印第安人的奉献和治疗仪式中常常使用白鼠尾草的烟气来熏洗空间和病人,将之视为一种具有神圣精神的植物。淘宝上也是各式“美国进口加州白鼠尾草”的店家在出售这些植物干燥后的枝叶,那“白鼠尾草”到底是一种什么样的植物呢?
经过一番查询,基本确定(加州)白鼠尾草的拉丁学名是 Salvia apiana,英文名叫 White sage。然维基一下~
以下内容来自维基百科(还没来得及把里面的要点翻译一些过来。。。)
Salvia apiana (White sage, bee sage, or sacred sage in English, qaashil to theLuiseno, shlhtaay or pilhtaay to the Kumeyaay, kasiile to the Tongva, we'wey tothe Chumash, qas'ily to the Cahuilla, shaltai to the Paipai, lhtaay to the Cochimi) is an evergreen perennial shrub that is native to the southwestern United States andnorthwestern Mexico, found mainly in the coastal sage scrub habitat of SouthernCalifornia and Baja California, on the western edges of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.[1]
Description
S. apiana is a shrub that reaches 1.3 to 1.5 metres (4.3 to 4.9 ft) tall and 1.3 metres(4.3 ft) wide. The whitish evergreen leaves have oils and resins that release a strongaroma when rubbed. The flowers are very attractive to bees, which is described by thespecific epithet, apiana. Several 1 to 1.3 metres (3.3 to 4.3 ft) flower stalks, sometimespinkish colored, grow above the foliage in the spring. Flowers are white to pale lavender.
这里在植物分类上为白鼠尾草给出了一个鉴定。
Distribution and habitat
White sage is a common plant that requires well-drained dry soil, full sun, and littlewater. The plant occurs on dry slopes in coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and yellow-pine forests of Southern California to Baja California at less than 1,500 metres (4,900 ft)elevation.[1]
Uses
S. apiana is widely used by Native American groups on the Pacific coast of theUnited States. The seed was a main ingredient of pinole, a staple food. TheCahuilla harvested large quantities of the seed that was mixed with wheatflour and sugar for gruel or biscuits. The leaves and stems were eaten by theChumash and other tribes. Several tribes used the seed for removing foreignobjects from the eye, similar to the way that Clary sage seeds were used inEurope. A tea from the roots was used by the Cahuilla women for healing andstrength after childbirth. The leaves are also burnt by many native Americantribes, with the smoke used in different purification rituals.[2]
Cultivation
S. apiana prefers a sunny location, well draining soil, and good air circulation. It easily hybridizes with other Salvia species,particularly Salvia leucophylla and Salvia clevelandii.[1]
Ecology
Bumblebees, hawk moths, and wasps pollinate white sage, and hummingbirds also appear to like the plant.[citation needed]
Antibacterial properties
A study performed at the University of Arizona in 1991 demonstrated that Salvia apiana has potential antibacterial propertiesagainst Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Candida brassicae.[3]
See also
Medicinal plants of the American West
California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion
Coastal sage scrub
补充资料
除了白鼠尾草,有另外一种鼠尾草(英文名Diviner’s sage,拉丁学名Salvia divinorum ,“占卜者的鼠尾草”?)也在美洲一些原始部落的生活与仪式中有多种用途,而且这种鼠尾草具有强烈的致幻作用。下面对这种鼠尾草的简单介绍来自《众神的植物:神圣、具疗效和致幻力量的植物》[Plants of the Gods]一书(理查·伊文斯·舒爾茲,亞伯特·赫夫曼,克裏斯汀·拉奇著)。