil.

Wild Rocket The seed taken in drink carried away the scent of the arm-pits. Mixed with honey, the seed cleanses the skin, and used with vinegartakes away freckles and redness of the face.

Wild Teasel The water found standing in the hollow of the leaves is said to render the face fair.

Willow Tree Water that is gathered from the willow tree the bark being slit when it flowers, being drank, clears the face and skin from spots and discolouration. You may boil it in wine and drink as much as you want. The leaves or bark in wine will take away dandruff by washing with it.

Witch Hazel hammamelis virginiana: (pictured right) Hazel twigs were carried to protect against the evil eye.

Woodruff asperula odorata: In medieval times, it was popular as a strewing herb and as a mattress stuffer becuase of it's hay-like scent. Fresh leaves were applied to cuts and wounds and the tea drunk for nausea.

Wormwood artemesia absynthum: (pictured right) Placed among woolen cloths, it prevents and destorys the moths.

Woad isatis tinctoria: (pictured left) used for dyeing to produce a rich blue colour.

Yarrow achillea millefolium: (pictured right below) Highly valued for it's medicinal properties, yarrow has been known since the earliest times. The astringincy of the bruised leaves were recommended to stop nosebleeds and to stem the flow of blood..

Yellow Gentian gentiana lutea: This herb was used as an antidote to poisons in the Middle Ages.