Old-World Names for Herbs
“Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog…” the witches of “Macbeth” chant. Luckily for the squeamish, these are names of plants and not the body parts of poor animals! Instead, in this scene, they’re tossing in wild mustard seed (eye of newt), bulbous buttercup leaves (toe of frog), holly leaves (wool of bat), and hound’s tongue (tongue of dog).
It got us thinking about all of the interesting old-world names for herbs. Here are a couple of handy guides for deciphering others you may come across and a fun list of some more common herbs.
Animal Names for Herbs
Generally speaking, each animal symbolizes an herb, while the “body part” of the herb’s name symbolizes the plant’s part. For instance:
Cat: Catnip
Dog: Couch Grass
Eagle: Wild Garlic
Lamb: Lettuce
Rat: Valerian
Toad: Sage
Weasel: Rue
"Body Parts" for Herbs
The following list is an overview of what the body parts mean for most herbs:
Eye: Inner part of the blossom
Paw/Foot/Leg/Wing/Toe: Leaf
Guts: Roots and stalk
Privates: Seed
Hair: Dried, stringy herbs
Tail: Stem
Head: Flower
Tongue: Petal
Heart: Bud or seed
Common Herbs & Their Old-World Names
Here's a fun list of old names for some of the most common herbs found in literature (and possibly your garden!).
Bat's Wings: Holly leaves (“wings” meaning leaves)
Dew of the Sea: Rosemary
Eye of the Day: Common Daisy
Eye of Newt: Wild Mustard Seed (note the “eye” for seed)
Death Flower: Yarrow
Ear of Goat: St. John’s Wort
Swine’s Snout: Dandelion Leaves
Semen of Hermes: Dill
Skin of a Man: Fern
Joy of the Mountain: Marjoram
Kronos’ Blood: Cedar
Little Dragon: Tarragon
Love Lies Bleeding: Amaranth
Elf Leaf: Lavender (sometimes Rosemary)
Hairs of a Baboon: Dill Seed
Blood of Hestia: Chamomile
Blind Eyes: Poppy
Enchanter's Plant: Vervain
Bone of an Ibis: Buckthorn
Bird’s Foot: Fenugreek
Bat’s Wool: Moss
Dead Man's Ashes: Mandrake Root
Old Man: Mugwort (Mugwort may also be called Tarragon or Witch Herb)
Witchbane: Rowan
Worms: Thin, gnarled roots of a local tree
Black Snake Root: Black Cohosh
For more herb names, check out: https://www.tryskelion.com/herbs_old_world_names_for_herbs.html