Apothecary Garden
The Apothecary Garden at the rear of the Beaufort Historic Site has a variety of medicinal plants and herbs that would have been used to stock the Apothecary Shop, which was built in 1854. Dr. Josiah B. Davis and his son, Dr. George Davis, practiced medicine in the shop.
In the 1850s, without the synthetic drugs we have today, herbs were used to help ease a fever, stop or slow bleeding, soothe a sore throat or digestive system, and more.
Herbs and plants have been used for thousands of years and have regained popularity with practitioners of herbal medicine and are found on the supplement aisles of pharmacies, grocery, and big box stores.
Clockwise from left: Master Garden Volunteers Ellen Sewell, left, and Mary Chisenhall tidy up the Apothecary Garden. Heal All (Prunella vulgaris) is a medicinal herb that belongs to the mint family. Russian Sage (Salvia yangii) has long been used as a traditional medicine for anti-inflammation and is also used as a parasiticide, analgesic, and antibacterial agent. These are just a few of the plants cultivated in the garden.
The Doctor is In
The apothecary shop displays an array of herbal remedies that would have been used to treat local residents with a variety of ailments. (Dylan Ray Photo)
One of several buildings on the Beaufort Historic Site, the restored Apothecary is open to visitors. (Photo courtesy the Beaufort Historical Association)
