Herb bennet
Wood avens; herba benedicta, the blessed herb
- Known today as
- Geum urbanum, of the rose family, with a root that smells of cloves.
- Kind
- Plant, in 1 older authority
- Constituents
- eugenol, gein, tannins
- Earliest authority here
- Its name
- In other databases
- Plants of the World Online search · GBIF search · Wikidata search
Herb bennet: what was it used for?
The clove-scented root, for fluxes, fevers, and a weak stomach; laid among linen, and steeped in ale.
Herb bennet: what does modern science say?
The root contains eugenol, the chief scent of cloves, and tannins; no clinical evidence for its uses.
Pharmacognosy & Toxicology
- Constituents
- Mechanism
- A strong astringent with a clove-oil antiseptic: the eugenol is antibacterial and the tannins tighten, which is why it was a gargle and kept moths from linen.
- Toxic dose
- Safe at tea doses.
- Standing
- No monograph; in the German tradition for diarrhoea and mouth inflammation.
- Wichtl, M. (2004). Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals, 3rd ed., “Gei urbani rhizoma.” Book, seen in reviews
Constituent names open the compound’s record at PubChem, and “ChEMBL” beside a name opens its record at ChEMBL, the European Bioinformatics Institute’s database of bioactive molecules. Where a mechanism line was checked against ChEMBL (ChEMBL 37, read 1 October 2026), the check is shown with the measured value and its source paper, or says plainly that nothing has been measured. Doses are as the references give them, for description only; this is not medical advice. Each source carries the result of its check against Crossref, PubMed, or the authority’s page: see Verification.
Herb bennet: what lore surrounds it?
The blessed herb kept evil away: the Hortus sanitatis of 1491 says that where the root is in the house, the devil can do nothing, and flies from it; its three-lobed leaf and five petals were read as the Trinity and the five wounds.
Herb bennet: what did the older authorities say?
- Its name
- Herba benedicta, the blessed herb, became “bennet” in English.
Sources
- Grieve, M. (1931). A Modern Herbal, “Avens.” Book, not indexed
- Hortus sanitatis (Mainz, 1491). Book, seen in reviews
Verification
- Checked
- October 1, 2026
- Passes
- Every sentence read against its sources, in the pass over the remaining 343 entries
- The Standing line checked against the authority it names (EMA, WHO, FDA, CITES, Commission E)
- Every dated or regulatory claim checked by category across the database
- Sources
- 3 cited: 2 book, seen in reviews, 1 book, not indexed.
- Corrections
- None were needed.
What was checked, how, and what was found is set out on the Verification page. A checked source is one whose record was found; it does not make the entry medical advice.
Cite This Entry
Version 1 · first published September 30, 2026
- Chicago
“Herb bennet.” In Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema. Version 1. The Thinking Press, 2026–. Last modified September 30, 2026. https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/herb-bennet.
- MLA
“Herb bennet.” Materia Medica, edited by B. C. P. Statema, version 1, The Thinking Press, 30 Sept. 2026, thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/herb-bennet. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.
- APA
Herb bennet. (2026, September 30). In B. C. P. Statema (Ed.), Materia medica (Version 1). The Thinking Press. Retrieved October 8, 2026, from https://thethinkingpress.org/materia-medica/herb-bennet
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See Also
Sharing eugenol, tannins
Myristica fragrans · Clove · Ocimum basilicum · Cinnamomum verum · Cynoglossum officinale · Corylus avellana · Sempervivum tectorum · Euphrasia officinalis
Drawing on the same sources: Grieve, Wichtl
Hop · Heartsease · Horehound · Lady’s mantle · Ground ivy · Lungwort · the bibliography →
Nearby in the alphabet
Herb Paris (true-lover’s knot, a woodland plant with a single black berry) · Henbane (of the nightshade family) · Hiera of Pacchius · Hemp (Cannabis sativa) · Hiera picra (mastic, saffron, and other aromatics) · Hemlock (Conium maculatum, of the carrot family) · Hiera with agaric
Historical description, not medical advice.