Skull lichens: a curious chapter in the history of phytotherapy.
Lichens growing on skulls were known in late medieval times as usnea or moss of a dead man's skull and were recommended as highly beneficial in various diseases. They were, in addition, the main ingredient of Unguentum armariun, a liniment used in a curious medical practice: the magnetic cure of wounds. We can place this chapter of the history of phytotherapy within the wider cultural context of the period, which saw the definition of nature become increasingly more fluid and open to a variety of novel interpretations.
Modenesi
P
P
Dipartimento per Studio del Territorio e delle sue Risorse sez. Botanica, Università di Genova, Corso Dogali 1/M, 16136 Italy. pmod@unige.it
D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D008038:Liniments / Q000266:history*; D008280:Magnetics / Q000266:history; D009824:Ointments / Q000266:history; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000266:history*; D012886:Skull; D020949:Usnea; D014945:Wound Healing
D008038:Liniments; D009824:Ointments