VENUS | IRIS, HERMES
 
Also known as Queen Elizabeth Root
 
Priced Per Ounce
 
Orris root is popular in love charms and used in sachets, powders or amulets designed to attract the opposite sex. In Japan, it was used to ward off evil spirits. In incense blends it can be used to invoke the Goddess Iris, who helps the souls of the departed on their journey across the rainbow bridge to the land of the blessed.
 
Orris root powder is no longer used in herbal medicine, but was once popular as a purgative and for treating colds and coughs. An essential oil is distilled from the root which is used in perfumery as a base substance from which artificial violet fragrance is distilled. The root is highly acrid when fresh and only develops its fragrance over time. The powdered root is used as a fixative in potpourris, incense and in natural cosmetics. Orris root powder derives from the much loved ornamental garden flower known as Iris. The French call it 'fleur-de-lys', which long ago became stylised and adopted as an emblem of the French monarchy.