Stacy?? Not quite, try Stachys

Wood Betony or Purple Betony or ......fill in your favorite common name...Betony!

I have just discovered Bishop's wort!  Or Purple Betony, or Stachys officinalis.  For a second I thought it was Lamb's Ear, but I discovered quickly that is another of the 300 species of Betony.  Pity, I've got that one growing.

I discovered betony while browsing through one of my new herb books.  Rodale's Encyclopedia of Herbs

Rodale's Ill. Encyclopedia of Herbs

Lovely book. I'm completely enjoying just browsing through it. 

I digress.

Betony caught my eye because it said one could make a lovely tea out of it.  I have a feeling lots of the herbal teas out there (none commerical ones) taste like horse-pucks. I have no data for my fears, except I drank some elderberry tea once and it was awful and that worried me because everyone else said it was so good.  What were THEY drinking?  ANYWAY.....

I'm willing to put my bad memories aside and drink some herbal mixtures and since betony seemed so positively mentioned, it might be one to try.  As far as I know, I don't grown any.  I don't know if Debi does either. I don't think I have seen it out at Raven's Croft.  I'll ask.

So, Betony is the common name for Stachys officinalis.  It has square stems which instantly makes me think of mint...and indeed it is part of the Lamiaceae family---that's mint!  See, I'm learning and beginning to remember! Here are the stats.

Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Stachys
Species: Stachys officinalis

Apparently, Wood or Purple Betony is a lovely little plant with pretty purple/blue flowers that blossom on top of 3 foot stems. The leaves are narrow and oval, but have a heart shaped base and are fairly large. Well, at least as compared to thyme!   It is found in grasslands, meadows and open areas of woodlands all over Europe, parts of Asia, North Africa, part of North America too.

The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon  bewton....which means "good for the head" and apparently wood betony is good for the head and lots more besides.  While it is not as commonly used as it once was due to newer, more powerful drugs, betony was once widely regarded as one of the most useful herbs around.  It took care of migranes, nerves, menstrual issues like PMS, heartburn, high blood pressure, could be put on cuts and scrapes for faster healing and could help treat gall stones.  An all around lovely herb

On the magickal front.  Betony was used in amulet to ward of sorcery. (I think in this case they mean bad magick users. Let's not start the "what does sorcery mean" discussion...urgg)  It was also planted in graveyards to prevent wandering spirits from haunting.  They did not say how.  Culpepper (as in Nicholas) decided that Wood Betony fell under the auspices of Jupiter and Aries.  Two of my favorites.

So, the REAL question....should I shell out $3.25 for a batch of dried betony?  I'll call Debi first, but I could just wait until summer.  Alas, it is not good to harvest betony the first year it is planted. So even if I plant some, I will need to wait at least a year.  That $3.25 might be worth it after all.

Here is the betony I know...but it is a different species.  I know it as lamb's ear and it is a summer favorite because it is so soft to pet.

Stachys byzantina