Followers and daily Friends

Sunday 13 March 2011

Labdanum



Labdanum is a sticky brown resin obtained from the shrubs Cistus ladanifer (western Mediterranean) and Cistus creticus (eastern Mediterranean), species of rockrose. It has a long history of use in herbal medicine and as a perfume ingredient.

IMG_0015

This one is from Samos, the local name is Knoukla.

In ancient times, labdanum was collected by combing the beards and thighs of goats and sheep that had grazed on the cistus shrubs. Wooden instruments used were referred to in 19th-century Crete as ergastiri;a lambadistrion ("labdanum-gatherer") was a kind of rake to which a double row of leathern thongs were fixed instead of teeth. These were used to sweep the shrubs and collect the resin which was later extracted. It was collected by the shepherds and sold to coastal traders. Many of the false beards worn by the pharaohs of ancient Egypt were made of goats hair which was held together by labdanum. The resin was also used to treat colds, coughs, menstrual problems and rheumatism.

From Wikipedia

8 comments:

  1. J'aime toujours ce soucis du détail et rien de trop beau chez toi ! tu nous en mets plein les yeux !

    ReplyDelete
  2. Such a charming bug on the beautifully pink and all-purpose flower. It is also so interesting to know that the beards of pharaohs in ancient Egypt were sometimes false AND hair from a goat that had been grazing on the flower! Thanks for sharing this information about the interesting past in your world.:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a delicate looking flower. A superb shot.

    ReplyDelete
  4. belle macro

    Publicity ;o) Every Friday (and the Weekend), The Challenge "Walk In The Street Photography"

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi,

    Nice to meet you! Thanks for becoming a follower of my writing blog. I also have a photography blog at http://judysphotogallery.blogspot.com. Please come on over and take a peek when you have time. Your blog is beautiful. Love the macro shot of the pink flower and bug. Awesome!

    Blessings,
    Judy

    ReplyDelete
  6. very nice macro shot. i love the color and the teeny bug.

    ReplyDelete