Finding Christian Symbolism in Modern Herbs

Herbs are more than just plants with potential healing properties. Herbs are also living lessons in ethno-botany. Here is a brief look at Christian symbolism in four of today's most popular herbs.

Angelica

Angelica's use as a healing plant pre-dates Christianity by at least a millennium but it was the European Christians who gave angelica its official botanical nomenclature, Angelica archangelica. Perhaps angelica was originally intended to honor all the archangels but it is the Archangel Michael whom is most closely associated with this plant. In much of angelica's native Europe, angelica is in bloom during St. Michael's official feast day.

Rosemary

Rosemary has long been associated with the Virgin Mary. Some legends put the herb in the manger of Jesus while others associated the pale blue flowers with the traditional color of Mary's garments. But one of the most charming legends tells us that it was the rosemary plant which sheltered Mary during the flight out of Egypt. According to this story, Mary threw her blue cloak over a rosemary bush and hid her family behind it while their pursuers passed by without noticing.

St. John's Wort

When the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem looked at the dotted leaves of St. John's wort, they saw symbols of puncture wounds. This, combined with the tendency of the petals to "bleed" red oil when crushed earned St. John's wort an honored place in Christian herbalism. Named for John the Baptist, St. John's wort is said to bloom on or around St. John's traditional birthday, June 24, and "bleed" on every August 24, which is the day St. John's beheading is traditionally observed.

Passionflower

Despite its name, passionflower wasn't named for any aphrodisiac actions. Instead the "passion" in passionflower's common name refers to the "passion" or "suffering" Christ experienced during his crucifixion. As the legend goes, 17th century missionaries saw great symbolism in passionflower's appearance and used passionflower to teach the story of the crucifixion to Native peoples.

In passionflower's three pistils, they saw the nails that held Christ to the cross and in the five stamens, they saw the wounds He suffered. The circle of purple and white fibers in the flower represented the crown of thorns Christ was forced to wear while the ten petals on the underside of the blossom represented the ten apostles who didn't betray Christ.

It's not just passionflower's blossom that held importance to these early missionaries. Passionflower's leaves are shaped like a three-fingered hand, symbolizing the Holy Trinity, and some legends even suggest that the egg-shaped fruit suggested "rebirth" or "renewal". Even the color of the blossoms was significant. The deep, rich purple symbolized royalty or majesty while the stark white served as a reminder of Christ's purity.

Recognizing Our Herbal Heritage

Today, these legends are little more than charming reminders of a time when herbal medicine was steeped in tradition, superstition and mysticism. But once, legends like these were valuable teaching tools for the healer and clergy alike.

Resources:

Foster, S., Johnson, R. (2006). Desk Reference to Nature's Medicine.