During the reign of Prydain ab Aedd Mawr in about 1000 BC the men of knowledge “the Gwyddoniaid’ were looked upon as the chief sources of wisdom in the land. The three branches of study were astronomy, theology and herbal medicine. The Gwyddoniaid were recognised as Druids, Bards and Ovates. The Druids were responsible for mystic and religious rites, the Bards for oratory, poetry and music, while the Ovates were responsible for the natural sciences and medicine.
In 430 BC (before the time of Hippocrates) Dynwal Moelmud wrote a series of laws, the art of medicine was thus protected and encouraged by the state. These laws recognised medicine, commerce and navigation as the three civil arts, each with its own set of responsibilities and privileges.
It is likely that the Druids and Ovates were acquainted with Greek medicine as we know that they traded with the Phoenicians. Druidic herbal medicine used mystical and life style techniques, such as cold baths, exercise, change of place and administration of herbs. They made a point of using specific waters from certain wells, because of their mineral and spiritual properties. These principles were later adopted by the Physicians of Myddfai.
The Druids and Ovates believed some herbs were endowed with magical as well as medicinal virtues, such as the three sacred Venusian herbs; firstly vervain – used to anoint people, prevent fevers, procure friendship and obtain all that the heart desired, secondly meadowsweet – which was used to promote love and peace, and thirdly water mint – which was used as a protective herb. Their ceremonies were performed within the protective ambiance of a sacred oak grove – the very name Druid means “men of the oaks.” The Druids used mistletoe to celebrate the winter solstice. The plant that grew on the oak trees was considered especially sacred – as their beloved oak was seen to be blessed by the heavens. A clump of mistletoe with its golden hue essentially provided a golden orb of light in the tree when all the leaves had fallen off, in the dead of winter. It thus symbolises the triumph of the forces of light over the forces of darkness during the depths of winter.
Thus long before the Romans came to Britain, the Celtic traditional knowledge of the native healing plants was extensive. Pliny the Elder, a Roman historian who came to Britain in 77 AD wrote extensively about the Druids, Bards and Ovates. We know that they were present around Myddfai as they left numerous standing stones and stone circles as a testament to their presence. It is to Pliny that we owe much of our knowledge of the early Celtic tribes. However the Romans came to fear the wisdom of the Druids and sought to eradicate them in Wales. The Druids retreated; some fled to Ireland and others formed a stronghold in Anglesea which ultimately was defeated by the Romans.
Despite the defeat of the Druids and the loss of their metaphysical wisdom, the communal knowledge of herbal medicine would have continued in the tribes even under Roman dominion. Our ancestors in Wales will almost certainly have traded medical knowledge with the Romans, though they had their own knowledgeable herbalists, like Galen who was a physician in the Roman army.
In the sixth century Taliesin, ’Chief of Bards’ wrote ‘The Elements of Man’ which contributed three written medical Triads,
‘There are three intractable substantial organs……’
‘There are three intractable membranes….’
‘There are three tedious complaints…..’
Between the sixth and the tenth centuries nothing much was written in Wales until the laws of Hywel Dda in 930 AD in which he wrote copious notes on the role of the mediciner of the Royal household. However, the abbeys and monasteries especially those of St Benedict in the 6th century were ‘encouraged to care for the sick as intelligently as possible’ and to use a book known as the ‘herbarium’ as a guide to using and growing herbs.