A Look at Winter Fruits and their Medicinal Qualities from Select Historical Botanicals

Abstract

A blog post written to highlight the medicinal uses of winter fruits perscribed in historical botanicals. Lemons, oranges, pomegranates, these are all fruits associated with winter and the holiday season. Today we eat them as desserts or in desserts or in cocktails. These fruits bring a sense of freshness to the winter months. While today these fruits are important for a balanced and flavorful diet; in the 17th through the early 19th centuries, these fruits were often prescribed in botanicals for a variety of medicinal purposes. Botanicals are a form of book published to illustrate plant species and their medicinal value. The HSHSL’s Historical Collections Department is home to a large collection of Botanicals as part of our historic Pharmacy Collection. These volumes were used by the early UMB schools to teach pharmacists and doctors the value of plants for medicinal purposes.