Elspeth’s Herbal, Part Five PEPPER HISTORY Peppercorns are the seed berries of the Piper nigrum. Pepper is a perennial plant is a woody spreading perennial vine. Its fruit is called a drupe and when dried it is a peppercorn. Pepper originated in India over 4,000 years ago. It is the most popular spice in the … Continue reading Elspeth’s Herbal Part Five
Author: Bettyanne Twigg
Elspeth’s Herbal Part Four
MINT Mints are aromatic herbs, primarily spreading perennials. Mentha grows best in wet environments and moist soils but is easily grown elsewhere. Because they spread easily, mints are considered invasive. HISTORY Egyptians cultivated M. piperita and dried leaves were found in several pyramids. Mint is also recorded in thirteenth century Icelandic Pharmacopoeias In Rome, Pliny … Continue reading Elspeth’s Herbal Part Four
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Elspeth’s Herbal Part Three
DATES HISTORY The date palm tree, Phoenix Dactylifera, is one of the oldest fruit trees in the world. There are hundreds of varieties. The most important for the desert people are the driest dates which can be ground into flour. Dates were cultivated more than five thousand years ago and are mentioned in the Koran … Continue reading Elspeth’s Herbal Part Three
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Elspeth’s Herbal Part Two
ELSPETH’S HERBAL PART TWO A continuance of things that might have been in Elspeth’s Herbal…with a bit of history and legend for added flavor. HERBALS – History, Legends and Use BAY BAY – LAUREL Laurus nobilis, of the plant family Lauraceae, is also known as sweet bay, bay tree, true laurel, Grecian laurel, laurel tree, … Continue reading Elspeth’s Herbal Part Two
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Elspeth MacLeod’s Herbal…
Elspeth MacLeod’s Herbal – Part One To the Reader: While writing The Convenient I renewed my interest and research into herbal remedies. My protagonist, Elspeth MacLeod, was trained to be a Healer before she went to Italy to study medicine. All women were expected to be proficient at healing, spinning, sewing, cooking, brewing and … Continue reading Elspeth MacLeod’s Herbal…
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Beauty
Some Observations on the Criteria for Beauty While doing research for our next book “Skyehag,” I found a charming book written more than three hundred years ago. By now, my eyes automatically replace what looks like an “f” in original manuscripts, with an “s” so I have copied it verbatim, and hope it … Continue reading Beauty
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The cover of our book…
Convenient, mistress, whore (B.E.) Cant expression of standard meaning, favorable to one’s comfort. The illustration of the man was taken from an antique medical book. Malcolm Forrester a physician from Edinburgh, and Elspeth MacLeod, a healer from the Isle of Skye, were both educated in European universities, but only men are permitted to practice medicine … Continue reading The cover of our book…
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DOLLS OF DECEIT
DOLLS OF DECEIT by Bettyanne Twigg It is said that the history of dolls is the history of mankind. Children mimic their mothers, and the first dolls were probably found objects that resembled the human shape. Dolls are made of rag, stone, bone, wood, wax, china...anything that can be formed into a human … Continue reading DOLLS OF DECEIT
The Convenient 