Nicotiana rustica - Sacred Tobacco
Sacred Tobacco, Nicotiana rustica, is a not the same tobacco used in cigarette products today. Instead it used to be one the most well known plants in the America.
All of the American tribes were using tobacco for ceremonies and healing purposes. It was also used as a gift to the spirits. Indians called this sacred tobacco by the name Mapacho.
In a religious setting Sacred Tobacco was used to make a connection between humans and spiritual world. This is the herb you have seen the Indian chiefs to smoke as a symbol for peace.
Nicotiana rustica was also used in Ayahuasca ceremonies, although the smoke of sacred tobacco was not always inhaled. Nicotiana rustica contains twenty times more nicotine than the modern alternatives.
As the plant grows well also in a colder environment it has been cultivated for example in Russia.
Hey,
It’s great to see some of my postings linked to you here… More of my sacred tobacco is coming up this summer and I look forward to harvesting it later in the fall.
I’m actually involved in a community Sacred Garden with my Cherokee teacher and we transplanted a goodly amount of Sacred Tobacco seedlings into her garden this month. They’re all coming up well. Should be great fun to harvest that and use it for blessings in and around the community garden come next year.
We’re blogging about the Sacred Gardening that we’re doing at marecromwell.wordpress.com
Here’s to bringing the sacred back into our lives…
mare
Comment by Mare Cromwell — July 1, 2009 @ 2:00 am