Herb
Litter herbs are herbs , e.g. B. flowering meadowsweet , peppermint , pennyroyal , lavender , sage and thyme , which were scattered in the rooms of a house, i.e. the kitchen, living room or bedroom, in order to spread a pleasant smell. Coordinated mixtures should, for example, kill fleas and help against various ailments. The herbs were usually scattered in the morning and swept away in the evening. By walking over it, the herbs lying on the floor gave off their scent .
Litter herbs are described in the book of the botanist and advisor to Queen Elizabeth I on questions of horticulture, John Gerard .
The herb shaker
Since the late 17th century there was a herb shaker, Herb Strewer , at the English court , whose job it was to scatter grass and flowers in the royal apartments in order to, among other things , drive away the unpleasant smell of the Thames , which was then, as it was in the rest of the world Common in Europe, served as a sewer. This office was first proven in 1660 under King Charles II. The last full-time herb spreader was Mary Rayner, who served King George III and his two sons for a total of 43 years.
See also
swell
- A Catalog of Plants cultivated in the Garden of John Gerard in the years 1596–1599 , edited with Notes, References to Gerard 's Herball, the Addition of modern Names, and a Life of the Author, by Benjamin Daydon Jackson, FLS, privately printed. London 1876.