The Legends of medicinal plants: Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) and Mint (Mentha piperita)

      Today we will continue our story about medicinal plants with two new species: cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) and peppermint (Mentha piperita).

        Latin name of Cornflower - Centaurea cyanus, plants expressing "softness", may be associated with the names of creatures half man - half horse from Thessaly, Greece - the legendary centaurs. Centaurs were remarked by the struggle they had with lapiths at Piritou's wedding, the latter banishing these creatures out of Mount Tessaly.

       Cornflower plants whose petals are a piercing blue, belong to the botanical family Asteraceae and are used as a diuretic to treat kidney disease and as an astringent. From them you can use the flowers.

      Cornflower is Estonia's national plant since 1968 and also the symbol of several political parties of  Estonian, Finnish and Swedish nationality.

Centaurea cyanus

Sketch: Gabriela Iftode

       The sad story of nymph Menta begins in a time long gone, when Hades, god of the Underworld fell in love with her. Hades' wife, Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter, because of the pain that Hades caused her, changed Menta into a mint plant with the same name, but made ​​sure that it endure forever and heal diseases.

       Mint, that belongs to the family Labiatae, has remarkable healing properties, from her you can use leaves. It is used as an antiemetic, antispasmodic tract, as a stimulant and tonic, and to treat pyloric spasms. Mentha piperita L. is widely cultivated plant, ruderal species is Mentha arvensis L.

 

Mentha piperita
Sketch: Gabriela Iftode

Gabriela Iftode
    27/08/13

Source:

Constantinescu C. 1979. Plante medicinale în apărarea sănătății. Ediția a VII-a. București: Editura Recoop
Lăzărescu G. 1979. Dicționar de mitologie. București: Editura Ion Creangă