Today, we venture on with our continuing series of posts on The Twelve Oils of Ancient Scripture kit with a spiritual essential oil: spikenard.
You can order spikenard on its own, but The Twelve Oils of Ancient Scripture by Young Living™ is a collection of essential oils very handy to have around, on a physical level as well as an emotional and spiritual one. (Please enter ‘scripture’ in the top right search box for posts on the other oils in this kit.)
The word ‘spikenard’ in Greek means ‘genuine and pure’. And in Hebrew, the word is Nard which means ‘light’.
And so it’s natural that an oil representing lightness, authenticity and purity would be used (according to the New Testament) by Mary of Bethany to anoint the feet of Jesus with spikenard before the Last Supper.
“Then took Mary took a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.” John 12:3
And in what could be another description of the same event or a different one altogether, this precious anointing oil is mentioned again with significance:
“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.” Mark 14:3
When I started digging around more — highly appropriate given spikenard is steam distilled from roots — I found that Pliny’s Natural History mentions 12 species of nard, including Lavandula stoechas, tuberous valerian and Nardostachys jatamansi. The latter is considered to be ‘true nard’ and the one referred to as spikenard in the scriptures.
Spikenard is also mentioned in a way that could give a nod to its culinary uses:
“Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard.” The Song of Solomon 4:13
During Medieval times, spikenard was used to season foods in European cuisine. It was also a key ingredient in two beverages —a sweet, spicy drink that could be akin to a mulled wine, and a strong beer.
This will also connect you up with The Good Oil Team for our personal support and coaching. We'd love to help you on your journey to vibrant well-being the natural way!
Any questions? Please get in touch via our Contact page.
Used in a number of traditional medicines, spikenard goes by Gan Song (‘sweet pine’) in Chinese herbal medicine and Jatamansi in Ayurvedic medicine. It comes from the botanical family of Valerianaceae — and as you can safely deduce from this name, so does valerian. But while they are both sedating and relaxing, they are rather different when it comes to their constituents. In Ayurvedic medicine, spikenard is thought to have the added benefits of being a mood elevator that soothes emotional trauma while it calms. These traits could be helpful if your heart is racing a little from anxiety.
Along with being available as a single oil, you’ll also find spikenard in several of Young Living’s essential oil blends including Humility, Inspiration, The Gift, and Egyptian Gold. Please get in touch with us for help with ordering.
