Asphodel (Asphodelus ramosus)
Folk Names: Asphodel Rameux, Branched Asphodel, King's Spear, Royal Staff, White Asphodel
Description: Asphodel is a member of the lily family. It grows to about three feet high with a rosette of long, linear, basal leaves. It has large, white, terminal flowers. Yellow Asphodel or Jacobs Staff (A luteus) is a native of Sicily, and Onion-leafed Asphodel (A fistulosus) may be found in Southern France and Crete.
Effects:
Planet: Jupiter, Pluto
Element:
Associated Deities: Bacchus, Dionysus
Traditions:
Asphodel was said to grow profusely in the Elysian Fields and was planted on graves as a form of food preferred by the dead. It is also sacred to Bacchus and Dionysus.
The name, asphodel, is derived from a Greek word meaning scepter. As such, it is an ideal plant for the fashioning of a ritual wand or staff.
Magic:
Asphodel is best used in rituals of death and dying. It may be utilized as an incense, an infusion, or bundled to asperge during ritual cleansing.
Known Combinations:
none noted
Medical Indications: Parts Used: roots gathered at the end of the first year
Though not put to much use in modern times, there are a few old uses still listed. Asphodel is said to be useful as an anti-spasmodic and to clear menstrual obstructions. The bruised root was recommended for rapidly dissolving scrofulous swellings.
Nutrition:
In some countries, the roots are gathered and boiled. This yields a mucilaginous substance which is mixed with grain or potato to make Asphodel Bread. Hippocrates, Dioscorides, and Pliny claimed the roots were cooked in ashes and eaten.
Mercantile Uses:
Though it is easily grown from seeds, Asphodel is cultivated as an interesting botanical and ornamental garden plant only. In Spain and other countries, asphodel may be mixed in with other cattle fodder, and in Barbary, they are a favorite of the wild boars. It is protected in parts of France however, and should not be picked without permission there. In Persia, glue is made from the bulbs. These are first dried and then pulverized. Mixed with water, the powder swells and forms strong glue.