Everyone knows how much the Indians revere nature. Moreover, not only animals, but also plants are considered sacred in this country. We will talk about which ones exactly in this article. Also, we will deal with what generally respected plants exist in different countries of the world.
Holy Tree Aswattha
This is a little-known among us, but a sacred plant in India. Here it is a symbol of the World Tree. Residents of this country believe that the branches of this plant can drive away evil spirits from a person, and its leaves fulfill wishes. In ancient times, ashwattha wood was used to make ritual bowls. Researchers know two archaic motifs associated with this plant. The first is a person in ashvatthi, trying to get a fruit. This was considered a symbol of religious knowledge. Also in ancient times, Indians often depicted a horse next to the mentioned plant. It is believed that it was under this asvattha that revelation to the Buddha came.
Tulasi
In a number of Indian traditions , another interesting plant is worshiped - tulasi (basil). He is worshiped as the wife of Vishnu. According to legend, she was once the wife of one of the demons. Vishnu himself turned it into a basil. Subsequently, he also married her. It is a tulasi plant with ovoid green leaves. Among other things, it is used as a medicinal herb.
A rosary was often made from this sacred plant, since, according to legend, it drives away all misfortunes and evil forces from a person. Tulasi is a plant that is described in one of the Indian epics. Once, a sage revered among the people accidentally tore his rosary made of basil and asked his servant to fix it. Tom had no time, and he promised to do it the next day. However, the sage ordered him to repair them immediately. “If you knew how dangerous it would be to be in this world without them, you would tremble with fear,” he said.
Udumbara and Nyagroha
Udumbara is a sacred plant in India, revered as a symbol of abundance. Once upon a time, thrones for kings, all kinds of amulets and chalices were made from it. Fruits Udumbara three times a year, hence its sacred meaning.
Nyagroha is one of the varieties of the fig tree. An interesting feature of it is that it releases aerial roots, which, upon reaching the ground, sprout with the formation of new trunks. As a result, it turns out that one crown grows immediately on a whole grove of trunks. According to legend, Vishnu himself once chose this sacred plant. In India, it is believed that this god swims in the middle of the primeval ocean precisely on a piece of the mentioned tree.
Sacred lotus
This is the most revered plant in Buddhist countries, a symbol of religion. Hindus believe that the human soul, developing, blooms like this flower. The darkness of silt where this plant is born is considered a symbol of the material world. Making his way through the thickness of the water, the lotus shows the world a real spiritual transformation. If we talk about the "Sacred Plants of Egypt", then here we also meet this flower. The inhabitants of this country give it the same sacred meaning as the Indians. Like a sacred lotus, a person, having discarded all that is supernumerary, breaking through the jungle of life's vicissitudes, should embark on the path of prosperity and self-improvement. It is this flower that is also the national symbol of India itself.
the Rose
This is another sacred plant in India. There is a legend according to which a person who brought a rose to the king had the right to fulfill any desire. The princesses of India often walked through fragrant gardens cut in grooves in which pink water flowed.
Inca Revered Plants
Of course, not only Indians have a tradition of veneration of various plants. Worshiped the representatives of the flora and other peoples of the world. A sacred plant of the Incas, for example, coca. Once upon a time, representatives of this American people used it in their religious rituals and attributed to it a variety of magical properties. The ancient peoples who inhabited the Andes used it not only for ritual purposes, but also as a monetary equivalent, for the treatment of diseases and even for chewing. This plant is a bush with straight thin branches and is currently used as raw material for the preparation of cocaine. In the middle of the last century, the WHO committee decided to recognize coca chewing as substance abuse. After that, the plant began to be eradicated everywhere. The well-known Coca-Cola drink contains some non-psychoactive alkaloids from the leaves of the mentioned culture.
Sacred plants of the Slavs
Our ancestors also had a tradition of worshiping trees. So, the oak was considered the Perun tree of power and was never cut even under a cornfield. It was he among the Slavic peoples who symbolized the Tree of Life. In addition, oak was considered a reflection of the Upper World and a tree of longevity. In sacred groves, he was often dominant. Under the oaks, celebrations and meals were arranged. From this tree a staff was carved for the leader of the tribe, inherited.
With the branches of hazel, the Slavs drove off unclean power, and the willow was considered a talisman. The sacred plants of the Slavs are also hops and chamomile. The first, of course, was the patron saint of festivities, and the second - a symbol of love and fidelity (loves - does not love). Also an ancestral grass was very revered among our ancestors. It was used as a talisman and to search for treasures. It was believed that it "strengthens" luck. The Slavs considered the birch a symbol of the Beginning of Life.
Vitex is sacred
This plant, nowadays often used as a medicinal plant, is popularly called the Abraham tree. Among the Jews, the sacred Vitex plant is revered as giving youth. According to legend, once upon a time the forefather of all Jews Abraham was resting under it. To achieve the effect of rejuvenation, you just need to sit under it, breathing in the aroma of its flowers. At different times, priests made staves of branches and trunks of this shrub.
All its parts are healing and are used in traditional medicine and cosmetology. The fresh juice of this plant is used to cure ailments such as impotence and depression. Decoctions are drunk to get rid of all kinds of skin problems and as a contraceptive. In addition, they treat diseases of the spleen, liver, mastopathy, fibroids and infertility. You can use this plant to relieve foot fatigue. To do this, put its leaves in shoes. It is not recommended to give infusions and decoctions from any parts of this plant to children under 12 years of age.
Sacred Vitex is demanded not only in medicine, but also in cooking. For example, in the Arab countries this bush is called "furious pepper" and is used as a seasoning for meat and fish dishes.
Revered plants are found in almost every nation in the world. Perhaps in our time they are not given the sacred meaning as in antiquity, but they are still not forgotten and loved. In India and other eastern countries, songs and poems about the lotus are composed today, and one of the symbols of our country is a white birch.