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Spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi) also called nard or muskroot belongs to the valerian
family and grows wild in Nepal, China, and India. The oil has been used over
centuries as a perfume, a traditional medicine, and in Hindu and Christian
religious ceremonies Pope Francis
included the spikenard as a symbol of Saint Joseph in his coat of arms.
The Bible references the use of spikenard in several
places:
In the Song of Solomon 1:12: “While the king is at
his table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance.” And again in the Song of Solomon 4:13: “Your
plants are an orchard of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, fragrant henna with
spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense,
myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices— a fountain of gardens, a well of
living waters, and streams from Lebanon.”
In the Gospels of Mark and John it is mentioned in
the anointing in Bethany. “And being in
Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came
having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask
and poured it on his head” (Mark 14:3). “Then
Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus,
and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance
of the oil” (John 12:3)
Spikenard oil was used in ancient India, Egypt, and
other parts of the Near East. In Ancient Rome, it was one of the main
ingredients of the perfume oil that derived from the Hebrew ketoret when
referring to the consecrated incense described in the Hebrew Bible and Talmud
to be poured on the altar in the temple in Jerusalem. It was a common flavoring used in Ancient
Roman foods and occurs frequently in the ancient recipes of Apicius. It was used to season foods in European
cuisine throughout the Middle Ages, especially in a blend of spices used to sweeten
wine and beer.
Today spikenard oil is used as an herbal medicine to
treat insomnia, stress, digestive problems, weak immune system and
infections. Applied to wounds it reduces
inflammation, kills bacteria and speeds healing. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is inhaled to
uplift the mood and treat depression, stress, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome
and nervous problems. Taken internally it helps with infertility and menstrual
disorders.
