Doctrine of Signatures-Ancient Herbal Folklore

"Every herb must tell to man by its form or leaves, stem or flowers, of what use it might be in curing his ills."

Helen Noyes Webster, Herbs

More than 400 years ago, one theory informed a generation of herbalists. Though arguably quaint by today's standards, it marked a significant step along the path of botanical knowledge.

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, an age when the capacities of herbal healing extended to the physical as well as the spiritual and mental realms, a metaphysical theory called the Doctrine of Signatures served as a crucial and lifesaving guide. The basic premise behind the theory - 'like cures like' - placed emphasis on clues and signals given off by a plant. Simply put, a plant's physical characteristics revealed its uses for healing.

These days, our more modern reliance on clinical proof and double-blind trials might lead us to view this theory as quaint at best, misguided at worst. But for those interested in the roots of Western herbalism, the Doctrine of Signatures remains a continuing source of intrigue - particularly in light of the fact that, in some cases, it led to correct applications of life-saving herbs.

Students of Nature

"We see in Paracelsus not only a pioneer in the domains of chemical medicine, but also in those of an empirical psychological healing science."

Carl Jung

The idea behind the Doctrine was refreshingly simple: Herbalists would observe the physical form of a plant to construe the types of illnesses it could help to cure. By noting aspects such as the color of a plant's roots, the shape of its leaves, or the area in which it grew, they would attempt to determine how to use it. The fact that daisies, for instance, resembled eyes meant that they could treat eye complaints. Plants with red roots or flowers were thought to help cure blood disorders; herbs with yellow flowers or roots could alleviate the problems associated with jaundice.