Dill

Anethum graveolens

HRB-0099Entry “DILL” in the 1850 textIn Culpeper’s 1652 first edition

Open in the Concordance

Old claims, quoted verbatim: not medical advice. A warning sits above the claims and never hides them; no warning does not mean safe, only that no source here has flagged the plant.

Substance of concernEFSA: estragoleEFSA’s list of substances, not a danger rating. Checked 26 October 2026.

Historical correspondence. Ruled by Mercury, by Culpeper. A traditional astrological assignment, kept apart from the modern evidence; it is not a finding.

Culpeper’s claims about it: 6, under 6 headings

  1. Brain (to strengthen)CLM-000325
    Mercury has the dominion of this plant, and therefore to be sure it strengthens the brain.
    QUO-000282Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance
  2. ImposthumesCLM-000857
    The seed, being roasted or fried, and used in oils or plasters, dissolve the imposthumes in the fundament;
    QUO-000661Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance
  3. StomachCLM-001589
    it also stays the belly and stomach from casting.
    QUO-001049Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance
  4. SwellingsCLM-001790
    The Dill being boiled and drank, is good to ease swellings and pains;
    QUO-001144Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance
  5. UlcersCLM-001935
    and dries up all moist ulcers, especially in the fundament;
    QUO-001220Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance
  6. WindCLM-0024511850 index, p. 63
    The decoction therefore helps women that are troubled with the pains and windiness of the mother, if they sit therein.
    QUO-001456Papers and the EMA’s verdict, in the Concordance

Source

Nicholas Culpeper, The Complete Herbal, a new edition (London: Thomas Kelly, 1850). Project Gutenberg eBook #49513. SRC-CUL-1850

Quotations are verbatim from the 1850 text, line breaks joined. Modern research and the European regulator’s verdict on each claim are on the Concordance page, kept apart from this historical record.