The feast of St. Michael the Archangel, the warrior saint, is traditionally celebrated on September 29. Sacred to St. Michael is the herb Angelica archangelica, which can grow to the noble height of six feet, quite suitable for an archangel. This sweetly aromatic herb was highly esteemed in earlier times, when it also bore the name the "Root of the Holy Ghost" and was thought to have been sent from heaven to "defend the heart against all poisons." It also served as an angelic defense against witches, the plague, painful labor, and stomach ailments. In later centuries, angelica gained importance as a culinary herb. Its juice, distilled, was used as a flavoring, while the stem was candied, used to flavor liqueurs, and made into jam.