Tag: Sarah Das Gupta

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Mandrake by Sarah Das Gupta

A screaming root
beneath the moon’s watery spears
black hound needed

by Sarah Das Gupta
Botanical name:Mandragora officinarum
Popular names:Satan’s Apple, Devil’s Turnip, Manroot, Circe’s Plant
Family:Solanaceae
Origin:Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa.
Flower:Purple–yellow-green, bell-shaped corolla, five petals, flowers grow from rosette of  leaves.
Habitat:Stony waste ground, edge of woodland, coastal areas

The long taproot, shaped like a human form, was said to scream when pulled from the ground. Anyone hearing this would go mad. In Medieval times, it was believed the only way to harvest the plant was on a moonlit night and using a black dog with a cord attached to the plant to uproot it!

It was also believed that the mandrake first grew from the dripping ‘juices’ of a hanged man. This, by the medieval Doctrine of Signatures which taught that the shape and appearance of a plant linked it to parts of the human body, made the mandrake highly valued for specific ailments. However, the poisonous nature of the plant made its medicinal use difficult, as Harry Potter fans may know

The mandrake contains tropane alkaloids which give it narcotic, emetic, sedative and hallucinogenic properties. As early as the fourteenth century BC the plant is mentioned in cuneiform texts and subsequently in Arabic, Greek and Roman writing. It was said the root could be seen as a baby in form, albeit a rather ugly one. This gave rise to the belief that the plant helped childless women to conceive.

Mandrake roots were valuable and not surprisingly there were fraudsters at country fairs with oddly-shaped ‘mandrakes’ carved from turnip roots. It was even believed that these roots knew the sites of buried treasure. They would whisper the secret to their owner, if they trusted him. These beautiful lines from Shakespeare suggest Mandrake was still in use in the 16th century:

‘Give me to drink mandragora.
That I might sleep out the great gap of time
My Antony is away.’

William Shakespeare,
Anthony and Cleopatra, Act 1, Scene 1.

Further reading:

‘Pagan Portals – By Wolfsbane & Mandrake Root: The Shadow World of Plants and Their Poisons’, 2017, Draco, M., John Hunt Publishing Limited, ISBN: 1780995725.

‘Poisonous Plants in Great Britain’, 2008, Gillam, F., Wooden Books, ISBN: 1904263879.

‘Witch’s Garden: Plants in folklore, magic and traditional medicine’, 2020, Lawrence, S., Welbeck   London, ISBN: 978178739436.

Author bio:

Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here.

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Monkshood by Sarah Das Gupta

imposing imperial purple
deadly to man, beast and bird
Shiva’s throat turned blue

by Sarah Das Gupta
Botanical name:Aconitum napellus (over 250 species)
Popular names:Aconite, Blue helmet, Blue rocket, Leopard’s bane, Monkshood, Wolfsbane
Family:Ranunculaceae
Origin:Mountain slopes of Europe eastward to the Himalayas.
Flower:Purple-blue (white, yellow), tall floral spires, mid-late summer.
Habitat:Northern Hemisphere, mountain meadows, partial shade, east or west facing.

Monkshood, so called because its hooded flowers resemble a monk’s cowl, is a hairless perennial of the buttercup family. Several species are cultivated, often at the back of herbaceous borders. Every part of the plant is poisonous and eating even a leaf can be fatal. It is best to wear gloves when handling and keep out of the reach of children or pets. Apparently, it tastes so repulsive that accidental poisoning seems unlikely.

Several unpleasant symptoms result from rubbing the plant into the skin, including numbness. Ingesting it results in stomach pain, dizziness, and heart problems. It is still used in medicines today but in very small quantities.

From ancient times, people have been aware of the dangers of this plant. The ancient Greeks associated it with Hades and it was believed to have sprung up from the saliva of the three-headed dog, Cerberus. The goddess, Athena, is said to have sprinkled the sap on the maiden Arachne, turning her into a spider! In Hinduism the plant is sacred to Lord Shiva who saved the Earth by drinking poison, which he stored in his throat, turning it blue. In European tradition, aconite is linked to Hecate which is why it was found at crossroads and gateways which were associated with her cult. Anglo-Saxon hunters covered the tips of their arrows with aconite when hunting wolves, hence the name wolfsbane.

Further reading:

‘Pagan Portals – By Wolfsbane & Mandrake Root: The Shadow World of Plants and Their Poisons’, 2017, Draco, M., John Hunt Publishing Limited, ISBN: 1780995725.

‘Poisonous Plants in Great Britain’, 2008, Gillam, F., Wooden Books, ISBN: 1904263879.

‘Witch’s Garden: Plants in folklore, magic and traditional medicine’, 2020, Lawrence, S., Welbeck   London, ISBN: 978178739436.

Author bio:

Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here.

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Amaranth by Sarah Das Gupta

Ancient crimson flame
burning on lofty Olympus
a new era is calling

by Sarah Das Gupta
Botanical name:Amaranthus
Popular names:Prostrate pigweed, Love lies bleeding
Family:Amaranthaceae
Origin:Central and South America. Currently found on all continents except Antarctica
Flower:Catkin-like cymes, closely packed
Habitat:Dry conditions, drought resistant

There are over 70 species of this ancient plant and they are very diverse. In 1996 Mosyakin and Robertson divided the family into 3 subgenres. There is some argument as to where and when the first plants were cultivated. It may be that both in South America and separately in south-east Asia cultivation occurred over 8,000 years ago.

In Ancient Greece the plant had spiritual significance. Its name means ‘unfading flower’, perhaps because it has a long flowering period. It was associated with immortality and believed to grow on Mount Olympus, the home of the gods. Aesop’s Fables also refer to the flower.

The Aztecs in the 15th and 16th centuries, grew three crops, beans, maize and amaranth. In a sacrifice to the god of war, the amaranth grain and honey were used to mould the image of the god which was later broken into pieces and eaten by the people. After the Spanish conquest, the cultivation of amaranth was discouraged as it was associated with old customs and religious practices.

Fifteen of the species have edible parts: the grain from the seed-head, the root and the leaves are high in nutrients and oxalates but some of the former are lost in cooking. However, with rises in temperature and growing interest in vegetarian diets, there may well be a future for this ancient plant. The seed-head produces a high yield while the plant is very drought resistant. In parts of Asia, amaranth is largely grown for its dye and for ornamental reasons.

Further reading:  

‘RHS A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants’, Editor-in-chief Christopher Brickell, 2016, Dorling Kindersley, ISBN: 9780241239124.

‘Amaranth Tastes as Good as It Looks’, James Wong, 2020, The Guardian.

‘Amaranth – May Grain of the Month’, The Whole Grain Council, USA.

Author bio:

Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here.

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Asphodel by Sarah Das Gupta

In Autumn fields
pale ghosts of myth
search lost memories

by Sarah Das Gupta
Botanical name:Asphodelus
Popular names:Onion Weed, King’s Spear
Family:Asphodelaceae
Origin:Mediterranean, North Africa, Middle East, Indian-sub continent
Flower:Tall spike – white, yellow, pink
Habitat:Well-drained soil, abundance of light

Until 1753, Asphodel was classified as part of the lily family. Carl Linneas then reclassified the plant. It is a herbaceous plant with a tall white or yellow spike.

The Ancient Greeks associated asphodel with death and the underworld. The poet, Homer, describes the Fields of Asphodel as ‘covering the great meadow and the haunt of the dead.’ To the Greeks the underworld included: Elysium, Tartarus and The Fields of Asphodel. The last was the abode of the average person who had done nothing good nor wicked. Asphodel may have become associated with death as having ‘strange, pallid, ghostly flowers.’ It was commonly found on graves and is particularly associated with Persephone who was abducted by Hades, ruler of the underworld. She is sometimes portrayed as wearing a crown of asphodel.

Many diverse writers from Homer and Milton to Faulkner and Poe have used the symbolism associated with the plant. Although it is suggested they may well have been referring to the Narcissus rather than the asphodel. Like many plants, asphodel is reputed to have healing qualities – dealing with snakebites or used against sorcery. It even plays a part in Harry Potter.

Its leaves are used to wrap Burrata cheese. Both the leaves and the cheese are at their best for four days. So don’t buy the cheese if the leaves are withered!

Further reading:

‘An Empire of Plants: people and plants that changed the world’, Toby Musgrave & Will Musgrave, 2000, Cassell, ISBN  13 9781844030200.

‘Amaranth and Asphodel, poems from the Greek anthology’, Alfred J Butler, 1922, Oxford: B. Blackwell, ISBN 13 9781013710728

Author bio:

Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here.

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The Glastonbury Thorn by Sarah Das Gupta

humble hawthorn bloom
ancient Christmas message
crown of thorns awaits

by Sarah Das Gupta

The Glastonbury Thorn is associated with the Grail Legend and the story of Joseph of Arimathea’s visit to Glastonbury. The legend tells of Joseph climbing Wearyall Hill and planting his staff in the ground where it rooted and grew into a thorn tree which blossomed twice, once at Christmas and once in spring. Written versions of the story did not emerge until the 13th century.  In 1520, a pamphlet by Richard Pynson was published, ‘The Life of Joseph of Arimathea’. In 1647, during the English Civil War, the tree was chopped down and burnt as a symbol of superstition. A tree was planted on the hill in 1951 and again in 2010 but both were vandalised. The same fate has met subsequent efforts.

Trees now exist in the nearby Churchyard of St John’s which were budded or grafted from previous specimens. If grown from the haw(fruit), they do not produce a ‘true’ sapling. A sprig in bud is traditionally presented to the reigning monarch at Christmas. The winter flowers are smaller than the summer blossom.

The hawthorn has long been associated with supernatural and magical powers. Particularly in Ireland, lone thorns are seen in the middle of fields, in hedgerows, near places of religious significance and farmers will not cut them down. They have been associated with fairies and the border between this world and the mysterious ‘other’.

Botanical name:Crataegus Monogyna biflora
Popular names:holy thorn, fairy thorn, hawberry, maythorn, mayflower
Family:Rosaceae
Origin:Native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere- Europe, Asia, North Africa, North America 
Flowering:December and May
Habitat:Undemanding – rocky crevices, exposed sites

Further reading:

‘Glastonbury, Myth and Archaeology’, Philip Rahz, 2003, Tempus Publishing Ltd.

‘Glastonbury, Maker of Myths’, Frances Howard-Gordon, 1982, Gothic Image Publications Ltd.

Author bio:

Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here.

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Mistletoe by Sarah Das Gupta

sweet Christmas kisses
beneath the white mistletoe
secret memories

By Sarah Das Gupta

Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant which lives off the nutrients and water from the host plant. Birds often spread the seeds from tree to tree, especially blackcaps and the mistle thrush which explains why clumps of mistletoe are found near the tops of trees.

In UK mistletoe is found most commonly in the south-west Midlands, particularly in Herefordshire. It is almost unseen in Scotland, Ireland and the rest of Wales. When picked, it will last for 2 weeks in a cool place. It would appear the plant has no connection with toes.  This seems to be a corruption of the old English ‘tan’, meaning ‘twig’.

There has been some decline in mistletoe as a result of the diminishing number of old orchards, the apple being the favourite host, together with poplar, lime and conifers.

Mistletoe played an important role in Nordic legend. Balder was killed by his blind brother, Hodr, who used the plant as a missile. The Druids also valued the plant for medicinal purposes. The association of the plant with Christmas is probably because the berries appear in December and the leaves remain green. There is some evidence that the Greek holiday, Kronia, was associated with mistletoe and kissing. Many different varieties of mistletoe exist with different coloured berries in other continents

Botanical name:Viscum album
Popular names:Mistletoe
Family:Santalaceae
Origin:Northern Europe
Flowering:February-April
Habitat:Branches of apple, conifer, hawthorn, lime, poplar etc. 

Further reading:

‘A Little Book About Mistletoe’, Jonathan Briggs, 2013, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

‘Mistletoe Winter’, Roy Dennis, 2021, Saraband.

‘Blood and Mistletoe, History of the Druids in Britain’, Ronald Hutton, 2011, Yale University Press.

‘Mistletoe’, Royal Horticultural Society.

Author bio:

Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here.

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Bird’s Foot Trefoil by Sarah Das Gupta

Trefoil, bright yellow
a field of eggs and bacon
or granny’s toenails

by Sarah Das Gupta

Bird’s foot trefoil is native to most of Europe. It was taken to North America to enrich the grass for cattle and to prevent erosion at the sides of roads. It has a number of  popular names derived from its yellow flowers, tinged with red or the claw shape of the seed pods. It provides feed for caterpillars, bees and butterflies.

‘Trefoil’ is derived from Old French and refers to the pattern of three leaves. For this reason, it was included in Midsummer wreathes, fixed to front doors, as a symbol of the Trinity. Strangely enough, in the Victorian language of flowers, the plant symbolised jealousy and revenge!

Medicinally it was used to treat mild depression and insomnia. Its anti-inflammatory properties were used to alleviate skin conditions. The seed is sold commercially to enrich grazing and forage for cattle. Recently gardeners have planted it to add to the revival of wild flower meadows.

Botanical name:Lotus corniculatus
Popular names:Bird’s-foot trefoil, eggs and bacon, granny’s toenails, baby’s slippers
Family:Fabaceae
Origin:Native to Europe, parts of Asia (taken to N.America)
Flowering:March to June
Habitat:Meadows, rocky-crevices, roadside (Favours sandy soil)

Further reading:

‘Collins Complete Guide to Wild Flowers’, Paul Sterry, 2006, HarperCollins Publishers.

‘Meadowland: The Private Life of an English Field’, John Lewis-Stempel, 2014, Transworld Publishers Ltd.

Articles from ‘The Woodland Trust‘ and ‘Nature’.

Author bio:

Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here.

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Dog’s Mercury by Sarah Das Gupta

Green dog’s mercury
your tiny secret flowers
toxic to canines

By Sarah Das Gupta

Originally a coloniser of ancient woodland, dog’s mercury is a useful ancient woodland indicator, determining areas of ancient woodland, even if there is no tree cover. Some ground-nesting birds like woodcock seem drawn to the plant. Speckled bush cricket nymphs feed on it, as do species of beetle, weevil and mollusc. It is a contributor to biodiversity in ancient woodland.

All parts of this plant are poisonous and can induce jaundice, diarrhoea, vomiting, even death. The epithet ‘dog’ in this context means ’lesser’ or ‘inferior’ to other plants of the family, as applied to other species such as ‘dog’ violet or ‘dog’ rose. The reference to ‘mercury’ probably refers to the god Mercury and the medicinal properties of the species.

From ancient times it has been used externally and its juice is emetic, ophthalmic and purgative. It was used particularly to treat warts and sores. If the leaves are thoroughly heated and dried, it is no longer toxic.

Botanical name:Mercurialis  perennis
Popular names: Dog’s mercury, false mercury, boggard posy, dog’s cole
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Origin:Native to most of Europe – almost excluding Ireland, Orkney and Shetland
Flowering: February to April
Habitat:Ancient woodland, broad-leaf woodland, hedgerows

Further reading:

‘Collins Complete Guide to Wild Flowers’, Paul Sterry, 2006, HarperCollins Publishers.

‘Meadowland: The Private Life of an English Field’, John Lewis-Stempel, 2014, Transworld Publishers Ltd.

Articles from ‘The Woodland Trust‘ and ‘Nature’.

Author bio:

Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here.

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Redundant Vets by Sarah Das Gupta

A cat has nine lives
each belongs to an old witch
what need for a vet

by Sarah Das Gupta

“And therof hath come the prouerb as trew as common, that a Cat hath nine liues, that is to say, a witch may take on her a Cats body nine times.” William Baldwin, Beware the Cat.

Cats may have been worshipped in ancient Egypt but by the time of Shakespeare superstitions about cats were largely negative despite their usefulness at hunting rats and mice. In fact, in medieval France cats were burnt alive as a form of entertainment, with some believing that the ashes of burnt cats gave good luck.

In the medieval and early modern period, people believed witches had nine chances of turning into their feline familiars. If a witch turned into a cat for a ninth time then they would be unable to turn back. The first written mention of this comes from William Baldwin’s ‘Beware the Cat’. Written in 1553 and published in 1570, ‘Beware the Cat’ is thought by many to be the first novel ever published in English. The gap between its writing and publication is down to the book’s anti-Catholic sentiments at a time when the devoutly Catholic Mary I was on the English throne.

“Good king of cats, nothing but one of your nine lives.” From Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare.

The idea that witches could turn into cats is tied to the Cat-sìth of celtic mythology – a large black cat with a white spot on its chest that resides in the Scottish Highlands. The Cat-sìth was thought to be either a fairy or a witch, and is linked to the British folk tale ‘The King of the Cats’, references to which appear in both Baldwin’s ‘Beware the Cat’ and William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Tales of the Cat-sìth may actually have been sightings of the Kellas cat, an interspecific fertile hybrid between the Scottish wildcat and the domestic cat.

“A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays and for the last three he stays.” Old English proverb

The origins of the nine lives myth are hard to know accurately, but many cultures believe that cats have multiple lives: in some European countries cats have seven lives whilst in Arabic traditions the number is six. Regardless of the specific number, many believe that the myth of having multiple lives is down to the quick reactions and righting reflexes that enable cats to survive perilous situations.

Whilst impressive, a cat’s ability to survive falls from great heights is not infallible, and neither is our ability to study this achievement. A study by Whitney and Mehlhaff (1987) suggested that the chance of injury from falling increased with falling height… up to a point. A falling cat reaches a terminal velocity of ~60 mph after falling about five storeys. The researchers found that up to this point the numbers of injuries increased but after seven storeys the number of injuries deceased. The explanation given by Whitney and Mehlhaff was that over a short distance a cat tenses and arches its back to turn in mid-air, but over a longer fall the cat adopts a more relaxed body state leading to fewer injuries.

Whilst there’s truth to their findings in terms of how cats behave whilst falling and the different injury types prevalent from different heights as a result, the hypothesis that heights greater that seven storeys lead to fewer injuries isn’t supported by the methodology.  The study was based on cats that had been brought into a veterinary surgery for care but cats that had fallen and not survived were, for obvious reasons, not brought into the surgery and not included in the study’s fall survival and injury statistics. Indeed, a later study by Vnuk et al. (2004) found that falls from the seventh storey or higher were associated with more severe injuries.

Cats may not always need vets but they can certainly help preserve each of their many lives!

Further reading:

‘Beware the Cat’, William Baldwin, https://www.presscom.co.uk/halliwell/baldwin/baldwin_1584.html

‘Beware the Cat’, Wikipedia page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beware_the_Cat

‘Cat-sìth’, Wikipedia page, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat-s%C3%ACth

‘A cat that can never be tamed’, Scientific American, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/a-cat-that-can-never-be-tamed/

‘High-rise syndrome in cats’, W. Whitney and C.J. Mehlhaff, 1987, https://europepmc.org/article/med/3692980

‘Feline high-rise syndrome: 119 cases (1998–2001)’, D. Vnuk, B. Pirkić, D. Matičić, B. Radišić, M. Stejskal, T. Babić, M. Kreszinger, and N. Lemo, 2004, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2003.07.001

Author bio:

Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here.

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Redundant Ergot by Sarah Das Gupta

The equine ergot
is mysterious and odd
someone blundered

by Sarah Das Gupta

Having had many horses in a long life, I can’t see the importance of the ‘ergot’ in 2023. For those unaware, the ergot is a small callosity on the underside of the fetlock of a horse. In horses, ergots can range from pea-sized to 3.8 cm in diameter and can be found on all four legs or absent on some or all of them.

The ergot has long been felt to be a vestige of the multi-toed foot of ancestral horses, and some horse owners trim them down to near skin level. However, the ergot’s redundancy may only be skin deep, as recent research suggests that the internal structure of the ergot beneath the visible external callus continues to have a function in modern horses.

Lusi and Davies (2017) studied the subcutaneous ergot tissue and found that “its overall connectivity, and the presence of nerve fibers and Ruffini endings strongly suggest that the ergot and its derived ligaments contribute to joint support, movement, and tension distribution in the distal limb.”

Further reading:

‘The Observer’s Book of Horses and Ponies’, R S Summerhays, Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.

‘The Connectivity and Histological Structure of the Equine Ergot—A Preliminary Study’, Carla M. Lusi and Helen M.S. Davies, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2017.01.003

Author bio:

Sarah Das Gupta is a young 81 year old. Loves writing haiku and most forms of poetry. Is learning to walk after an accident. Main outside interests include equine sports. Lives near Cambridge, UK. Read other sciku by Sarah here.