Dracocephalum moldavica
Dragonshead
Some consider dragonhead a Mars plant because it is so loved by bees, a
Mars insect, and because dragons are fiery animals, but dragonhead does
not partake of any Mars plant qualities like thorniness or having an
acrid sap. Instead, a good argument can be made for this as a Mercury
plant because it is aromatic. Although it does not have a licorice
scent, like many Mercury plants - its flowers and leaves are strongly lemony - its aroma is caused by the same chemicals as in anise
hyssop, a Mercury herb. Mercury also fits because of the dragon's head shape of the
flowers. The dragon is a version of the salamander of
alchemy, which does not breathe fire but is born in it, and nothing is
as important in alchemy as Philosophical Mercury - not to mention that
alchemy was given to us by Hermes, i.e., Mercury. In addition, this
plant is a substitute for lemon balm, which is the quintessential
alchemical plant. Dragonhead tastes like lemon balm (only stronger),
and like lemon balm tea, dragonhead
tea
lifts one's mood, lightening heavy emotions and giving the heart courage (much
as anise hyssop helps the "discouraged heart"). However, unlike lemon balm, it
keeps its scent when dried. This means you can make a macerated oil
from dried dragonhead. Dragonhead
tea is also astringent and tonic, and the leaves apparently were once
used on wounds. Top
Despite its name, dragonhead is not a native species in Moldova (which
is between Romania and Ukraine, in case you were wondering - I sure
was!). It apparently originated in the mountains of northern
China
and spread through Eastern Europe and Finland. In Russia it is grown as
bee forage, in Eastern Europe it replaces lemon balm for flavoring fish dishes, and in Ukraine it is a medicinal
(dragonhead has anti-oxidant effects, and the seeds are being studied
as a possible source of omega-3 fatty acids). It has been cultivated in
eastern Siberia since 1596 and so can be included in medieval gardens
(it also looks great in cottage gardens). This is a good plant for
people working on Slavic paths. This plant is also known as Moldavian
dragonhead, Moldavian balm,
tuoksuampiaisyrtti (Finnish), Turkish dragonflower, Turkmint, Chinese
blue hyssop, toronil azul, toronil chino, and turkish melissa. This seed is
from organically grown dragonshead plants of a variety developed
in Europe for higher essential oil content, but it's not a hybrid,
so it's good to save seeds from. Flowers are blue to purple depending
on soil acidity. Top
How
to grow Dragonhead: Barely cover seed to germinate in 7-14 days at 65F/20C. Transplant to
full sun up north and light shade farther south, spacing 9-12"/22-30cm
apart. Dragonhead can't take
intense heat and prefers cool weather. It gets 25"/65cm tall and 12"/.3m
wide - it tends to be bushy. The flowers appear June-October. Like most
of the mint family, dragonhead likes moist soil and reseeds like mad, so even
though it's an annual, you will probably only need to plant it once.
For that reason, some people prefer
to grow it in pots. Lots of nitrogen will result in plants that have a
higher essential oil content, especially in the flowers. General
growing info Top
Dracocephalum moldavica
Dragonshead - high
essential oil variety!
100
organic seeds $3.75
Uses in
Witchcraft & Magic:
Elemental Magic (Fire)
Mercury Herb
© 2004, 2017 Harold A. Roth; No reproduction without permission