Calamint.

Botanical name: 

Plate 08. Calamintha.

A COMMON wild plant of great virtues, but too much neglected. It is frequent by our hedges, and in dry places, and is a very robust herb. It is eight, or ten inches high, and has roundish dark green leaves, and white flowers. The stalks are square, and very much branched: the leaves are of the bigness of a man's thumb nail, somewhat hairy, and slightly indented about the edges. The flowers stand in little clusters surrounding the stalks, and are of a whitish colour, a little tinged with purplish. The root is composed of a few fibres. Calamint should be gathered when just coming into flower, and carefully dried; it is afterwards to be given in the manner of tea, and it will do great service in weaknesses of the stomach, and in habitual colics. I have known effectual and lasting cures performed by it.


The Family Herbal, 1812, was written by John Hill.