Herbs & Plants, & Everything Green!
The Polish affinity for herbs has a long history, but it is also very much in tune with the modern ideas of natural living. This trend, popular in Western countries, is in fact an inherent element of Polish culture. How does one lead a healthy, plant-based and herbal life – the Polish way? Discover the, often surprising, Polish convictions about plants and herbs!
he Polish affinity for herbs has a long history, but it is also very much in tune with the modern ideas of healthy, natural living. What can be seen as a trend in some Western countries is in fact an inherent element of Polish culture. How does one lead a healthy, herbal life – the Polish way?
Feeling nervous? Drink some lemon balm tea! Had too much to eat? Mint tea is the answer. Sore throat? Sage will help you for sure! Your eyes hurt? Put some camomile tea bags on them! Take milk thistle for your liver, horsetail for your kidneys, and fennel for your tummy.
Garlic for the flu, vinegar for bruises, cabbage for ulceration… Poland’s home remedies passed down from generation to generation make up an entire universe of alternative medicine. Because some of these methods may seem odd, let’s discuss them one by one so that you know which suggestions to accept or reject if you happen to feel unwell in Poland.
That’s the kind of health advice you might hear from a Pole when you’re not feeling great. And you don’t even need to go to the pharmacy or a specialist herbal store – most of these remedies are easy to find in any grocery store you come across.
The tradition of zielniki
In his 16th-century book Herbarz Polski (Polish Herbarium), the Polish pharmacist and priest Marcin z Urzędowa wrote:
There would be no pricier medicine in the pharmacy than herbs, if they weren’t so common, and nature gives birth to them so commonly as not to be deminuta in necessarius [lacking in what’s necessary].
Herbs are the oldest treatment out there, and folk medicine has made use of them all around the world since time immemorial. In Poland, traditional remedies have always been connected to the plentiful fields and forests and – as in the case of the Eastern Orthodox szeptuchy in Podlasie, who even today treat diseases with natural remedies while praying to God to heal their patients – herbal treatments often connect the remnants of pagan traditions with Christian faith.
The worldwide trend for superfoods has also spread to Poland. But just like any other nation, Poles also have their own local products, their own “superfoods”. Their regular intake aids the treatment of many diseases and helps prevent others. Where to look for them? At local markets, tested retailers, and producers, or organic food shops. Here are a few examples.
Major scientific research about herbs began in the 16th century thanks to the famous Swiss physician and alchemist Paracelsus. More and more ‘herbarias’ (zielniki), namely collections of preserved plant specimens and data gathered about them, were published all around Europe, as well as treaties about plant characteristics and uses. They quickly reached Poland through translation and were also compiled by Polish biologists such as Stefan Falimirz (the author of the first scientific treaties about herbs written in Polish in 1534 entitled O Ziołach i Mocy Ich [On Herbs and Their Power]), Maciej Miechowita and Marcin Siennik. Szymon Syreniusz created the unique Zielnik in 1613, in which for the first time he described 765 plants growing in Central and Eastern Europe.
Another figure worth mentioning is Michał Boym, a 17th-century Polish Jesuit monk who was one of the first Westerners to travel to China and write extensively about its flora and fauna, particularly traditional Chinese medicine.
Anna Wazówna, the daughter of King Jan III Waza, was the author of the first Polish zielnik made with specimens of dried herbs, but unfortunately it was destroyed during World War II. The princess was very interested in plants and their health benefits; she even had a laboratory and a herb garden. And she wasn’t the only one: plants weren’t just randomly growing in fields and meadows at the time, but were also grown in gardens by wealthy citizens and monks. Herb honeys, vinegars, liqueurs and oils were stacked in their pantries.
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