Mapping Your News

Historical Insights

If you have had the opportunity of smelling a geranium flower, you will remember a type of sweet, rosy herbaceous fragrance – a perfume onto itself. This perennial plant, which can grow up to one meter in height is commonly known as geranium and botanically identified as the genus Pelargonium. Confusingly, there is a related plant with the genus Geranium but commonly known as cranesbill. Both genera share the same family of Geraniaceae. Gardeners often refer to the Pelargonium genus as “pelargoniums” rather than geraniums, in order to avoid continual confusion. There are also morphological differences between the two genera, specifically in their flower formation.  Read more...

Historical and Current Uses

Sandalwood, or Santalum, is identified as belonging to the Santalaceae family. This small tree reaching to about 10 meters is indigenous to Indonesia, the Pacific Islands, Australia and India. Much of the commercial production of sandalwood comes from Santalum album (India) and Santalum spicatum (Australia). Although both of these species are considered true sandalwoods, there are other species commonly called sandalwood that are not included in the Santalum genus and are therefore have differing compositions. These unrelated plants are sometimes used as fillers to reduce the price of the increasingly expensive Santalum oil yet are considered of inferior quality. Research has identified a wide spectrum of applications for both the simple essential oil and its active components. Traditional and ceremonial uses of sandalwood continue to be an important part of cultures around the world.  Read more...

Background

What do modern medical researchers, bees, the Bible and the Queen of England have in common? Well, as you can probably guess from the topic, it is the recognition that lavender possesses exceptional properties for health and wellness. Medical researchers are now investigating the components of lavender oil that have been used for centuries as a stress and anxiety reducer, an insect deterrent and as an antiseptic and an anti-inflammatory. Honey bees have quite an affinity for the pollen of lavender plants; commercial production of lavender honey is well prized. Lavender was one of the herbs used in the biblical Temple to prepare the holy essence and mentioned in the Song of Solomon as an admirable herb. Queen Elizabeth I was known to use lavender as a tea to treat her frequent migraines. It is now recognized by the medical industry that alternatives to conventional treatments are needed and that lavender is a good candidate for safe and effective applications.  Read more...

Historical Significance

For centuries, cultures around the world have regarded frankincense with great reverence and value. It is best known in western Christian cultures as being included in the gifts of the Magi traveling from the east to worship the baby Jesus. Such a gift would have been of great Jewish significance – serving as a symbol of deity and burned in the temple to acknowledge God. Ancient Egyptians also believed in the sacredness of frankincense – thought to be the sweat of the gods that fell to earth. Egyptian queen Hatshepsut (1508 BC – 1458 BC, fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt) tried to bring the trees of frankincense to plant in her mortuary temples at Thebes; it was used for ceremonial purification and embalming by her people. Greek and Roman pharmacopeias mentioned the medicinal uses for treating a wide variety of diseases; it was also recorded in Chinese and Indian medical texts.  Read more...