Magical masterworts
Jun 01, 2021
4 minutes
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PLANTS blessed with a good raft of common names usually have a long history to match, full of folklore and medicinal uses. The masterworts (species of astrantia in the carrot or cow parsley family) are known as mountain sanicle, a nod to their origins in alpine woods and meadows. An old name, magistrantia reflects the mastery and skill needed by apothecaries who, from Tudor times, used them to treat a long list of ailments.
Folk also wore masterworts around their necks to ward off evil spirits and gain power themselves. Umbels of tiny flowers held within a ruff of bracts have inspired the pretty name of Hattie’s
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