Rye Closeup, Gerard's Herbal:The General History of Plants, Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, HATCH 39&40

Rye, Nature, and Virtues

According to Gerard, rye begins as a red sprout that turns green as it matures. It grows to include many stalks that are much slenderer than wheats. When flowering it stands straight up but once the seed grows the stalks droop low. The seed is long, black, and slender.

 The nature of rye is compared directly to wheat again and is described as much hotter. It is incredibly affective in heating, wafting, and healing sores or wounds. At the same time it manages to be clammy and more obstructing than wheat, meaning it is harder to digest. “Yet to rustic bodies that can well digest it, it yields good nourishment.”

Rye being hotter therefore has different virtues. Bread, or leaven bread made of rye is harder to digest but draws, ripens, and breaks down abscesses, botches (inflamed sores), and boils. It does this more effectively than the leaven of wheat even. Also, Rye meal bound to the head with linen will cure headache. It's uses aren't as varied as wheats.