Red-edged Quencher. Mouse-ear Hawkweed, Pilosella officinarum, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Widely read early-modern herbalists and botanists such as Matthias d'Obel (1538-1616) and Abraham Munting (1626-1683) in their descriptions of our Mouse-ear Hawkweed remark that its juice in water can be used in a smithy, for example, to sharpen - quench or temper - iron and steel cutting instruments. My curious key-board fingers sought more information.
And so I found a wonderful article by D. Scott Mackenzie (2008), 'History of Quenching'. He refers to acidic and basic waters used in quenching. Mackenzie doesn't mention Pilosella, but refers to the remarkable recipe for successful tempering given by a medieval author calling himself Theophilus Presbyter (fl. 1100) in his De diversis artibus: 'In urine etiam rufi pueri parvuli temperantur ferramenta, durius quam in aqua simplici' (=Iron instruments are also tempered harder in the urine of a young red-headed boy than in simple water).
So what's the connection to Pilosella? Well, that herb does expell urine, but this is not the point. Still, urine - I suppose also that of young red-headed boys - has a slight acidity and as such can help temper or quench sharp steel or iron instruments. And it's the case as well that this Hawkweed contains caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid and umbelliferone as do its 'waters'.
Lobelius' and Munting's remarks aren't as far-fetched as we might assume at first reading.
Red-edged Quencher. Mouse-ear Hawkweed, Pilosella officinarum, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Widely read early-modern herbalists and botanists such as Matthias d'Obel (1538-1616) and Abraham Munting (1626-1683) in their descriptions of our Mouse-ear Hawkweed remark that its juice in water can be used in a smithy, for example, to sharpen - quench or temper - iron and steel cutting instruments. My curious key-board fingers sought more information.
And so I found a wonderful article by D. Scott Mackenzie (2008), 'History of Quenching'. He refers to acidic and basic waters used in quenching. Mackenzie doesn't mention Pilosella, but refers to the remarkable recipe for successful tempering given by a medieval author calling himself Theophilus Presbyter (fl. 1100) in his De diversis artibus: 'In urine etiam rufi pueri parvuli temperantur ferramenta, durius quam in aqua simplici' (=Iron instruments are also tempered harder in the urine of a young red-headed boy than in simple water).
So what's the connection to Pilosella? Well, that herb does expell urine, but this is not the point. Still, urine - I suppose also that of young red-headed boys - has a slight acidity and as such can help temper or quench sharp steel or iron instruments. And it's the case as well that this Hawkweed contains caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid and umbelliferone as do its 'waters'.
Lobelius' and Munting's remarks aren't as far-fetched as we might assume at first reading.