CARD – Plantable Tea Card – Chamomile and Bergamot (Երիցուկ)

Regular price $35.00

Elevate your stationery by sending a card no one can forget.

This handmade tea card is crafted with seeds of chamomile and bergamot. Chamomile was widely used in ancient Armenia, externally on the body, to reduce skin irritations, as it was understood to have an antiseptic effect. Today, chamomile is enjoyed as part of numerous herbal tea blends for its calming effect, as well as to fight colds and relieve menstrual cramps. Similarly to chamomile, bergamot (also called "bee balm") was believed to have antiseptic properties due to the herb's high concentration of thymol, and used to heal stings and wounds.

The front of this tea card is painted with mineral pigments and egg yolk, employing Medieval techniques used in religious iconography and Armenian manuscript painting. It displays a vishap, which is a proto-Armenian water dragon commonly depicted with the head of a bovine and the body of a fish or serpent. Vishapakar, or dragon stones, were carved monuments dating to the Bronze age, found in the Armenian Highlands, where they protected water sources, such as mountain springs, ponds, and ancient irrigation systems. Vishapakars are believed to be related to ancient water and fertility worship. Many vishapakars were used for khachkars (cross-stones) after the Armenian people converted to Christianity in the early third century AD.

Each card is not only plantable but a work of art. Recipients of these cards have framed them.

The back of this tea card contains a removable white surface on which you can write and impart your note.

Your recipient can admire your tea card for ages or may choose to plant your gift, which will sprout into fresh flowers and herbs that can be harvested to make one of our favorite teas for relaxation.

Details
- Approximately 6 x 4 inches
- Container planting is recommended for this tea card because bergamot may spread quickly and overtake your garden
- Paper is non-acid and lignin-free. An acid-free and lignin-free paper is a purified material that will not break down over time and become acidic. (This is important for archival purposes as well as for the seeds!)
- Planting instructions included
- Envelope included