Damigeron's Dungeon: Prestigious Plants - Ranunculaceae 10

Plant Indices

Alphabetical Index (Genera)
Alphabetical Index (Vernacular)
Cladistic Index

LOVE-IN-A-MIST (Nigella)

Family: Ranunculaceae

A Nigella flower

Asia, South

Hindi: Kalonji

Urdu: Kalonji

Europe, Central

German: Jungfer Im Grunen, Schwarzkummel

Polish: Czarnuszka

Europe, Southern

Greek: Katrantziki

Spanish: Comino Negro

Europe, Western

English: Love-in-a-Mist, Black Caraway, Black Cumin, Black Seed, Devil-in-a-Bush, Fennel Flower

French: Cheveux De Venus, Nielle, Nigelle

Africa, Northern: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia

Asia, Central: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Asia, Northern: Russia

Asia, Western: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Turkey

Europe, Central: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia

Europe, Eastern: Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine

Europe, Southern: Greece, Italy, Portugal (Azores, Madeira), Spain (Baleares, Canary Islands, Corsica, Sardinia, Selvagens, Sicily)

Europe, Western: Belgium, France

Extinct in:

Europe, Central: Switzerland

Black cumin (not to be confused with the white cumin, [Cuminum], in the carrot family), is a genus of herbaceous annuals that grow from 20-90cm (8-35in) tall. It has finely divided leaves with narrowly linear and threadlike segments.

Its flowers have five to ten petals that are white, yellow, pink, pale blue to purple. These flowers are notable for the numerous seeds their capsules produce. The name "love-in-a-mist" comes from the numerous lacy bracts that surround each flower.

Victorian Flower Language
According to Greenaway, under its name "love-in-a-mist," Nigella is indicative of "perplexity." This is likely a reference to the confusion and awkwardness that comes with young or new love.

Gardens
Nigella species are popular as ornamental plants.

Flower Arranging
While all flowers in these entries are subject to use in flower arranging or flower iconography, it needs to be noted here that the dried seed capsules have also been historically employed in flower arrangement, meaning they're fair game as a stand-in for the bloom.

Insect Repellent
The seed pods drive off various insects in much the same way as mothballs.

We are not a medical website, do not take health advice from us.

Digestion
Black cumin seeds have been used in traditional medicine as a carminative (treating gas and flatulence) and as a stimulant for GI problems.

GI Anti-Parasitic
Black cumin seeds were also employed against intestinal worms.

Nerve Disorders
The seeds have a traditional use against nerve defects.

Sense Restoration
The seed pods were sniffed to restore lost sense of smell.

Sweat
The seeds were consumed to induce sweating.

Black Caraway
Nigella seeds, known as black caraway, black coriander, black cumin, black onion seed, charnushka, git, kalonji, onion seed, and Roman coriander, have a history of use as a spice and condiment from Poland to Ethiopia to South Asia.

Nigella seeds

"Love-in-a-mist" speaks of the haze of love, but its name "devil-in-a-bush" is lascivious in nature. Further combined with the name "black seed," it suggests compulsive sexual charm and that the product of such a coupling is less than desirable. In the most concrete expression of this, this might be the base reagent of a magical scheme to birth demon children into bodies of flesh.
Less dramatically, the above formulation suggests the irrationality of romantic infatuation facilitates the growth of bad habits. Would be good for a curse for sending one down the path of addiction through the vector of a romantic partner.
Conversely, the traditional use of the black seed to expel intestinal parasites suggests it can be used to unroot the black seed of habit and compulsion.
If the flower and its seed pods facilitate impeded cognitive function due to romantic involvement, sniffing the seed pods may return smell to one so impaired, enabling them to sniff out BS in the relationship.
Black caraway might also be employed as a treatment for compulsive liars, dispelling any hot air that might issue from them. Could also be used this way in an interrogation, making the patient "sweat."
Based on the recurring names, it probably has a flavor similar to fennel.
Based on our observations of the magical properties of juniper needles by number, counting-based "counter-magic" may be used to preoccupy the direct magical action of witches and other magical malefactors. A scattering of black carraway may be used to occupy their action through the logic of "You cannot act until you finish counting this."

Love-in-a-Mist (Nigella damascena)

Nigella damascena

Europe, Central

German: Blaue Jungfer, Braut In Haaren, Garten-Schwarzkummel, Gretchenkraut, Jungfer Im Gras, Jungfer Im Gruenen, Jungfern Im Grunen, Siebengestirn, Spinnenblume

Europe, Southern

Greek: Katrantziki

Italian: Barba Di Cappuccino

Europe, Western

Dutch: Kaardenbol, Keukenranonkel

English: Love-in-a-Mist, Devil-in-the-Bush, Fennel Flower, Lady-in-the-Green, Love Entangled, Love-in-a-Puzzle, Persian Jewels, Ragged Lady, Roman Coriander, Spanish Fennel Flower, Venus' Navelwort, Wild Fennel

French: Amour En Cage, Cheveux De Venus, Grenadier, Nielle De Damas, Nigelle De Damas, Nigelle Damascene

Africa, Northern: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia

Asia, Northern: Russia (Krym, North Caucasus)

Asia, West: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey

Europe, Eastern: Bulgaria

Europe, Southern: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece (Crete, East Aegean Islands), Italy (Sardinia, Sicily), Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, Serbia, Spain (Balearic Islands, Canary Islands)

Europe, Western: France (Corsica)

Nigella damascena is an herbaceous annual.

The names we've found for Nigella damascena reinforces the lascivious qualities of names like "devil-in-the-bush." "Ragged lady" suggests the tarnishing of a lady (a woman od standing or dignity). Similarly, "Venus's navelwort" calls on "navel" as a common yonic euphemism, rather than as a medicinal for the gut.
"Lady-in-the-Green" has all the sexual connotations but is agnostic in tone.
"Persian jewels" calls on the luxury of the Orient.
"Love-in-a-puzzle" leans heavily in the more innocent meaning of romantic befuddlement, whereas "love entangled" calls on the entrapping complications of romantic involvement, which is considerably less agnostic.

Black Cumin (Nigella sativa)

Nigella sativa

Asia, Northern

Russian: Charnushka

Asia, South

Bengali: Kalojeere

Gujarati: Kolonji

Hindi: Calonji, Kalonji

Malayalam: Kalunji

Sanskrit: Ajaji, Krishna Jiraka, Mudhrika, Upakuncika

Tamil: Karunjeeragam

Urdu: Kalonji

Asia, West

Arabic: Habbat Al-Baraka, Habbat El-Baraka, Habbet El-Baraka, Jardheer

Persian: Shonaiz

Europe, Central

German: Echte Schwarzkummel, Schwarzkummel

Polish: Czarnuszka Siewna

Europe, Southern

Basque: Baratzetako Bilo

Italian: Cimino Nero

Portuguese: Cominho Preto

Spanish: Comino Negro

Europe, Western

Dutch: Kruidjeroer-Me-Niet, Zwarte Komijn

English: Black Cumin, Black Caraway, Black Seed, Black-Caraway, Fennel Flower, Love-in-a-Mist, Nutmeg Flower, Roman Coriander, Small Fennel

French: Cheveux De Venus, Graine De Nigelle, Nielle Cultivee, Nigelle Cultivee, Nigelle De Crete

Asia, Central: Turkmenistan

Asia, Northern: Russia (North Caucasus)

Asia, West: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Turkey

Europe, Eastern: Bulgaria, Romania

Nigella sativa is an herbaceous annual notable for its high seed production. Its name sativa is a reference to the plant's role as an actively cultivated food plant

We are not a medical website, do not take health advice from us.

This plant has a history of use in the traditional medicine of the Middle East. Persian physician Avicenna recommended using it for dyspnea (shortness of breath) in his work Canon of Medicine.

Black caraway has a long history of use as a spice, with archaeological evidence suggesting cultivation of this plant stretches back at least 3,000 year, based on finds in Egypt and Turkey. A Hittite flask full of the seeds suggests it was used as a condiment.

Today, it is ground into pastes, thrown raw into salad and poultry dishes, dry roasted to flavor meals like roast vegetables, curries, and pulses, and used in the production of tresse cheese.

Most prominent to us is its medicinal use against dyspnea, meaning it returns or imparts breath. As breath has a strong relation to like and spirit, black cumin seeds could be used to counter silencing curses, to temporarily confer animation to the dead for questioning (as the Dungeons & Dragons spell speak with dead), or as a reagent in the golem animation process.

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Prestigious Plants