Do not forget me

Introduction

"Do not forget me", a phrase that does not only indicate an expression exchanged between lovers, a message of love, a hope or a remembrance: we are talking about a beautiful flower, also nicknamed "eyes of the Madonna". As can be guessed, the flower of forget-me is from the distant ages to the center of romantic and dreamy atmospheres: over the years, due to the fragility of the flower, associated with its soft color and delicate beauty, on the origin of not forget me many legends have flourished.

The very particular perifrasi with which this flower is remembered seems to be linked to an ancient history: legend has it that in an Austrian town, along the Danube river, two young lovers were promising themselves eternal love by exchanging this flower as a symbol of their union; at that time, the boy slipped into the river and, before drowning, he managed to throw a floral bouquet at his beloved shouting "don't forget me".

As we have mentioned, the forgetfulness of me is also known with the expression "eyes of the Madonna": the origin of this aphorism goes back to the time of Christ who, in the arms of the Madonna, wished his eyes could be seen for generations and generations. By first touching the eyes and then the ground, this flower was born.

Currently, the flower, in addition to being cultivated for ornamental purposes, is also used in homeopathy and in herbal medicine.

Botanical description

The forget-me-not flower is an exponent of the genus Myosotis, comprising about 50 different species, all belonging to the Boraginaceae family. The forget-me-not is an annual or biennial plant, which does not exceed 60 centimeters in height; the flower is widespread in the temperate climate areas of Australia and Europe, although some species grow in the other continents.

The most reckless varieties of the forget-me-not even bloom in Alaska.

In the Bel Paese, the forgetfulness of me is widespread: contrary to the allegorical image of love and hope attributed to the flower by legends, the forgetfulness of me, in some areas, even becomes a weed.

It is a very branched plant at the base, from which elongated and toothed leaves generally depart. The small flowers do not exceed 2 or 3 millimeters in width: the corolla is characterized by a rather short tube, and the flap is divided into five blue or blue lobes. The forget-me-not flowers are arranged in paired inflorescences, without bracts.

don't forget me it blooms between April and September: when the plant grows in shady areas, the hatching of the flowers is unlikely: not surprisingly, the plant loves sunny locations, as well as well-drained and humus-rich soils.

Therapeutic uses

Forget-me-not is also used in phytotherapy: the drug consists of the fresh flowering plant, rich in tannins and rosmarinic acid.

In homeopathy, the forget-me-not extract is recommended to lighten chronic infections of the respiratory tract and in case of excessive night sweats (potential antidrotic properties).

The infusion of the forget-me-not finds use in the treatment of constipation, hypotension, paralysis and asthenia. [taken from Phytotherapy. Healing with plants, by J. Valnet]

According to what emerges from the writings of Pliny the Elder, the flower of not forgetting about me was considered a sort of panacea for all ills, an allegory of salvation from pain and from "everything that makes life gloomy".

[...]

" Myosotis is your name and, as in a dream,

the magic word flies

to repeat the suffered fairy tale.

From the blue of the petals it rises

A quiet "don't forget me"

I hold you alone in my trepid fingers

And I return to hope for a flower "[R. Anselmi]

Summary

Don't forget me: TO FIX THE CONCEPTS

Do not forget me	Expression exchanged between lovers Message of love, hope and remembrance Beautiful flower
Don't forget me: characteristics of the flower	Fragility Soft coloration Delicate beauty
Don't forget me: synonyms	Eyes of the Madonna
Don't forget me: current jobs	Cultivated for ornamental purposes Also used in homeopathy and phytotherapy
Don't forget me: botanical description	Botanical genus: Myosotis Family: Boraginaceae Short description: very branched annual or biennial plant at the base (sometimes weed) Height: max. 60 cm Temperate weather Diffusion: temperate climate areas of Australia and Europe. Some bold species grow in Alaska Leaves: elongated and toothed Flowers: small, do not exceed 2 or 3 millimeters in width Corolla: characterized by a rather short tube, the flap is divided into five blue or blue lobes Inflorescences: paired, without bracts Flowering: between April and September
Don't forget me: drugs	Fresh flowering plant
Don't forget me: chemical constituents	Tannins, rosmarinic acid
Don't forget me: herbal treatments	Homeopathy → relieves chronic respiratory infections → useful in case of excessive night sweats Phytotherapy: Infusion → treatment of constipation, hypotension, paralysis and asthenia