Spikenard medicinal plant, 15th-century illustration. This plant, also called nard, nardin, muskroot and in the original Latin known as saliunca, is today known as Nardostachys jatamansi. Found in the Himalayas, it is the source of an amber-coloured essential oil referred to in biblical stories. This coloured woodcut is from an edition of 'Hortus sanitatis' (Garden of Health), printed in the German city of Mainz by Jacob Meydenbach. Also called 'Ortus Sanitatis', this work contained treatises on plants, animals and medicinal treatments, and was first published in 1491.