The Pharmacy of Flowers
Vetiver
Vetiver zizanioides
Vetiver is an example of an aromatic plant that has important ecological uses. It has valuable uses in protecting and conserving the soil, recharging groundwater, and detoxifying agricultural poisons. It also provides a number of important items to households and farms, such as fragrant sleeping mats, thatching for roofs, mulch, and animal feed.
Vetiver is a grass which grows up to six feet high; its complex root system can be fifteen feet long. Vetiver grows in dense clumps, which act as a highly efficient filtering system that slows down rainfall runoff. The grass is a very effective form of ecological flood control, which reduces the loss of soil and soil nutrients. Of all the grasses, vetiver is the most effective for reducing soil erosion.
Groundwater resources throughout the world are being rapidly depleted. Groundwater not only supplies wells and springs, but also enhances the dry season flow of major river systems. Recharge of groundwater improves when rainfall runoff is reduced. Vetiver's roots are extremely strong, and can penetrate hard soils that other plants cannot, thereby opening the soil to improved absorption and filtration of rainwater. In places where vetiver is planted, the soil moisture and groundwater are improved significantly; water levels in wells are higher, springs do not dry up, and small streams run longer into the dry season.
Vetiver has a dual function of both increasing groundwater levels and improving its quality. It thrives in polluted water, is effective in removing excess phosphates, and it mitigates environmental problems resulting from toxic minerals. There is evidence that vetiver can remove pesticides as well.
Vetiver is easy to establish, is inexpensive, and needs minimum maintenance. It thrives in a wide range of ecosystems and different soil types, can withstand serious drought and long term water logging, is more tolerant to hot and cold than the other grasses, and is not seriously affected by pests or diseases. It promotes the growth of other plants and helps restore vegetation. Vetiver is now being grown for environmental purposes in over 100 countries.
Vetiver roots are the source of an exquisite oil that has been used for centuries in medicine and perfumery. This oil is one of the most biochemically complex of the known aromatic oils, due to the absorption of soil molecules by the roots. The oil produced by vetiver in one soil type can be dramatically different than the oil produced in another. According to Ayurveda, vetiver oil pacifies vata (calms the nervous system) and decreases pitta (anti-inflammatory).
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