Hierochloe odorata - Sweet grass

Sweet grass, Hierochloe odorata

Sweet grass or Hierochloe odorata (commonly known as Anthoxanthum nitens, manna grass, Mary’s grass, or vanilla grass, and as holy grass in the UK, bison grass in Poland) is an aromatic herb native to northern Eurasia and North America. It is used in herbal medicine and in the production of distilled beverages.

Description

Hierochloe odorata is a very hardy perennial, able to grow to the Arctic Circle. Its leaves do not have rigid stems, so only grow to about 20 cm (7.9 in) in height, and then the leaves grow outward horizontally to 100 cm (39 in) long or more, by late summer. The base of the leaf, just below the soil surface, is broad and white, without hairs; the underside of the leaf is shiny, without hairs. In the wild, the bases of the leaves are frequently purple-red colored, and this indicates a phosphorus-deficient soil.

There are several strains of sweetgrass — a regular strain that can be harvested once or twice a year, and a naturally occurring polyploid strain, which is much faster growing and can be harvested three to five times a year.

Uses

• It was used in France to flavor candy, tobacco, soft drinks, and perfumes.
• it was used to flavor tea. It is still used in flavored vodka, the most notable example being Polish Żubrówka.
• Sweet grass is widely used by North American indigenous peoples from many different Nations. Among many of the Plains Indians is considered one of the "four sacred medicines".
• Sweet grass has been used by Native Americans as incense, medicine for colds, analgesic and insecticide and in basketry; they also soaked it in water and used the infusion to wash their hair, skin and eyes.

External Links

• Hierochloe odorata-Wikipedia