HERB - Instect Repellants

[Jennifer Greene]

I have a book called "The Complete Book of Herbs: A practical guide to
growing & using herbs", Lesley Bremness.

It says about Tansy:

"Household - Whole plant - Grow near fruit trees to repel insects.  Flower -
Boil for golden yellow dye.  Leaf - Hang indoors to deter flies.  Put dried
sprigs under carpets.  Add to insect-repellent sachets.  Sprinkle to deter
ants and mice.  Boil for a yellow-green woollen dye.  Mix into compost heap
for its potassium content."

"Tansy was believed to arrest decay, and its name derives from the Greek
athanasia, meaning immortality.  In some ancient cultures, its strong
antiseptic properties were used to preserve the dead and, according to
classical legend, a drink made from tansy was given to the beautiful young
man Ganymede to make him immortal, so that he could serve as Zeus's
cup-bearer.

In the 1,100-year-old monastery plan of St. Gall in Switzerland, tansy is
shown in the physic garden.  This monastery garden was Charlemagne's
favorite, and he ordered that all its herbs should be grown on his imperial
estates.  Tansy was also popularly used as an insecticide, disinfectant and
strewing herb, and, at Easter, was made into "Tansy" a rich custardy
pudding.  John Evelyn, in 1699, wrote that the new leaves, stir-fried and
eaten hot with orange juice and sugar, made a most agreeable dish."

Quite the all around plant!

Jennifer Greene
Kamloops, BC, Canada
Dona Gwendolynn Francesca Maria Coccetti (SCA)
Seneschale, Shire of Ramsgaard
jennifer_greene at bc.sympatico.ca
(250)314-0475
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No chocolate, no peace!
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