Hoffmann, D. (2003). Medical herbalism: The science and practice of herbal medicine . Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press. Despite being a favourite of the queen, Sarah Churchill is known for having many disagreements and falling outs with Anne, mostly due to political differences: since Sarah was a Whig and Anne was a Tory. This love-hate relationship continued until 1711, when Sarah and her husband were dismissed from court. With its pungent, aromatic, stimulating properties, Queen Anne’s lace works to increase circulatory blood flow. While this makes it a useful “memory-enhancing” herb for brain support and is likely the underlying reason why it stimulates the kidneys, its circulatory stimulating property also makes it a great emmenagogue—an herb that brings on delayed menses. In my search for information on Queen Anne’s lace, I came across an account of well-respected Appalachian folk herbalist, Tommie Bass, using a strong Queen Anne’s lace infusion for cases of edema, and it was mentioned that it made a “bitter brew” (Richey, 2010) when used in this manner. There have been a few hints here and there about this plant being used as a mild hepatic herb and laxative, probably due to its bitter taste when heavily decocted. Herbalist Maude Grieve (1931/1971) mentions its traditional use for jaundice, and Emily Peters (2014) documents wild carrot’s bitter taste and bitter classification in traditional Chinese medicine.

The first tea tables (explicitly so called) were sold in the late 1690s before Queen Anne's reign," says Markman Ellis, professor of 18th-century studies at the Queen Mary University of London. "But the idea of 'the tea table' as more than just a piece of furniture, but also a social event at which women and men met together for gossip and conversation, begins in Anne's reign especially."Jansen, G.C., & Wohlmuth, H. (2014). Carrot seed for contraception: A review. Australian Journal of Herbal Medicine, 26 , 10-17. In 1742, near the end of her life, Sarah released memoirs of her relationship with Queen Anne. Modern scholars claim that Churchill’s recollections were prejudiced, potentially as a form of revenge for her dismissal. Referring to Anne as a “weak and irresolute woman,” these memoirs initially giving historians a wrongful image of what Anne was like during her reign. 6. She was enthusiastic about political affairs Queen Anne’s lace infusions are often used by those with kidney and bladder infections, cystitis, and gout (Hoffman, 2003) to flush toxins from the body. Some herbalists even suggest Queen Anne’s lace infusions for clients with arthritis for this same reason.

Queen Anne’s lace is also used to dissolve stones or gravel in the kidneys. Herbalist Maude Grieve (1931/1971) recommends drinking a strong decoction of Queen Anne’s lace for this purpose), and herbalist Ryan Drum (n.d.) recommends Queen Anne’s lace seed decoctions for clients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BHP) and prostatitis due to the volatile oils’ ability to ease inflammation. Culpeper, N. (1653). Carrots. The complete herbal . Retrieved from http://www.complete-herbal.com/culpepper/carrots.htm We see tilt-top tables very often," says Sebastian Clarke, a furniture expert and appraiser for the Antiques Roadshow on PBS. "They could be set out for tea, and once the social event was over, placed against the wall, as was the custom until the mid-part of the 18th century. Also known as occasional tables, they were used for gaming and meals as well as tea."

Recommended Teas

To use Queen Anne’s lace seeds as a carminative, add a small number of seeds to your meal when cooking it, particularly meals that tend to upset your digestion. Not only will it give your food a mild pepper flavor, but it may help you from experiencing gastrointestinal upset afterward as well. It is best to add seeds in the last 10-15 minutes or so of cooking and to cover the cooking vessel with a lid. This will help prevent the seeds from being overheated and the volatile oils from escaping, and it will give the seeds some time to soften a bit as well. To make a Queen Anne’s lace decoction, you’ll want to use 4 tablespoons of Queen Anne’s lace seed to 4 cups of water. You can learn the exact steps for making herbal decoctions here: How to Make an Herbal Decoction .

From as early as 1698, Queen Anne suffered severely from gout, a joint infection which physically strained her. Eventually, in 1713, it stopped her from walking altogether, from which point she used a wheelchair to get around. This as well as her many failed pregnancies and the death of her husband, brought about a life of suffering – physically and mentally. 4. She had two favourites Like many other monarchs, Queen Anne had favourites, two in particular: Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, and Abigail Masham. Sarah Churchill was close friends with Anne before she became Queen and her influence over the monarch was common knowledge in court. Because of Queen Anne’s lace’s diuretic action, it can even be used to lower blood pressure and ease the fluid load on the body, which may help individuals with congestive heart failure or edema. Digestive Takeaway: Queen Anne’s lace is an aromatic plant. Its volatile oils soothe smooth muscle cramping, help expel gas, and have antiseptic properties. The idea of uniting England and Scotland had been around for at least a hundred years prior but was yet to take place by the time of Queen Anne’s reign. Anne was particularly enthusiastic about making this union happen to preserve the Stuart dynasty and its place on the throne, advocating its necessity in her first speech to Parliament.

To make a Queen Anne’s lace infusion, you’ll want to use 1 ounce of Daucus carota aerial parts to 4 cups of boiled water. You can learn the exact steps for making herbal infusions here: A Deeper Look at Herbal Infusions . While Queen Anne was successfully married, she was unable to birth an heir. Throughout her reign, she went through 17 pregnancies, 7 of which miscarried, 5 stillborn and the rest died at an early age, the oldest at 11. While Queen Anne’s lace isn’t one of the commonly used herbs of modern-day herbalism, at least here in the West, as you can see from all the information above, it is a valuable herb to know. It not only grows prolifically, so there’s no worry about overharvesting, but the plant has so many beneficial wellness uses. Bhatnagar, U. (1995). Postcoital contraceptive effects of an alcoholic extract of the Daucus carota Linn seed in rats. Clinical Drug Investigation, 9 (1), 30-36.

Grieve, M. (1971). A modern herbal (Vols. 1-2) . (Original work published 1931). New York, NY: Dover Publications.

The death of Queen Anne

To use Queen Anne’s lace as an emmenagogue, a quart infusion of the seeds is used and drank each day until menses begins. As with all emmenagogue herbs, it’s imperative that a person be certain they are not pregnant before using this herb as it can result in loss of pregnancy. In The Favourite, nursing the queen's inflamed legs gives chambermaid Abigail the opportunity to inveigle her way into the royal bedchamber, much to the chagrin of her powerful rival, the duchess of Marlborough. The two women scheme ruthlessly for the queen's bed and favor, their lives as enjoined as the three legs of a tea table, and hostilities come to a boil when Abigail slips a drug into the duchess's teacup — or tea bowl.