Catmint, Medicinal Plant, 1737
A Curious Herbal, Plate 455. Catmint or catnip is best known for its effect on cats. Blackwell does not mention this, but describes its application for female reproductive problems. Catmint (Nepeta cataria) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae. Most of the species are herbaceous perennial plants, but some are annuals. Catmint induces sleep and perspiration but does not increase body temperature. It has been used for restlessness, hyperactivity, convulsions, headaches, insomnia, middle ear infection, sinuses, colds, influenza, congestion of the respiratory organs, colic, and indigestion. Elizabeth Blackwell (1707-1758) was a famed Scottish illustrator and author who was best known as both the artist and engraver for the plates of "A Curious Herbal" (1737). A herbal is a book of plants, describing their appearance, their properties and how they may be used for preparing ointments and medicines. The book is notable both for its beautiful illustrations of medicinal plants and for the unusual circumstances of its creation. Blackwell undertook the project to raise money to pay her husband's debts and release him from debtor's prison. She drew, engraved, and colored the illustrations herself, mostly using plant specimens from the Chelsea Physic Garden in London. It was an artistic, scientific and commercial enterprise unprecedented for a woman of her time. Little is known of her later years. She died in 1758, at the age of 50 or 51. She remained loyal to Alexander throughout, even sharing royalties with him from the sale of additional book rights.
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