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| Snowdrop; Galanthus nivalis | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 10 2011, 08:36 AM (600 Views) | |
| yass | Feb 10 2011, 08:36 AM Post #1 |
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I could use a cup of this three times a day. When you start getting memory damage, it's not that you can't think and process, it's that you can't putter it out, the paths are damaged! This herb I was led to when trying to find the stune, or what was considered the lambscress in Woden's Nine Herbs Charm. Interestingly enough, it ties in with an interesting story about Odysseus, and is considered to be the Moly as in ..Holy-moly. Note - I've also read a reference that garlic is the 'Moly'. |
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| yass | Feb 10 2011, 08:39 AM Post #2 |
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| yass | Feb 10 2011, 08:40 AM Post #3 |
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Odysseus, the King of Ithaca and the hero of these tales, is a hero of memory. The Greek word for mind or intellect or consciousness, nóos, is essential to his character, and its opposite, antinóos - defined as forgetfulness, stupidity, or arrogance - is the enemy of Odysseus. Forgetting, in the epic tales, is seen by Odysseus as an affront to memory and is punishable by severe reprisal, in which, as often as not, the perpetrator is killed. In his ten years of wandering throughout the known world, there are many adventures, but in the history of pharmacopoeia, one stands out: his encounter with the beautiful sorceress Circe on Aeaea, her island home near Italy. When Odysseus and his crew arrive on Aeaea, they are tired of the hardships of travel and fearful for their safety. Deciding to reduce their risk, Odysseus remains with his ship while half of his crew ventures inland, where they meet Circe, who offers her hospitality. According to Homer, she serves up a banquet of food into which she mixes malignant drugs so that they might forget their fatherland and their desire to return to it. Then, with a wave of her hand, she turns them into swine. Hearing of their plight, Odysseus sets out to free them. Along the way, in a forest glen, he is counseled by the god Hermes, in the form of a young man, who cautions him about dealing with Circe and gives him an antidote to protect him from the drugs that have taken down his crew. Hermes shows Odysseus the nature of the medicine, which has "a black root, but milklike flower. The gods call it moly and it is difficult for men to dig up." According to a paper published in 1983, the drug given to the crew was in all likelihood an extract from the plant Datura stramonium (thorn apple, or jimsonweed). This makes sense, because not only were their memories taken from them, they were cast into a delusional-hallucinatory state during which they believed they had been turned into animals.2 D. stramonium, among other drugs known to the ancient Greeks, is an anticholinergic that contains atropine and is known to produce such effects. Based on the description of the antidote moly, together with the immunity it gave Odysseus - thereby allowing him to rescue his crew from Circe and recover their memories - the researchers assert that moly is none other than the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor galanthamine (or galantamine, as it is now more commonly called), derived from the snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) and related species. Galantamine may be the first nootropic agent - a substance that enhances intelligent, purposive consciousness (nóos = consciousness, trope = a turning). As further evidence, the researchers offer the site of the picking: a forest glen, where the snowdrop grows more readily because of the moist, sheltered ground. Snowdrop is small, inconspicuous, and difficult to find, flowering only briefly in the early spring. Its flower is milky-white, as indicated by the name Galanthus (gala = milk, anthus = flower), its root is dark, and its bulb, when peeled, is onionlike. It can be found growing wild on the Balkan peninsula, including the Greek mainland and its islands, where it was thought to have originated. Also, the Greek physician and herbalist Dioscorides, who wrote the authoritative De Materia Medica, described the moly plant (without ever acknowledging its epic use) in ways that substantiate its identity as Galanthus, from which galantamine is derived. Moly (galantamine) is instrumental to the triumph of Odysseus, as it may be for you. And if memory is a tool for learning about our own past triumphs and errors, mastery of it is also a tribute to the value and sanctity of memory. And now you know where the expressive "Holy Moly" comes from. Holy Moly is galantamine. http://www.life-enhancement.com/article_template.asp?ID=488 |
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| yass | Feb 10 2011, 08:41 AM Post #4 |
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Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) - A fairytale tells of Oberon's daughter Kenna, who fell in love with the son of King Albion. Oberon objected to the couple's love and banished Kenna's lover from fairyland. He returned with an army to fight defiantly against his banishment but was wounded. Kenna rushed to heal his wounds, putting 'herb moly' on them, but where the juice touched his skin it turned to snowdrops, and he died. From Johann Gottfried Herder (18th century German author and philosopher): 'When the earth was still wasteland, a group of charming nymphs came to a bare rock to brighten the barren soil with flowers. The nymphs shared out their jobs; under a blanket of snow on the cool grass the nymph Humility [also known as Thalia] created a modest violet, then Hope [Euphrosyne] created the calyxes of then hyacinth with a beautiful perfume. When Humility and Hope had finished their jobs, a whole variety of new flowers were created, tulips raised their heads and narcissus nodded dreamily. When Venus had seen this she said to the two Graces: 'What are you waiting for sisters of charm, hurry up and create the flowers of your tenderness'. The Graces went down to earth, and Aglaia, who was Innocence created the lily. Thalia and Euphrosyne, seeing the lily, created a sister for the lily, the rose, a flower of love. From that time it is said the rose and the lily have flowered together because they were made by the sisters of Grace. http://www.fairylandtrust.org/fandm_03.html |
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| yass | Feb 10 2011, 08:42 AM Post #5 |
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Snowdrop Galanthus nivalis Family: Amaryllidaceae Common Names: ~Fair Maid of February~ ~Bulbous Violet~ ~Emblem of Early Spring~ ~Maids of February~ ~Candlemas Bells'~ ~Mary's Tapers~ Native of Switzerland, Austria and of Southern Europe, Snowdrops and carnations are the traditional flowers for the month of January. The name Galanthus, is Greek in its origin and signifies ~Milk -white- flower.~ Nivalis is a Latin adjective, meaning ~relating to~ or ~resembling snow.~ A legend about the origin of the snowdrop tells us that after being expelled from the Garden of Eden, Eve sat weeping. An angel comforted her. Since the Fall, no flowers had bloomed, but snow fell ceaselessly. As the angel talked with Eve, he caught a snowflake in his hand, breathed on it, and it fell to earth as the first snowdrop. The flower bloomed and Hope was born. In Germany there is a different snowdrop legend. When God made all things on the Earth, He asked the snow to go to the flowers and get a little color from them. One by one the flowers refused. Then, very sad, she asked a snowdrop to give it a little of its colour and the snowdrop accepted. As a reward, the snow lets it bloom first whenever spring shows. Years ago snowdrops were dried and transported to European shops from Turkey. Monks brought snowdrop bulbs from Rome to England and were the first to plant them around old monasteries. Because of this snowdrops became known as the ~church flower.~ Traditionally on Candlemas (Feb.2) the image of the Virgin Mary was taken down and a handful of snowdrop blooms were scattered in its place. Their presence in churchyards generated an unlucky reputation as time went on. Every spring on March 1, the national Moldovan holiday, is celebrated. On this day people present each other with the traditional flowers. One of the old Moldovan legend says that once in a fight with the winter witch, that didn't want to give up its place, the beautiful lady Spring cut her finger and few drops of her blood fell on the snow, which melted. Soon on this place grew a snowdrop and in such a way the spring won the winter. According to superstitions it is unlucky to bring snowdrops indoors and the sight of a single snowdrop blooming in the garden foretells of impending disaster. It is regarded as an omen of death despite its beauty. It symbolises purity and hope in tha language of flowers. http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/flowers/s.html Folklore surrounding this wildflower According to Christian legend, Snowdrops became the symbol of hope when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. When Eve was about to give up hope that the cold winters would never end, an angel appeared and transformed some of the snowflakes into Snowdrop flowers to prove that winters do eventually give way to spring. However, according to German legend, when God made all things, he asked the snow to go to the flowers and get a little colour from them. All the flowers refused until he finally asked a Snowdrop to give a little of its colour. The Snowdrop agreed and the snow lets the plant flower before all others in spring. Thought unlucky to bring Snowdrops into the house, representing death or parting from a loved one. A single Snowdrop blooming in the garden warns of impending disaster. Wearing a Snowdrop is said to bless you with pure thoughts. Monks brought Snowdrop bulbs to England from Rome and planted them around their monasteries. Traditionally on Candlemas, the image of the Virgin Mary was taken down and a handful of Snowdrop blooms scattered in its place. http://www.wildaboutwildflowers.co.uk/results.asp?s=1 |
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| yass | Feb 10 2011, 08:44 AM Post #6 |
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That's cool. Due to my poor memory and not being able to think of Odysseus' name or spell Circe correctly to find info previously, I remembered that Hermes (another name for Odin, I've read) gave Odysseus an herb to help him defeat Circe and get his men back. I used that much in search and I just found a page that seems to have more detail of the story than any I've read previously, and I don't know how accurate it is and haven't read it over except for scanning, but an image on the page hit pay dirt with me. It conveyed what I already thought she was by what I'd read of her. I'll post the image and the link and you can check it out for yourself. Circe http://thanasis.com/circe.htm |
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8:51 AM Jul 13