Ambrosia trifida: Food of the Gods

 

During my lengthy stay in Missouri, I'd done some work with the local flora. This included doing some basic research on the edibility of each plant. One of my favourite sites to research is Eat the Weeds, written and managed by Green Deane, a forager with a notable background in foraging and botany.

I took particular note of Green Deane's remark regarding the name "Ambrosia" for the genus of ragweeds:

"Ambrosia is usually translated into English as meaning “food of the gods.” ...

Why a rather nondescript plant that is a prime allergen would be called Ambrosia is anyone’s guess. No hints were left." (Source)

I found that somewhat comedic. Ambrosia doesn't seem to be a particularly notable food source. Though the seeds are quite fatty and edible, Ambrosia may be more of a food for the gods.

One morning, I'd been snacking on mulberries off of one of the several Morus alba trees I'd become close to. I expressed my gratitude to the tree, when I had a sudden thought. I wanted to burn tobacco as an offering to the trees for their gifts, but I had two dilemmas:

1. Burning tobacco is a practice employed by various Native tribes. Being a total outsider, I don't know the proper rituals/methods that are involved with offering tobacco

2. I don't have access to tobacco, excepting the tampered tobacco they sell as cigarettes

So, I asked aloud, "What could I offer in place of tobacco?" Almost instantly, an image of an all too familiar plant popped up in my head. The very plant my friend was keen on eradicating from her yard due to their tendency to aggravate allergies: Ambrosia trifida, or, more commonly known as, Giant Ragweed. 

I felt that answer reverberate deep in my bones, and I headed straight away to the ragweed I'd seen still standing in the back corner of the overgrown yard. The plant stood just below my solar plexus, and seemed to welcome my arrival. They already knew why I was there, but I went through the formalities.

"I would like to harvest some of your leaves to dry and burn as offerings to other gods. May I?"

I could feel the Ambrosia trifida open up a bit more, as though to grant me their permission. But I felt the familiar tremble through my limbs.

"Dance for me, dance for your ancestors." They almost seemed to say. So, I danced. 

I'd been practicing a lot more during my stay, so I felt more confident and moved more fluidly. I was focusing less on the steps and more on the earth beneath my feet, the same dirt grounding myself and the roots of the Ambrosia trifida before me.

Since then, I've come to realize why the plant's genera is "Ambrosia". Even though the person who'd named it so likely hadn't thought much of it, ragweed truly is a food of the gods.