Teacher Resources
: Lesson Plans
: Colonial Home Remedies
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School through Middle School
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
A colonial household could not function properly without an herb garden. Housewives were
well-informed about herbs and their uses and were prepared for any emergency whether it was
deodorizing a home for guests or ministering aid to someone ill or injured. Household gardens were
close at hand and contained a wide variety of plants for both food and medicine. Many of the
herbs used by eighteenth-century families were native to Europe and were brought to the American
colonies because of their medicinal value. The colonial housewife would sometimes
supplement what was in her garden with plants such as nutmeg which was imported and could be
purchased at a local store.
TIME REQUIRED: Two class periods of 45 minutes each
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MATERIALS:
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[Note: "Every Man His Own Doctor: or, The Poor Planter's
Physician" may be purchased through the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
by calling (757) 565-8328. Fore more detailed information regarding this item
click here.]
INSTRUCTIONAL FORMAT
OBJECTIVES:
As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
- identify plants used in the eighteenth century for medicinal purposes
- compare eighteenth-century remedies with remedies of the twentieth century
SETTING THE STAGE:
Emphasize to the students that Every Man His Own Doctor was a home medical guide and
that just like today there were also professional phramacy books available for doctors. Review the
background information with the students. Ask the students how this is different from today. What does this
tell them about colonial health care and beliefs? Probe students for any information they have
on eighteenth-century plants and their medicinal uses. Ask the students what more they would
like to know about medicinal plants of the eighteenth century.
STRATEGIES/PROCEDURES:
Using Every Man His Own Doctor, read a suggested treatment in answer to one of the plants
they would like to know more about. Refer to the Index on pages 70-71 for assistance. Have the students
rewrite the treatment you read in their own words. Compare the treatment with modern methods. How
are they the same and/or different? What does this tell us about colonial health care and beliefs?
Divide the class into five cooperative groups. Give each student a copy of
the graphic organizer Plants & Their Medicinal Uses.
Have each group appoint a scribe and a reporter. Give each group a copy of Every
Man His Own Doctor. Instruct each group to investigate three of the plants
listed in "Plants & Their Medicinal Uses". Assign the first three
plants to group 1, the second three plants to group 2, and so on until all the
groups have three plants to investigate. Have each group refer to the Index
on pages 70-71 of Every Man His Own Doctor and to a modern dictionary
for assistance. Ask each reporter to report to the class on their group's findings.
As the reports are being given, the class may fill in the rest of the graphic
organizer "Plants & Their Medicinal Uses".
Continue to work in five cooperative groups. Give each student a copy of the
graphic organizer Medicine: Then and Now. Have each
group select an illness from the graphic organizer they just completed ("Plants
& Their Medicinal Uses") and research its eighteenth-century and its twentieth-century
remedy. Next each group will answer the question, "How are they the same
and how are they different?" Group reporters will report the group's findings
to the class. As the reports are being given, the class may fill in the rest
of the "Medicine: Then and Now" graphic organizer. In concluding this
activity, emphasize that these medical treatments were home remedies.
Just like today, professional is always better.
ALTERNATE PLAN:
Have students construct their own eighteenth-century garden. If possible use white glue and
actual dried herbs. Students could plan, design and describe their eighteenth-century garden and
the plants they decide to include.
Have students make a sweet bag (sachet) which in the eighteenth century would have been used
in the family's linen chest. Each student would need a plain piece of cotton cloth, 8inches by
8 inches square and a ribbon to tie it together. The following is a receipt from Mrs. Glasses' book
The Art of Cookery, 1784. A mortar, pestle and a grater are essential for creating a strong
scent.
Sweet Scented Bags to Lay with Linen
Eight ounces of damask rose leaves, eight ounces of coriander
seeds, eight ounces of sweet orriroot, eight ounces of calamus aromaticus, one
ounce of mace, one ounce of cinnamon, half an ounce of cloves, four drachms of
musk-powder, two drachms of white loaf sugar, three ounces of lavender flowers
and some of Rhodium wood. Beat them well together and make them in small silk
bags. |
EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT:
Students will make a poster showing plants and their eighteenth-century uses based on Every
Man His Own Doctor.
This lesson plan was developed by Dianne Graves, fifth grade teacher from
Painted Rock E.S., Poway, California. If you have a lesson plan which you would like to share, please
send to School & Group Services, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, PO Box 1776, Williamsburg,
VA 23187
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