Alpenspeik (Alpine Speik) - tranquility

In August, when the fog lifts from the valley floor and hefty scents fill the air, that's the time to harvest silver yarrow, locally known as alpine speik. The name stems from spica celtica, the wheat spike of the ancient Celts, as the robust plant with golden to rust-coloured blossoms bunched together like grapes was called. This rarity in the Austrian Alps, which nearly sank into oblivion, was once-upon-a-time a lustrous star.

The baldrian oil stored in its roots exudes an inimitable, autumn-fresh scent, still treasured in the Orient as a perfume. In olden days, tons of "alpine baldrian" was transported over the Alps and loaded into ships at Venice for the Far East. This led to over-exploitation and the plant had to be placed on the endangered list in 1936. Today, mountain farmers need a special license to harvest alpine speik, with a special claw tool.

Its active ingredients make the skin taut and produce an intensely fresh scent that harmonises and relaxes body and soul.