Appearance
"Betonica officinalis" is a rhizotomous, patch-forming, grassland herbaceous perennial growing to 30–60 cm tall. Its leaves are stalked on upright stems, narrowly oval, with a heart-shaped base, with a somewhat wrinkled texture and toothed margins. The calyx is 5–7 mm long, with 5 teeth, edged with bristles. The corolla 1–1.5 cm long. Its upper lip flat, almost straight when seen from the side. The anthers stick straight out. It flowers in mid summer from July to September, and is found in dry grassland, meadows and open woods in most of Europe, western Asia and North Africa. In the British Isles it is common in England and Wales, but rare in Ireland and northern Scotland.
Naming
Pliny calls the plant both "betonica" and "vettonica", claiming that the Vettones used it as a herbal medicine. It is commonly known as "Stachys officinalis", the word "stachys" coming from the Greek, meaning "an ear of grain," and refers to the fact that the inflorescence is often a spike.The Latin specific epithet "officinalis" refers to plants which had a culinary or medicinal use.
Cultural
The first reference to betony occurs in a work by the Roman physician Antonius Musa, who claimed it as being effective against sorcery. It was planted in churchyards to prevent activity by ghosts.The Anglo Saxon Herbal recommends its use to prevent "frightful nocturnal goblins and terrible sights and dreams". A Welsh charm prescribes: to prevent dreaming, take the leaves of betony, and hang about your neck, or else drink the juice on going to bed.
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