Spikenard

Spikenard, also known as Nard, Nardin or Muskroot, is an aromatic amber coloured oil.
It has been used since antiquity as an incense in religious ceremonies, a perfume, and for medicinal purposes including as a sedative.

Spikenard has always had a high value.
It was used in Ancient Egypt and is mentioned in The Bible.
In Rome, Nard (Spikenard) was used to make a perfume called ‘Nardinum’.
Apicius refers to Nard (Spikenard) as a flavouring in cooking recipes.
Pliny the Elder mentions a dozen varieties of Nard (Spikenard).
Cats are attracted to the smell of Spikenard.
Spikenard is mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as an export from Barigaza in India.

In Antiquity the origin of Spikenard is unconfirmed. It may have come from Alpine Spikenard in Europe, from Lavender in the Middle East, or from Nardostachs Jatamansi in the Himalayas in Asia.
The ancient Greeks called the lavender plant ‘Nardos’.
In Sanskrit Lavender is known as ‘Narada’.
Nardostachys Jatamansi is the plant that provides Spikenard oil that grows in the Himalayas of India, Tibet and China, at an altitude between 10-16,000 feet (3-5,000m).
The oil is made by steam distillation of the dried roots.