Epoch Fit 8-21-2015

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The All New Epoch Fit Section

B1 August 21–27, 2015

Lifestyle & Fitness Diet & Nutrition Medicine

Basil

Herb of Scorpions, Doctors, and Kings Medicine for stress, detox, and aging

RUSAK/ISTOCK

By Conan Milner | Epoch Times Staff

or most Americans, the scent of basil usually means Italian food. But this herb is good for much more than just pasta.

See Basil on B2

JPCPROD/ISTOCK

Some say the basil name comes from “basilisk”—the Greek word for dragon or lizard. Others say it comes from “basileus,” the Greek word for king. Tales from basil folklore support both interpretations. Basil seems to have always been an herb symbolizing extreme opposites, such as love and hate, royalty and poverty. In Medieval Europe, basil was serious magic, believed to both cause and cure evil. Since the oldest written records, basil was

In the Middle Ages, basil was believed to be poisonous simply because it would not grow near rue.

associated with creepy-crawly things such as snakes and lice—but especially scorpions. In the Middle Ages, scorpions and worms were widely believed to be conjured from basil leaves. In the 1500s, doctors of the day warned that merely smelling basil would breed “scorpions of the mind.” It’s strange that a plant with such a vile reputation would also be called the “king of herbs,” but many ancient cultures treated this plant with great reverence. In India, basil was associated with two of the highest gods in the Hindu pantheon, Krishna and Vishnu. Christians dubbed basil St. Joseph’s Wort, in reference to the earthly father of Jesus. In Bulgarian and Catalan folklore, the smell of basil is identified as the medium for impregnating the Virgin Mary.


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