The wise woman, or witch, had a host of remedies which had been tested in years of use. Many of the herbal remedies developed by witches still have their place in modern pharmacology. They had pain-killers, digestive aids, and anti-inflammatory agents. They used ergot for the pain of labor at a time when the Church held that pain in labor was the

Whether or not the story is true, the “four thieves” remedy was developed into an herbal formulation in Europe between 1413 and 1722. Because of its touted protective benefits, herbalists have passed along its recipe for hundreds of years, and it typically involves a combination of various herbs and spices, most often cinnamon,