Essential oil of Spicknard: a sign of devotion and love

An intoxicating scent that takes us back to ancient times, a symbol of devotion and spirituality, the essential oil of Spikenard was already used in the time of the ancient Egyptians, found inside small jars in the tombs of the Pharaohs.

It is one of the most famous perfumes used in Roman times: the essential oil of Spikenard was prepared by the unguentarii, the master perfumers of ancient Rome.

Evidence of its use can also be found in the Bible, as a sign of devotion and love: “And being in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head“. It was the same oil that Mary Magdalene used to anoint the feet of Jesus before the Last Supper. In the Song of Solomon, it is celebrated several times for its “perfume poured forth”, which transports one into an intimate and sacred space, a symbol of love and worship towards the King, God, and beloved.

Due to its ancient devotional tradition, Spikenard oil is one of the eleven herbs still used for ritual fumigation in the Temple of Jerusalem.

It is an oil obtained from the distillation of the roots of a plant that grows on the mountain slopes of the Himalayas, the Nardostachys jatamansi, a delicate aromatic herb with pungent rhizomatous roots. It belongs to the Valerianaceae family; it is indeed a plant very similar to Valeriana officinalis, with which it shares some properties.

An essence with a strong and characteristic sweet and woody smell, Spikenard essential oil is a good anti-inflammatory, useful for massaging onto parts of the body with local inflammation.

Even Dioscorides, the ancient Greek physician and botanist, also regarded Spikenard as an excellent warming and drying agent.

Massaging a few drops of this essential oil on the temples can also be helpful in relieving headaches, and its dispersion in the environment certainly predisposes us to relaxation, communicating directly with our nervous centers.

Its highly aromatic and persistent olfactory components have made it a protagonist since antiquity in religious rituals, which were often linked to the healing of the spirit and even the body. Today, its use in herbal medicine is obsolete, but it remains a known essence, with remote traditions, mostly linked to a spiritual and symbolic sphere.

ELISA CARNEVALE