Palm is a tree. A variety of palms line the Nile River.
- botanical information
- history
- Goddesses and deities
- health care
- external skin care
- cautions and contraindications
botanical information:
Botanical name: hundreds of varieties
Common name: palm
Use the botanical name when ordering seeds (bulbs, etc.) or when looking up information in the library. Common names vary by nation, culture, and region, and sometimes the same common name is applied to different plants.
Environmental considerations: Palm oil plantations, mostly in Indonesia and Malaysia, are a major source of global warming/climate change as native carbon-rich rain forests are cleared and burned to make way for the plantations, at a rate of more than 25,000 square miles in just those two nations in 2007.
The burning of rain forests to make way for palm plantations in Indonesia make it the thrid worst (largest) carbon dioxide pollutor in the world (as of 2008). it also destroys the last remaining of habitats of numerous species, including the orangutan, Sumatran rhino, Sumatran tiger, and many other endangered species.
The palm plantations are used to produce more than 30 million tons of palm oil and palm kernel oil, as well as derivatives such as palmitic acid, as an additive for soap, cosmetics, and food, as well as for bio-fuel.
Among the large businesses that purposely use palm oil (instead of healthier vegetable oils available for approximately the same price) include Kellogg’s, Kraft Foods, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Whole Foods Market.
In 2008, 12-year-old Girl Scouts Madison Vorva and Rhiannon Tomtishen of Ann Arbor, Michaigan (U.S.A.), refused to sell Girl Scout cookies because some of them were made with palm oil.
For every soap, cosmetic, and food that uses palm oil, palm kernel oil, palmitic acid, and other deritives, there are comparable products that are made with alternative vegetable oils that are environmentally sound.
Check the ingredient labels on all soap, cosmetic, and food products to make sure that you are not actively participating int he destruction of the only environment we have on planet earth.
history:
History: The ancient Egyptians built many of their earliest temples with wooden columns topped with palm leaves. When the Egyptians switched to stone columns they continued to carve palm fronds and leaves into the tops of the columns (see example below).
Palm trees commonly lined ancient Egyptian temple gardens.
deities associated with palm:
Ritual uses: Palm trees, as well as dates and cocounts, were sacred to Asar (Osiris) and Aset (Isis). The heart of palm (an edible food) was forbidden in offerings to Aset (Isis) or Asar (Osiris) because removing the heart of the palm kills the tree.
- Asar (Kemetic God)
- Aset (Kemetic Goddess)
- Isis (ancient Egyptian Goddess)
- Osiris (ancient Egyptian God)
health care uses:
Health Notice: Attempting to be an amateur doctor is potentially dangerous to your health. This web page is not professional medical advice. Nothing on this website should be considered as a substitute or replacement for professional medical advice. Persons should seek the advice of qualified health providers. Self-medication should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care. Please confirm all self-medication with your doctor or health care professional. See the article on healing for recommended healers.
external care:
External skin care: Palm oil helps cleanse and moisturize the skin.
cautions and contraindications:
Cautions and contraindications: Date palm of species Phoenix dactylifera and Phoenix roebelenii are believed to be safe.
Non-toxic to animals: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Animal Poison Control Center has determined that bamboo palm, belmore sentry palm, bottle palm, canary date palm, Christmas palm, dwarf date palm, dwarf palm, dwarf royal palm, fan tufted palm, figleaf palm, forster sentry palm, fortunes palm, good luck plam, kentia plam, Kenya palm, lady palm, Manila palm, miniature date palm, neanthe bella palm, paradise palm, parlor palm, pigmy date palm, reed palm, and windmill palm “have not been reported as having systemic effects on animals or as having intense effects on the gastrointestinal tract.” —ASPCA
Wild gathering: Avoid wild gathering. Some plants are endangered species. Please grow your own herbs in your own goddess garden.
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