With more than 200 flowering vines and shrubs Jasmine is a part of a very large family. The most common and revered Jasmine is called Poet’s Jasmine and is grown all over the world for its wonderful smell. Here at Indigo Herbs we have a lovely and simple Jasmine Flowers Herbal Tea that makes a very lovely aromatic cup of hot drink. In addition you can try Jasmine Essential Oil, known for its exotic, floral scent, this uplifting oil has a long history of use in the Middle East.

One very popular name for Jasmine is ‘Mistress of the Night’ referring to the smell of Jasmine being more prevalent during the late evening hours of dusk when the flowers open. Thought to have originated in the high western Himalayas of India, Tibet and China, this flower was traded on the Silk Road and found its way throughout the world. References can be found in the ancient writings of the Persians, Egyptians and Chinese with one very strong legend coming out of India. In this story a young princess falls in love with the sun god Surya. The sun god spurns her and rejects her love resulting in the princess taking her own life. On the piece of ground that the princesses ashes were scattered the Jasmine plant arose. The legend tells that the flowers of Jasmine will only open at night because of the sun gods rebuttal. It is also held as the favourite flower of Kama, the god of love and desire. Indian women commonly use Jasmine oil in their hair.

Jasmine can be either evergreen or deciduous and comes in various different statures. Leaves sprout opposite each other and flowers usually bloom in a minimum of three. In rare cases the flowers are a red colour. Jasmine has small berries that turn black when ripe.