The hyacinths are here! 😀

Well, to be honest, the bulbs around here have been slowly coming out for a few weeks now. But over the weekend we visited a historic home and garden that was simply awash with hyacinths and daffodils. It was lovely, and I can completely see why hyacinths have traditionally been associated with love and happiness.

There actually aren’t too many “uses” for a hyacinth–no hidden medical properties or the like. They do appear in my big medical reference book, but really only as a sideline: they’re part of a much larger plant family filled with more popular species. Can you guess what plant family that is?

. . . It’s okay, I’ll tell you. Hyacinths are part of the asparagus family, a.k.a. Asparagaceae. There are actually about 150 plants in that family, including familiar ones like agave, hostas, and bluebells. At first I thought this was a bit strange–but actually, thinking of the shape of a hyacinth shoot as compared to a stalk of asparagus, it begins to make more sense. 😉

Apparently, dried hyacinth flowers are sometimes used in love spells. The fresh plants, when grown inside the house, might help guard against nightmares. But I like this particular bit of lore about hyacinths best of all: “sniffing the fresh flowers of the hyacinth relieves grief and depression.” It may not be a clinical cure, but I can definitely see how the pleasant scent would help! Why not go out and try it today? 🙂

Selected Sources

Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (2nd edition, 2020) is the source of the folkloric uses and that quote about smelling the flowers. The medical book I referenced is Plants That Cure (Dauncey and Howes, 2020). And if you want a brief overview of the asparagus family, there’s a list at britannica.com.

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