Culpeper Planetary Herbalism
Culpeper Planetary Herbalism is a Hermetic / English — Culpeper planetary herbalism body system as transmitted through the lineage Nicholas Culpeper's English herbal joins plant descriptions and household medicine to astrological government, with herbs assigned to the seven classical planets. This rendering condenses that planetary-herbal language into seven target-organ projections while keeping Culpeper's early-modern astrology separate from modern anatomy and evidence-based pharmacology.. This page lists every point in the system with sourced placements and links to cross-tradition correspondences curated for The Body Spiritual.
Open in interactive explorerPrimary sources
- Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physitian; or an Astrologo-Physical Discourse of the Vulgar Herbs of this Nation (1652 first edition) — The herbal's plant entries identify planetary government and discuss virtues; see the individual herb entries under the headings 'Government and virtues.'
- Nicholas Culpeper, Semeiotica Uranica, or an Astrological Judgement of Diseases (1651 first edition) — Culpeper's astrological medicine links the seven planets with bodily conditions and judgement; see the sections on planetary significators and bodily parts.
- Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity (W. W. Norton, 1997) — Historical context for early-modern English medicine, astrology, and the reception of Culpeper; see the chapters on seventeenth-century medical practice.
Known lineage variants
- Culpeper's planetary governments vary by herb, edition, and astrological school; this map uses seven broad planetary target-organ families rather than reproducing every herb entry.
- The organ loci are target-organ projections of a planetary-herbal classification, not a literal anatomical map. They are editorial condensations with medium fidelity and should not be used for diagnosis or treatment.
- This system is distinct from modern medical astrology and from Vedic graha body rulerships: its frame is English seventeenth-century herbal astrology.
Related systems
No other systems share this tradition label.
Points
- Sun — heart and vitality — solar government
- Moon — stomach and fluids — lunar government
- Mercury — lungs and nerves — mercurial government
- Venus — kidneys and generation — venereal government
- Mars — gall and muscular force — martial government
- Jupiter — liver and expansion — jovial government
- Saturn — spleen and bones — saturnine government
Frequently asked
What is Sun — heart and vitality?
Culpeper's solar herbs are presented through the classical association of the Sun with warmth, vitality, and the heart. The heart coordinate is a target-organ projection of planetary herbalism, not an anatomical or physiological claim about sunlight, herbs, or cardiac treatment.
What is Moon — stomach and fluids?
The Moon is rendered as a watery, receptive principle associated in early-modern planetary medicine with fluids and the alimentary belly. This lower-torso point is an editorial target-organ projection of Culpeper's astrological frame, not a claim about lunar physiology.
What is Mercury — lungs and nerves?
Mercury is shown as the mobile planet of breath, exchange, and nervous communication, with the lungs as a compact target-organ anchor. The front chest placement is a visual synthesis of planetary-herbal correspondences rather than a literal map supplied by Culpeper.
What is Venus — kidneys and generation?
Venus is rendered through the classical language of moisture, attraction, generation, and the paired kidneys. The lower-torso marker is a target-organ projection of English astrological herbalism; it does not equate planetary symbolism with renal or reproductive anatomy.
What is Mars — gall and muscular force?
Mars is represented by heat, sharpness, gall, and force, with a liver-side point and a limb tag to preserve its action-oriented symbolism. This is a target-organ projection of the planetary vocabulary, not a literal Mars-to-gallbladder anatomy chart.
What is Jupiter — liver and expansion?
Jupiter's jovial language of abundance and expansion is anchored to the liver in the classical planetary-organ family. The point is a target-organ projection used to visualise Culpeper's system and is not a claim of planetary control over hepatic function.
What is Saturn — spleen and bones?
Saturn is rendered as the cold, dry, constraining principle associated with spleen, bones, and the durable body. The spleen-side anchor and broad body tags are an editorial target-organ projection, not a physiological claim about Saturn or Saturn-governed herbs.