Lily (Lilium)
Flowers: Summer Height: 120cm (48in).
In the Middle Ages, a red lily seems to have been a symbol of the Virgin Mary although this was replaced in popularity by the white lily which was to become a symbol of her purity of soul and chastity. In later Greek and Roman times, the lily was regarded as the symbol of sublime love, procreation, and glory and was used for making the ritual bridal wreath. In medieval times, Lilies were prized for their beauty and fragrance and a popular choice for a medieval garden.
Medicinal: Lily root soup was used to purge colic and treat pleurisy. (Lily snuff was used up until the 19th as a decongestant.) A paste of lily roots cleared various skin diseases, was known to take away wrinkles and was said to be able to draw out a nail. The leaves could be used against poisons, burns, and wounds and to reduce swellings. Hildegard de Bingen’s ‘Causes and cures’ (c.1151) describes lilies as “more cold than war” and recommended pounding a lily bulb with old lard and heating the mixture in a metal vessel. This ointment was to be used “to anoint sufferers from “white leprosy,” and would effect a cure. Sufferers from “red leprosy” would benefit from the same treatment.”
