Herbs of the Bible

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I wonder from time to time what our Buddhist, Muslim, or Jewish brethren, among others, think of the hoopla as Christians face a new millennium. Other religions and societies are into their third, fourth, or even fifth millennia. Regardless, the new millennium is an opportunity for reflection and anticipation: What have we done to the earth, to its flora and fauna? How accurately have we measured progress in diet, medicine, and health care?

As we move into the third Christian millennium, we may be ready to rekindle a medical as well as spiritual explanation of the herbs and plants that have been with us for as many as six millennia.

The Bible mentions 128 plants that were part of everyday life in ancient Israel and its Mediterranean neighbors. These plants include almonds, apples, black mustard, cucumber, grapes, mandrake, nettle, poppy, and wormwood.

The migratory patterns of herbs and plants follow those of the people who ­relied on them. The Levant—which ­stretches in a crescent around the eastern Mediterranean Sea from Turkey to the Sinai Peninsula and includes modern Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel—marks the most likely “checkpoint” through which population groups passed as they migrated. As they moved, people carried cuttings, seeds, or saplings of plants and herbs necessary for their well-being or in accordance with God’s directives. Thus, use of the medicinal plants of the area combines the healing wisdom of early Arabs, Hebrews, Copts, and Muslims.

Here are a handful of these plants and a look at their roles in personal beauty, hygiene, ritual, ceremony, and the treatment of disease—many of which still apply today.

Aloe (Aloe Vera)
—John 19:39–40

Used for: Burns, constipation, cancer, skin irritations

The aloes of biblical time are very different from the aloe vera you keep on your kitchen counter. One variety of aloe (A. succotrina) produced an aromatic juice used in embalming in ancient Egypt. Aloe juice was included in incense, perfume, lotion, and scented powder.

From biblical times to the present, aloes have been a giant among herbs and herbal medicine. People commonly keep an aloe vera plant in their home for the instant and effective treatment of burns. Fresh aloe vera juice taken internally purges the stomach and lower intestines and relieves fevers. Externally, aloe juice, in gels with or without lanolin, treats abrasions, burns, and skin irritations. When applied to open sores, aloe vera extract aids in healing, exhibiting anesthetic and antibacterial action and increasing blood or lymph flow in the small vessels in the area.

Flax (Linum usitatissimum)
—Leviticus 6:10

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