February 11 Valley Life Column

February 11 Valley Life Column in AG Weekly

Use herbs to capture your valentine's heart

The other day, I was looking through an herb book I got for Christmas when I came across some interesting facts. I knew basil could be dried and used in potpourri, but I didn’t know if you offered a sprig of basil to the man you loved, and if he accepted it, he was yours forever.

I knew people in the Middle Ages made a hand wash for the table by boiling bay leaves in water with orange peel, but I didn't know Tudor maidens used to place bay leafs under their pillows on Valentine's Day and whisper, "Saint Valentine, be kind to me, In my dreams, let me true love see." Then, if they dreamed of love, they were sure to marry within the year.

I also knew many Europeans believed laurel leaves brought good luck and warded off evil, but I didn't know that tying three laurel leaves to the bottom of your bed guaranteed your lover's devotion, or that suitors put dried sage under their tongues to ensure a happy courtship.

Other herbs reputed to capture your lover's heart include lavender, rose, thyme, rosemary, jasmine, juniper, myrtle, sandalwood and elderflower. Many spells have been concocted using herbs to attract a loved one. Some believe if you plant marigolds where your loved one walks, he will be faithful to you forever. Or that, if you wrap a lock of your loved-one's hair along with the burnt ashes of a small piece of your lover's clothing and a handful of Johnny jump-ups in a white handkerchief and bury the handkerchief under your porch, your love will be true.

I've been known to plant marigolds where my husband has walked, and I do use basil and laurel leaves to sweeten a room, but lucky for me we no longer have a porch. I can just imagine what would happen if my husband came home from work and found me burning his clothes, let alone digging a hole in which to bury them. I'd need more than fresh basil sprigs to save me.
©Bonnie Dodge