Sylvia Rose
Is Cherry Laurel Poisonous?
Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) is an Old World evergreen species of the cherry family. Often mistaken for edible bay laurel, Prunus...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 298 min read
Honey Bees (Apidae): Nature & Myth
Honey bees create honey, beeswax and folklore. First domestication of the honeybee is c. 7800 BCE, in the Neolithic Age. At this time the...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 294 min read
Honey Mead: Most Ancient Ambrosia
Honey mead is likened to ambrosia, nectar of the Greek Gods, with qualities of immortality and transcendence. The world's oldest...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 283 min read
Grayanotoxins: the Madness of Honey
Grayanotoxins are neurotoxins. They're active ingredients in mad honey, produced by bees harvesting pollen and nectar of plants carrying...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 284 min read
Rhododendron & the Toxic Ambrosia
Rhododendron is a plant genus of the heather family. With bright showy flowers, this glamorous perennial is known for its medicinal...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 274 min read
Black Hellebore: Toxins, Health & Lore
Black hellebore (Helleborus niger) or Christmas Rose is a plant of the Helleborus sub-family, used in folk medicine and lethal poisons....
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 246 min read
Heimchen - House Crickets of Folklore
Heimchen are house crickets (Acheta domesticus) in German folklore, said to bring luck or foretell disaster. Dwarfs might take the form...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 238 min read
Great Bear - Nature, Spirituality & Lore
Bears in nature, spirituality and myth or lore have astral qualities as well as strong earth connections. An apex predator and fierce...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 226 min read
Syrian Brown Bear - Bronze Age Wild
The Syrian brown bear (Ursus arctos syriacus) is a subspecies of Eurasian brown bear. Native to the Middle East, Caucasus Mountains and...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 206 min read
Lake Van: Fate of a Primeval Salt Lake
Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey. A saline soda lake, it's fed by numerous mountain streams. Van lacks a water outlet, making it...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 195 min read
Mahaleb Cherry: Spice, Nature & Myth
Mahaleb cherry (Prunus mahaleb) or St. Lucie cherry is a species of fruit tree cultivated for a spice in the cherry stones. The fruit...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 197 min read
Mt Nemrut Volcano: Nature & Lore
Mount Nemrut is a dormant volcano in Van province of east Turkey, near Lake Van in the Armenian Highlands. Nemrut is named for the...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 174 min read
Great Cormorant: Wild Birds & Mythic Beasts
The great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) has a scattered range throughout the world. Largest of the cormorants, the bird is hunted...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 154 min read
Alum: Tanning, Dye & Beauty Salts
Alum is an ingredient in processes such as dyeing fabric, tanning hides and water purification. Alum is ubiquitous in ancient and...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 66 min read
Mad Honey - What's the Buzz?
Mad honey comes from a group of plant-produced neurotoxins named after Leucothoe grayana, a plant native to Japan. Grayanotoxins can...
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Sylvia Rose
Apr 45 min read
Mugwort (Wormwood) Herbal Lore
Mugworts are used in folk medicine of India, China, Europe, America and other regions. A member of the Artemisia genus, mugwort is also...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 236 min read
Yarrow (Achillea) Magic & Medicine
Yarrow is an herb of magic and medicine. A flowering plant native to the northern hemisphere yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is commonly...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 115 min read
Black Pigments of Ancient Artisans
Black is among the first pigments in the palette of early humans. By Paleolithic times, black defines lines, shadows and meaning. Black...
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 103 min read
White Pigments of Ancient Artisans
White pigments used in ancient art, spirituality and beauty include bone, limestone variations like chalk and other natural sources....
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Sylvia Rose
Mar 66 min read
Red Ocher (Ochre) Ancient Pigments
Red ocher is among the first colors appearing on the palette of early humans, along with white and red. Black, white and red are also...
60 views
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