The Herbal Lore of Christmas Carols

 

I'm always interested in learning more about the true roots of common songs or sayings. For example, "Time heals all wounds" has little to do with the passage of days. Instead, it really means "thyme heals all wounds," which is more apt: thyme is mildly antiseptic. Historically, plant lore holds a lot of almost-forgotten wisdom for healing, and this knowledge has almost always been kept by women. No wonder men, when irritated and confused by illnesses, accused women of witchcraft. They didn't know the healing arts through plants, instead choosing such horrid things as bloodletting. (Gross.) There are a few lovely artifacts of healing texts at the Currier museum in Manchester, NH, if you are interested in seeing them. 

So that brings me to another of my favorite Christmas carols, "The Holly and the Ivy." I know ivy leaves have a medicinal property as an antihistamine; ivy extract is used to calm chronic bronchial asthma in children. Holly leaves, when used properly, can aid in the treatment of digestive issues, fever, rheumatism, and high blood pressure. That said, the berries are quite poisonous, but historically have been used to get rid of "spare fluids"-- a powerful diuretic, to be sure.  I'm not at all sure that the song is a medical tune but it's interesting anyhow. It could be that, given winter ailments, there is some connection, but I don't think I'll try them out myself. It does make me wonder, though, since the song goes through the leaves, the flowers, the bark... maybe it is an ancient recipe for healing? Hmm.

That all said, one legend states that holly recalls the sufferings of Christ by the thorns and blood-red berries. Holly has been used ritually by pre-Christian cultures in Europe for thousands of years. I much prefer it as a decoration, to be honest.

All this brings me back to the song, which has its own roots in medieval times, but was standardized sometime around the early 19th century. There's a really in-depth discussion of the song and its history on Wikipedia,  if you are interested. 

Here's a good version to hum along to, if you'd like.

Keep warm. It's 2 degrees here this morning.

C