Herbal BOS
Amaranth
Amaranthucus Hypochondiacus
Saturn
Funereal Herbe...Herbe of Immortality...Religious Herbe
Invocatory: Artemis
Also called: love-lies-bleeding, velvet flower
LORE:
Sacred to Artemis, Greek goddess of the Moon, it embodies her reknowned ability at healing. Believed by the ancient Greeks to be a symbol of immortality, Grieve chronicles its use as a decorative symbol found with sacred images of the Greek pantheon incorporated into thier burial customs.
USAGE:
Amaranth is an excellent herbe to use for the ritual cup. One may choose to seek the mysteries of immortality in order to move deeper into the Universe. Those who revere Artemis as the ideal Divine Feminine may find amaranth to be a wonderful and most useful herbe.
Although there is no established lore as a basis for this, we believe that amaranth will prove useful in helping those who suffer from hypochondria.
Constituents
Their constituents are indefinite; none are poisonous, none possess very distinct medicinal properties, though many have use in native practice as alteratives, and as antidotes to snake-bite, etc.
Medical Action and Uses
Some species have slightly astringent properties, others are diaphoretics and diuretics, and a few are tonics and stimulants.
In ancient Greece, the Amaranth was sacred to Ephesian Artemis: it was supposed to have special healing properties and as a symbol of immortality was used to decorate images of the gods and tombs. The name, from the Greek signifying unwithering, was applied to certain plants which from their lasting for ever, typified immortality.
Some of the species are old favourites as garden flowers, viz., Amaranthus hypochondriacus, known as Prince's Feather, an Indian annual - with deeply-veined, lance-shaped leaves, purple on the under side with deep crimson flowers, densely packed on erect spikes, and A. caudatus (Jacq.) (Love-lies-bleeding), a native of Africa and Java, a vigorous hardy annual with dark purplish flowers crowded in handsome drooping spikes. It is considered astringent and a decoction of the flowers has been administered in spitting of blood and various haemorrhages and has been said to be so energetic that it may be used in cases of menorrhagia. With several other species belonging to the closely allied genus Aeva, natives of India, it has also been used as an anthelmintic.
A. spinosa (Linn.), A. campestris (Willd.) and many others are used in India as diuretics. A. oleraceus (Linn.) is used in India in diarrhoea and menstrual disorders and the young leaves and shoots are also eaten as a vegetable, similarly to spinach. A. polygonoides, a common garden weed in India, is also used as a pot-herb and considered so wholesome that convalescents are ordered it in preference to all other kinds.
From A Modern Herbal and Full Moon Paradise
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