🔴 Basil takes its name from the Greek word basilikon, or "kingly", because it was so prized in the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages for its strong flavour and pungent aroma. Judges and other dignitaries would carry posies of basil to ward off unpleasant smells.
🔴 Basil is associated with the Feast of the Cross, which commemorates St. Helena, mother of Holy Roman emperor St. Constantine, finding the True Cross with basil growing at its base. Stalks of basil are still used to sprinkle holy water by priests of the Greek Orthodox Church.
🔴 Astrologers consider basil the essential oil of Scorpio, under the planetary rule of Pluto.
🔴 In Portugal and Italy, the herb was once considered a symbol of love; a young Italian man would present his beloved with a pot of dwarf basil, along with a poem and a pom-pom, on the feast days of St. John and St. Anthony.
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Herb book for y'all, free of charge.
Non-FictionPretty much what the title says. HERBS.
