A relic of medieval folklore: Corpus Christi Octave herbal wreaths in Poland and their relationship with the local pharmacopoeia

Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Łukasz Jakub Łuczaj

Abstract

Herbal wreaths are blessed all over Poland on the eighth day of the Corpus Christi Octave (usually in June). They used to contain many species of aromatic and medicinal plants, both collected from the wild and cultivated. The aim of this study was to document the present composition of wreaths using photographs (etic perspective) and questionnaires (emic perspective) and compare it with the local pharmacopoeia, the composition of Assumption Day bouquets (blessed in August) and historical data on the composition of the wreaths. The study was carried out in SE Poland (near Krosno). Photographs of 245 wreaths were taken and 133 questionnaires concerning the blessed plants and their medical use were obtained. On average a photographed wreath contained over five species of plants and an average informant listed six species. The frequency of species in photos and questionnaires was similar. Several medicinal plants which used to be the key elements of the wreaths (e.g. Sedum acre, Asarum europaeum, Matricaria recutita, Thymus pulegioides, Alchemilla spp.) are now less frequently seen, mainly due to vegetation transformations. Nowadays only about a quarter of species in the wreaths are medicinal plants, the remaining are mainly orname...Continue Reading

Citations

Aug 15, 2013·Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine·Renata SõukandBehxhet Mustafa
Feb 24, 2015·Journal of Ethnopharmacology·Łukasz Łuczaj, Katija Dolina
Jan 24, 2014·Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine : ECAM·Felicity L Bishop, Michelle M Holmes
Oct 9, 2016·Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine·Renata Kasper-PakoszŁukasz Łuczaj
Mar 6, 2021·Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine·N StryametsR Sõukand
May 25, 2021·Frontiers in Pharmacology·Łukasz ŁuczajIvana Vitasović-Kosić

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