The Angel's Herb

Imagine standing in the middle of Iceland’s wilderness, by a river lined with wet and brightly coloured moss.

In the distance you see curious volcanic rock formations, and far beyond that a magnificent glacier sitting atop an active volcano.

There is not a single tree in sight.

You notice a lone plant nesting on a rock midstream. Its beauty is quite different from that of other Icelandic plants, as if it were a survivor from harsher times.

It carries with it the definite hint of a long distant past.

Ancient Icelanders lived in this area, and here, the Vikings themselves gathered the herb before sailing to Europe, using it as currency in trade.

This is Angelica; the angel’s herb.

Angelica

• is one of the few plants in Iceland that survived the last ice age
• has been used in Iceland for 1100 years
• was used as currency by the Vikings
• is named after an archangel and therefore often called "The Angel's Herb"
• was so valuable in medieval times that Iceland's first lawbook specifically banned angelica theft.
• is a relative of the ginseng plant. It is sometimes called "The Ginseng of the North"