Plant of the week with Alexander McCowan

The burning bush of Moses?

Dittany (Dictamnus albus, Burning bush or Gas plant) is an herbaceous perennial of the Rutaceae family, growing to about 80cm at altitude in South West Europe and Southern Asia. It has ovate to lanceolate leaves that are finely serrate, on a stem that supports terminal racemes of large, pink, star-shaped flowers. The whole of the plant is aromatic and is covered in orange-scented oil glands that may ignite in very hot weather; it is believed to be the ‘burning bush’ of Moses.

When Moses fled from Egypt he came to work for Jethro, his father-in-law, as a shepherd and while tending flocks, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him out of a burning bush, which was not consumed, and God called to him from the middle of the bush and said, ‘Here am I’ (Exodus. 111.4), which, as we know, led to the land of milk and honey. The ‘bush’ features as a symbol for Jews and Christians; the menorah is designed from it and it is also the symbol of the Church of Scotland and the Presbyterian Church of Ireland.
The motto of the Church of Scotland is ‘nec tamen consumebatur’ – yet it was not consumed. A ‘burning bush’ moment is one of sudden revelation.

The rhizome contains an alkaloid dictamine, which is abortifacient, anthelmintic, anti-bacterial, antispasmodic, digestive, diuretic, emmenagogic, expectorant and stimulant. The action of the extract causes the uterus to contract and it was widely used to treat gynaecological complaints. A decoction from the leaf and flowers was made to treat scabies, eczema, German measles, scrofula and scorbutic diseases. The plant is little used by herbalists today.

Burning bush is sometimes confused with a member of the oregano family, Dittany of Crete, or Origanum dictamnus. This is a small, hairy plant that thrives in the barren soil of the mountainous region of the island and was used to heal wounds caused by poisoned arrowheads. Aristotle claimed that he saw wounded goats expel arrows by eating the plant, while mythology refers to the goddess Aphrodite curing Aeneas by applying the plant to his wounds. As with most herbs originating in Crete, there is a claim that it is an aphrodisiac. We now grow this plant in Cyprus.

Next week Chicory

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.