The Forgotten Values of Costmary

While little known today, there was a time not so long ago that Costmary was customary in every garden, medicinal or otherwise. From the early 1500's through the late 1700's, it was commonly seen throughout Britain and Europe, and carried through the US as well. Only with the discovery of some of the properties of Tansy and others of the same family, did Costmary decline in usage.

The name Costmary is taken from the Latin costus meaning 'Oriental plant', and 'Mary,' in reference to the Virgin Mary. During the the Middle Ages, the plant was widely associated with her, hence also the French moniker Herbe Sainte-Marie.

Another bibilical reference lies in the nickname Bibleleaf. The leaves of Costmary, when dried, were long used as scented bookmarks for Bibles. Undoubtedly, this capitalized on its other use...as a moth repellent.

Costmary was primarily used as a flav g, adding a spicy tang to ales and other beverages as early as the 1600's, according to a reference in The Countrie Farmer, circa 1616. This led to its common name of 'Alecost'

The fresh leaves were also used in salads and in porridges, cakes and breads, adding both aroma and flavor.

As a scented or scattering herb, Costmary was often used in pot-pourries and for scattering in the linens and bedclothes. Bundles of Costmary and Lavender were often used - as quoted by M. Grieve in A Modern Herbal, 'to Iye upon the toppes of beds, presses, etc., for sweet scent and savour.'

Another popular use in the Middle Ages was as a sweet scented body wash and hair rinse.

Medicinal Use

Costmary was widely used throughout Europe and the British Isles for its astringent and antiseptic properties. It was included in the British Pharmacopoeia until 1788, referenced primarily as a treatment for dysentery.

As early as 1532, Green's Universal Herbal recommended, 'A strong infusion of the leaves to be good in disorders of the stomach and head'. By the 1700's, herbalists recommended Costmary for 'the bitings of venomous beasts and ... worms in human bodies...' as well as chills, swellings, gout, sciatica, liver and nervous disorders. Grieve also tells us, "We find this plant mentioned in a very composite old recipe 'for a Consumption,' called 'Aqua Composita,' in which it is spelt 'Coursemary.' Also in an 'Oyntment,' for 'bruises, dry itches, streins of veins and sinews, scorchings of gunpowder, the shingles, blisters, scabs and vermine.'

Today, Costmary can be used safely for many of the same uses, although herbalists recommend it primarily for use topically to ease bruising and skin inflammations. Costmary works well as a skin cleansing herb, when an infusion is used as a tonic or rinse after soap and water or other cleansers.

Gardening with Costmary

Costmary is a highly scented, hardy perennial that speads a carpet of singluar leavefo.c spring, and blooms on 3 foot stalks in late summer. The leaves have a balsamic odor, and the flowers bloom a pleasant yellow color but may need staking. Costmary prefers full sun, well drained soil and requires regular watering. It will take part shade, but will not flower without sun. In either condition it can be as invasive as mints, so you need to confine it or be prepared to divide and replant every few years.

Costmary may be harvested in small quantities any time before the leaves begin to yellow. They dry and store easily, and the fragrance lasts a great while.

Magical Use

While scholars may argue the case, there is some evidence that many of the herbs related to the 'Mother Mary' may have been transposed from earlier matriarchal or Goddess oriented religions. Following these lines, Costmary is an excellent herb to use in Goddess oriented ritual(s).

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