Combining the fascinating archive of the first Duchess of Northumberland with the expertise of Jane, the present duchess and the creator of the famous Poison Garden at Alnwick Castle, this gift book contains a collection of wonderful medicinal recipes passed down through generations. The reader will learn the secrets of the poisonous and curative properties of these plants and the more unusual varieties that have been cultivated and planted for centuries, and will discover how ‘to make teethe whyte’ and how ‘to make heare growe’.
Beautifully illustrated, The Duchess of Northumberland’s Little Book of Poisons, Potions and Aphrodisiacs is the ideal gift for those with an interest in the wild plants of Britain, and for those with an interest in poisons and potions… The Duchess of Northumberland was responsible for the £35 million restoration of the 12 acres of walled garden at Alnwick Castle, which now includes the largest treehouse in the world and the famous Poison Garden. The Poison Garden remains one of the few places to have obtained permission from the Home Office to grow cannabis, opium poppies and catha edulis for display.
The luxuriant purple cover itself conveys the promise of potions and this delightful little book does not disappoint.
Drawing as it does on the archives of the present Duchess of Northumberland, creator of the renowned Poison Garden at Alnwick Castle, the Little Book of Poisons, Potions and Aphrodisiacs is indeed a “distillation of centuries of information” about the properties of plants, packaged in neat excerpts taken from the archives of Alnwick Castle.
The excerpts are published in what I take to be the original English of their respective ages (spanning the 16th to the 19th centuries) and as such the book does presume a certain familiarity or at least prior interest in remedies of old. The old English is not a hindrance though and the book does include a helpful note on “Apothecaries’ Measures”. For the initiated like myself it would perhaps have been useful to have also included the Roman numerals "iij", for three times, or "ij", for twice, in the same note but in this age of internet search engines that little hitch was quickly overcome!
Once my eye had adjusted to the period English and the apothecaries’ measures, I found plenty to entertain me, such as the excerpt “Of Stinkinge Breathe of the Nostrelles”, or the more palatable piece on Giddines “against the swimming Paynes and giddy tourninges of the heade”, for instance. Also delightfully entertaining was the advice on “To Compose a Love Letter”.
Some of the potions do fall under “revolting”, though, not least the “Oyle of Frogges”, the use for which also remains elusive, which did not bother me though as I have no intention whatsoever of reproducing it!
Distinctly more appealing is the “Timbale d’Asperges” with its leanings on the widely acclaimed aphrodisiac properties long associated with asparagus. Equally promising is the “Infallible Receipt for a Sore Throat by Dr W. Duncan”. Comprising sea salt, honey of roses, barley water and warm milk it almost sounds like it is worth acquiring a sore throat for, and it is at least thoroughly tried and tested: “In thirty years practice Dr W. Duncan never knew this fail”.
The pen and (purple) ink illustrations by Oliver Goodson are a charming enhancement to the recipes and I would have liked to have seen a Table of Contents or an index to make it easier to go back and look up the poisons and potions.
That not withstanding, the Little Book of Poisons, Potions and Aphrodisiacs is indeed what it claims to be: the ideal gift for those with an interest in wild plants, poisons and potions.
Book: The Duchess of Northumberland's Little Book of Poisons, Potions and Aphrodisiacs
Author: The Duchess of Northumberland
Review by Katherine Taylor
Katherine Taylor is a translator and trained cook who is passionate about seasonal pick-your-own produce, specialising in culinary translation and the reading of recipe books!