南小鹿2020-07-14 18:12:11

(三)迷迭香的药用价值

迷迭香是古埃及的一种神圣的防腐草药,它的干枝出现在公元前3000年的埃及坟墓中。至少从公元前500年开始,古希腊人和古罗马人就将迷迭香作为一种有效的草药。与老普林尼(Pliny the Elder)和盖伦(Galen)同时代的迪奥斯科里德斯(Pedanius Dioscorides ,公元40–90 ) 在他的代表作《药物论》(De Materia Medica)就介绍了迷迭香。

古希腊人和古罗马人还用迷迭香来施咒,象征着忠诚和纪念,并消除嫉妒。迷迭香被大量用于仪式浴,并制作成圣水以进行仪式清洁、祝福和净化。

 

英国国王爱德华三世(1312 – 1377)的王后菲利普皇后(Queen Phillippa 1311 – 1369)曾收到母亲赠送的迷迭香小苗。母亲建议女儿:丈夫睡觉时,将迷迭香的叶子摆在他头下,“可以驱赶邪灵,不会在梦见猛禽并受其困扰doth away evell sprirites and suffereth not the dreeme fowl dremes ne to be afearde)。该书信的原稿在大英博物馆里保存着。

从流传至今的文献上看,最晚在14世纪左右,迷迭香就被引种到英国。1525年,英国有史以来印刷了第一本草药书,是匿名四开本(无插图)的《草药》(Herball)。该书的最后一页有一行字:“由伦敦人理查德·班克斯(Richard Banckes)铭刻”,因此该草药书被后世称为“Banckes' Herbal”(班克斯的草药)。严格地说,它并非一本药用书,作者对草药属性的描述充满了诗意。迷迭香是书中最具魅力的草药之一, 作者如是建议:将花朵磨成粉,夹在麻布衣物的右腋下,会让人轻松愉快…也可以把花朵放在你的衣襟和领结处,防止虫蛀……用白葡萄酒煮叶,用来洗脸…你将有一张漂亮的容颜。把叶子放在床头下方,你不会发恶梦…如果你出售这些葡萄酒,你会幸运地很快卖出…用其木做一个盒子,闻着它将永葆青春。把其置于门边或房内,可防蟒蛇或其他毒蛇。用其制桶并饮用置于桶中的酒,你不必害怕中毒。如果你将其种植在花园里,好好对待它,因为它非常有利可图。”

take the flowres and make powder therof and bynde it to the ryght arme in a lynen clothe, and it shall make the lyght and mery... Also take the flowres and put them in a chest amonge youre clothes or amonge bokes and moughtes shall not hurte them.... Also boyle the leves in whyte wyne and wasshe thy face therwith...thou shall have a fayre face. Also put the leves under thy beddes heed, and thou shalbe delyvered of all evyll dremes.... Also take the leves and put them into a vessel of wyne...yf thou sell that wyne, thou shall have good lucke and spede in the sale.... Also make the a box of the wood and smell to it and it shall preserne [preserve] thy youthe. Also put therof in thy doores or in thy howse and thou shalbe without daunger of Adders and other venymous serpentes. Also make the a barell therof and drynke thou of the drynke that standeth therin and thou nedes to fere no poyson that shall hurte ye, and yf thou set it in thy garden kepe it honestly for it is moche profytable.

 

威廉·朗厄姆(William Langham)在1579年的著作《健康花园》(The Garden of Health)中建议:“随身携带花朵,让你快乐,并被所有的男人倾慕……把花朵挂在你的床上,把迷迭香放在浴缸里,使你精力充沛、活泼、开心、坚强而年轻。为了舒心,将迷迭香花朵浸在玫瑰水中并饮用它。”

Carry the flowers about thee to make thee merry and glad and well beloved of all men...hang the flowers on thy bed and place Rosemary in the bath to make thee lusty, lively, joyful, strong and young. To comfort the heart steep Rosemary flowers in rose water and drink it".

据说匈牙利的伊丽莎白王后饮用了由葡萄酒和迷迭香混合成的浓汤后,治愈了半瘫痪。因此这种混合物被称为“匈牙利王后水”( Queen of Hungary Water),后又用于治疗皮肤疾病、痛风、头皮屑过多和预防脱发。

查理一世的御用植物学家帕金森(Parkinson 1567-1650)写道:“迷迭香和月桂叶一样有用,是一种外用和内用药物,兼具民事和药用价值。内服可治疗头部和心脏疾病,外用可治筋骨和关节毛病;众所周知,其用于婚礼、葬礼等民事场合,例如,作为赠送朋友们的礼物;药用价值如此之多,如果我把所有的都写下来,你在阅读过程中以及我在写作过程中均会感到疲倦。”

Rosemary is almost as great use as bayes, both for outward and inward remedies, and as well for civill as physicall purposes; inwardly for the head and heart, outwardly for the sinews and joynts; for civill uses, as all do know, at weddings, funerals, etc., to bestow among friends; and the physicall are so many that you might as well be tyred in the reading as I in the writing, if I should set down all that might be said of it.

他是这样阐述迷迭香作为一种园林植物的受欢迎程度的:“在每个女人的花园中,它在其它的香草和香花植物中具有足够的观赏性。在我们这片土地上,它种植在贵族们的花园中,靠着砖墙,随着时间的推移长到一个很高的高度,拥有巨大的圆形木质茎,茎被切成木板,可以用来制造琵琶或类似的乐器、木工尺或其它用途的器具。”(Being in every woman's garden, it were sufficient but to name it as an ornament among other sweet herbs and flowers in our gardens. In this our land, where it hath been planted in noblemen's and great men's gardens against brick walls, and there continued long, it riseth up in time unto a very great height, with a great and woody stem of that compasse that, being cloven out into boards, it hath served to make lutes or such like instruments, and here with us carpenters' rules and to divers others purposes.

法国人认为,每天用迷迭香木梳来梳头,可以防止头晕目眩。迷迭香木如此珍贵,以至于某些不良商人用迷迭香精油来香熏其他比较便宜的木材,冒充成迷迭香木来制成木梳。

文艺复兴时期的英国医生和草药学家约翰·杰拉德(John Gerard1545年-1612年)在他的1597年出版的经典著作《植物史》(Historie of Plants,也叫Herball)里提到了一位名叫塞拉皮(Serapio)的人,此人建议在头上戴一个迷迭香花环,以治疗“因大脑受寒而引起的头部混沌。”(stuffing of the head, that commeth through coldnes of the brain.)。关于迷迭香的药用价值,作者还补充道,“迷迭香的花朵与糖合成含片,食用后可快速提振精神,使精力更加充沛”(The flowers of Rosemary, made up into lozenges with sugar and eaten make the heart merry, quicken the spirits and make them more lively )此外,他还指出迷迭香水可作为口气清新剂。

杰拉德还提到迷迭香在朗格多克(Languedoc,法国东南部的一个前省)大量繁殖,以至于“居民燃烧着其他稀缺的燃料”。(the inhabitants burne scarce anie other fuel)。此书在当时的欧洲产生了一定影响力,据说与杰拉德同时代的莎士比亚从他的著作中获得了丰富的植物学知识,并用于戏剧创作中。

在中世纪,人们用碎迷迭香和鼠尾草叶包裹肉类,既保留了肉的新鲜度,又保持了宜人的气味和口感。迷迭香还被用于预防蚊虫叮咬和鼠疫。1603年,当鼠疫造成38,000名伦敦人丧生时,迷迭香的价格被炒得老高,从原先的一小枝一先令升到了六先令。根据1625年的一份价目表,3先令可以买到18加仑优质啤酒,1先令能买到一只完整的肥猪。

英国植物学家和草药学家尼古拉斯·卡尔佩珀(Nicholas Culpepper 1616-1654)于1653年出版的《伦敦药典》(Pharmacopeia Londoniensis)中提到,迷迭香水是“一种令人称赞的治疗感冒、记忆力减退、头痛及昏迷的万能药物。它吸收并保存自然热量,即使在年老时也能恢复身体功能。没有太多的药物可以产生如此好的效果。”(an admirable cure-all remedy of all kinds of cold, loss of memory, headache, coma. It receives and preserves natural heat, restores body function and capabilities, even at late age. There are not that many remedies producing that many good effects

法国人在病房和医院里燃烧迷迭香和杜松子以净化空气。他们还将迷迭香作为治愈系香草,在法国花语中,迷迭香代表着重新点燃失去的能量。

有了上述的知识铺垫,我们可以进一步欣赏在欧美经典文学中散发着芬芳的迷迭香。




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