To make a Queen Anne’s lace decoction, you’ll want to use 4 tablespoons of Queen Anne’s lace seed to 4 cups of water. You can learn the exact steps for making herbal decoctions here: How to Make an Herbal Decoction . Queen Anne’s lace ( Daucus carota ) is a fascinating plant with a long and storied past. Because it has poisonous look-alikes, it’s vitally important that you properly identify Queen Anne’s lace if you’re foraging for any part of the plant. Read the first part of this two-part series in Queen Anne’s Lace Part I: Folklore and Identification for more info. In another happy coincidence, Anne's reign witnessed the rise of that perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea: the morning newspaper. The first British daily, The Daily Courant, was launched the year she came to power, while the celebrated upper-class gossip sheet, The Tatler, followed seven years later. What a delectable pairing it must have been, fantasized the historical writer Mrs. Oliphant, for the Tatler to be "served up with the foaming chocolate or fragrant tea at every breakfast in Mayfair." But why did this style of furniture, which constitutes Anne's most prominent cultural legacy, become such a rage? One of the chief reasons can be distilled into a dark and delicious word: tea.

In reaction to the queen’s infertility, Parliament passed the Act of Settlement in 1701, choosing a successor to inherit the throne upon Anne’s death. The only seemingly good choice was the line of Sophia of Hanover, the youngest legitimate descendants of Charles I amongst the Stuarts. Crucially, they were Protestants. Bhatnagar, U. (1995). Postcoital contraceptive effects of an alcoholic extract of the Daucus carota Linn seed in rats. Clinical Drug Investigation, 9 (1), 30-36. To use Queen Anne’s lace as an emmenagogue, a quart infusion of the seeds is used and drank each day until menses begins. As with all emmenagogue herbs, it’s imperative that a person be certain they are not pregnant before using this herb as it can result in loss of pregnancy.Note from HA: The information related to pregnancies, contraceptives, and abortifacients, above, is shared as an interesting historical fact and not a recommendation. We recommend working with a qualified health professional for guidance related to any of these matters.

A paneled room, dated about 1740, containing furniture with the cabriole legs that are a hallmark of Queen Anne style. 1927. From Old Furniture, Volume I., edited by Lieut.-Col. E. F. Strange, C.B.E. According to Dr. John Christopher, Queen Anne’s lace is a pituitary stimulant that initiates an endocrine cascade on the thyroid, kidneys, and sex hormones (Peters, 2014). This endocrine stimulation, particularly where sex hormones are concerned, may be why Queen Anne’s lace is thought by some to stimulate libido.The use of Queen Anne’s lace to prevent pregnancy stems from its ability to act on the endocrine system. Several scientific studies have shown wild carrot to have mild estrogenic and anti-progestogenic activity (Jansen & Wohlmuth, 2014). Because progesterone is needed for egg implantation, Queen Anne’s lace is believed to inhibit conception by reducing the egg’s ability to implant in the uterus. Animal research using carrot seed extract has shown some support for this as well (Bhatnagar, 1995). Boiling Queen Anne’s lace root is said to release the plant’s emollient properties, which is used internally for gastrointestinal ulcers and externally as a poultice on skin wounds. I’ve not found much evidence about how or why the plant works in this way other than anecdotal reports. However, I have seen several mentions of Queen Anne’s lace having antiseptic properties, which is likely due to its high volatile oil content, so this may be another reason it’s beneficial for these conditions. It’s even been said that Queen Anne’s lace was an herb used on soldier’s wounds during the American Civil War (Richey, 2010). In The Favourite, nursing the queen's inflamed legs gives chambermaid Abigail the opportunity to inveigle her way into the royal bedchamber, much to the chagrin of her powerful rival, the duchess of Marlborough. The two women scheme ruthlessly for the queen's bed and favor, their lives as enjoined as the three legs of a tea table, and hostilities come to a boil when Abigail slips a drug into the duchess's teacup — or tea bowl. Purchon, N., & Cantele, L. (2014). The complete book of essential oils and aromatherapy (25th-anniversary edition). Novato, CA: New World Library. Because of the endocrine stimulating effects of Queen Anne’s lace, it has also been used to stimulate milk production in individuals who are nursing and to provide support for those dealing with hypothyroidism as well as those with diabetes.

Jansen, G.C., & Wohlmuth, H. (2014). Carrot seed for contraception: A review. Australian Journal of Herbal Medicine, 26 , 10-17. Queen Anne’s lace ( Daucus carota ) is associated with the air element, the planet mercury, and the vata dosha . It is best to add seeds in the last 10-15 minutes or so of cooking and to cover the cooking vessel with a lid. This will help prevent the seeds from being overheated and the volatile oils from escaping, and it will give the seeds some time to soften a bit as well. Queen Anne’s lace is also used to dissolve stones or gravel in the kidneys. Herbalist Maude Grieve (1931/1971) recommends drinking a strong decoction of Queen Anne’s lace for this purpose), and herbalist Ryan Drum (n.d.) recommends Queen Anne’s lace seed decoctions for clients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BHP) and prostatitis due to the volatile oils’ ability to ease inflammation.Lastly, Queen Anne’s lace seed’s volatile oil has long been used in Europe for its emollient, skin-softening, and anti-inflammatory properties. It is also known to be a powerful antioxidant (Kumarasamy et al., 2005; Purchon & Cantele, 2014). Hail to the Queen Despite being a favourite of the queen, Sarah Churchill is known for having many disagreements and falling outs with Anne, mostly due to political differences: since Sarah was a Whig and Anne was a Tory. This love-hate relationship continued until 1711, when Sarah and her husband were dismissed from court. Queen Anne and tea have a curious relationship, embellished with more than one ironic twist. Personally, Anne did little to promote tea. She liked it and drank it, of course, but her sweet tooth made her crave the other modish drink of the time, chocolate, which she savored privately in her bedchamber before taking a nap. She didn't share the same relationship with tea. But the connection between tea-drinking and Anne's reign has been widely commemorated in furniture, poetry, painting, journalism, satire and even slang. Why?