Wild Angelica (Angelica sylvestris) is common

throughout the British Isles and is normally found in damp woodland, roadside ditches or bogs and marshes.

The edible angelica, often made into sweets, is a different species (Angelica archangelica). It is a member of the parsley family, recognised by a solid stem growing to 2 metres high. The stalks are often purplish, branching and ridged; it has a dense umbel
of small white flowers, which are seen from July to September.

The plant has a sweet and aromatic flavour and has been used in cooking for centuries. It is also an ingredient in Chartreuse and Vermouth.

It was believed in ancient times to protect against the bubonic plague. It was worn as a charm after an archangel revealed its properties to an unnamed missionary. Luckily, it could be found in London at

the time of the great plague around 1665, and it was often found at Lincoln's Inn Fields.

It is meant to bloom by tradition on the Feast of the Apparition of St Michael, which used to fall on 8

May. Wild Angelica is meant to provide protection against those which the Church saw as evil, such as witches and demons. It is also protective against the bite of mad dogs. Culpeper describes Angelica as a herb of the Holy Ghost, but then he also says that this is blasphemy!

Angelica has a long-standing reputation as a medicinal herb and has been recommended by European herbalists since the Fifteenth Century. Angelica is used to reduce muscular spasms in asthma and bronchitis, and the oil has been shown to ease rheumatic inflammation, regulate menstrual flow, and act as an appetite stimulant. The stems are candied for culinary use. The herb is associated with Hermes and the archangel Michael. Planet: Sun. Air

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