Nicholas Culpeper: Herbalist and Radical

Not Just the Tudors

History Hit

History

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 14 July 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The maverick herbalist who fought for medical freedom.

We love a rebel with a cause here on Not Just The Tudors, and Nicholas Culpeper was just that.

He defied the authoritarian College of Physicians in 17th Century; translating their exclusive texts into English and treating the common people with traditional herbal remedies.

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb is joined by Benjamin Wooley to explore Culpeper's tumultuous early life, his radical political and astrological beliefs, and his enduring legacy in modern medicine. This defiant pioneer democratised healthcare amidst the chaos of plague, civil war, and social upheaval.

How To Survive The Plague

https://open.spotify.com/episode/01e8GRcHkZuHjmUTvlIwRx

Presented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle, audio editor is Amy Haddow and the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, I'm Professor Susanna Lipscomb.
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