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Christ’s Thorn Jujube is undoubtedly one of the strangest names any plant has. So how did this tree get its unusual name? Christian tradition identifies the tree as the source of the crown of thorns Jesus was crowned with before his crucifixion: “…and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head; they put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. (Matthew 27: 29). Although the tree is rare in the Jerusalem vicinity, the famous traveler Canon Henry Baker Tristram wrote that he saw the species in the Valley of Kidron, outside of Jerusalem. There is still extensive debate relating to the source of the thorns, but the scientific name of the species (spina-christi) agrees with this premise.
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An old Muslim legend tells about a Christ's Thorn Jujube that grows in Paradise whose leaves each bears the names of a particular person and his or her parents. Every year in the middle of the Ramadan fast, just after sunset, the tree is shaken. The names on the leaves that fall are of those who will die in the coming year.
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Christ’s Thorn Jujube is undoubtedly one of the strangest names any plant has. So how did this tree get its unusual name? Christian tradition identifies the tree as the source of the crown of thorns Jesus was crowned with before his crucifixion: “…and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head; they put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. (Matthew 27: 29). Although the tree is rare in the Jerusalem vicinity, the famous traveler Canon Henry Baker Tristram wrote that he saw the species in the Valley of Kidron, outside of Jerusalem. There is still extensive debate relating to the source of the thorns, but the scientific name of the species (spina-christi) agrees with this premise.
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There is evidence that the jujube was used as far back as Pharaonic times for its wood and fruits. One of the uses of the fruit was in baking bread, a practice followed by Egyptian peasants as late as the beginning of the 20th century. Its wood is heavy and durable and serves for artistic woodwork, firewood and high-quality charcoal.
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The jujube is mentioned in the Mishna in Tractate Kil’aim (4, 4) that deals with seed mixtures, crossbreeding animals, grafting trees and other forbidden combinations: “And the plums and the jujube, even though they are similar”. In other words, although both fruits are similar, it is forbidden to cross them according to Jewish law.
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Christ’s Thorn Jujube also has many uses in traditional medicine: for treating toothache (powder from roots), arthritis (paste from crushed roots, leaves or branches), muscle pains (inhalation of leaves and branches), pain relief (leaves), asthma (fruit, leaves and seeds), diarrhea (infusion of fruit and leaves), burns (fruit crushed and boiled) and many other ailments.
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