This is like a game of chess.
Forcing my hand eh?
God's messenger is Michael the Archangel.
His day is the eighth of may (my wife's birthday)
It is "Angelica Archangelica' or 'angel of the archangels' the chief of Angels' herb.
I like the folklore of herbs.
I think it is important to preserve as it gives, sometimes hidden, clues to the possible uses of the plant.
It is not just silly superstition. It is often our oral tradition
Angelica was a pagan herb of great power.
It was probably a very secret "woman's herb" as it helped bring down menses and could induce abortion. one of the reasons information on it is sometimes difficult to find
Remember Micheal is closely connected with conception in christian folklore.
it is he who appeared to Mary and told her she was pregnant.
Michael the Angel gave the herb to man to prevent all his ills.
There are a number of varieties. Medicinally it is now mainly used in China
(The Chinese have a c2,000 year old written herb tradition!)
When I unpack all my books I will tell you more.
I have forgotten more than I remember about herbs
The web is very poor on folklore of herbs but here are a few gleanings:-
(Maude Grieve is always a good source on line too)
In Couriand, Livonia and the low lakelands of Pomerania and East Prussia, wild-growing Angelica abounds; there, in early summer-time, it has been the custom among the peasants to march into the towns carrying the Angelica flower-stems and to offer them for sale, chanting some ancient ditty in Lettish words, so antiquated as to be unintelligible even to the singers themselves. The chanted words and the tune are learnt in childhood, and may be attributed to a survival of some Pagan festival with which the plant was originally associated. After the introduction of Christianity, the plant became linked in the popular mind with some archangelic patronage, and associated with the spring-time festival of the Annunciation. According to one legend, Angelica was revealed in a dream by an angel to cure the plague. Another explanation of the name of this plant is that it blooms on the day of Michael the Archangel (May 8, old style), and is on that account a preservative against evil spirits and witchcraft: all parts of the plant were believed efficacious against spells and enchantment. It was held in such esteem that it was called 'The Root of the Holy Ghost.'
Much of the herbal medicine was practiced in monasteries where angelica was called Spiritus sancti radix, the root of the Holy Ghost. The botanical name was taken from the common lore that the plant bloomed on or about the day of Michael the Archangel (May 8th, Old Style Julian, prior to 1582). It means "messenger, chief of messengers" because the plant was believed to be given to mankind as a preservative against evil spirits.
In Gerard's The Herbal (1633), "The root of garden Angelica is a singular remedy against poison, and against the plague, and all infections taken by evil and corrupt air...is available against witchcraft and enchantments, if a man carry the same about them...is right beneficial to the heart: it cureth the bitings of mad dogs, and all other venomous beasts."
Angelica has been used for toothaches, headaches, fever, colds, and as an expectorant. It has been shown to have some antimicrobial activity, but the herbal tea was probably more soothing than medicinal.
The essential oils of angelica are an ingredient in several herbal cough remedies and in soaps, shampoos, and perfumes. Angelica stems are candied and often served after dinner to settle the stomach. The flavoring of angelica is used in desserts as well as in benedictine, chartreuse, gin, and vermouth.
This large variety, Angelica Archangelica (Linn.), also known as Archangelica officinalis, is grown abundantly near London in moist fields, for the use of its candied stems. It is largely cultivated for medicinal purposes in Thuringia, and the roots are also imported from Spain.
---History---Its virtues are praised by old writers, and the name itself, as well as the folk-lore of all North European countries and nations, testify to the great antiquity of a belief in its merits as a protection against contagion, for purifying the blood, and for curing every conceivable malady: it was held a sovereign remedy for poisons agues and all infectious maladies. In Couriand, Livonia and the low lakelands of Pomerania and East Prussia, wild-growing Angelica abounds; there, in early summer-time, it has been the custom among the peasants to march into the towns carrying the Angelica flower-stems and to offer them for sale, chanting some ancient ditty in Lettish words, so antiquated as to be unintelligible even to the singers themselves. The chanted words and the tune are learnt in childhood, and may be attributed to a survival of some Pagan festival with which the plant was originally associated. After the introduction of Christianity, the plant became linked in the popular mind with some archangelic patronage, and associated with the spring-time festival of the Annunciation. According to one legend, Angelica was revealed in a dream by an angel to cure the plague. Another explanation of the name of this plant is that it blooms on the day of Michael the Archangel (May 8, old style), and is on that account a preservative against evil spirits and witchcraft: all parts of the plant were believed efficacious against spells and enchantment. It was held in such esteem that it was called 'The Root of the Holy Ghost.'
Angelica Root (also known as Holy Ghost Root, Archangel Root, and Dong Quai)
is widely thought to be a powerful Guardian and Healer, and to provide Strength
to Women. We believe that Angelica Root is used by many people for the purpose of
Warding Off Evil and bringing Good Luck in Health and Family Matters.
As an ancient and highly aromatic plant, angelica is praised in the folklore
of northern Europe countries as a panacea for all ills. The name probably comes
from the Greek angelos, meaning ¡°messenger.¡± There is a legend that an angel re
vealed to a monk in a dream that the herb was a cure for the plague, and traditionally angelica was considered the most effective safeguard against evil, witchcraft in particular.
And for a modern twist
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/4/19
Anodyne; Antiinflammatory; Antirheumatic; Carminative; Emmenagogue; Nervine; Vasodilator.
(Is there anything else it could be used for?)
The roots and rhizomes are anodyne, anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, carminative, nervine and vasodilator[147, 176]. A decoction is used to promote menstruation[218], to treat rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatism, headache, toothache and abscesses[147]. This herb is used medicinally in the same ways
--
Michael (not the angel)
Re: Herbs and Herbal Supplements
semantics is not always just pedantic quibbling. ~ douglas r. hofstadter
(is that a variety of Basil? because there are many..)
Re: Herbs and Herbal Supplements
