Inula helenium, Elecampane just may have a really amazing history. I am not going to write it all now, after midnight.
But here are a few thoughts: it was named elf wort or elf weed for a good reason. I suspect it is something to do with absinthe.
Why the name of the plant is associated with Helen of Troy...? Could Helen of Troy have a connection to ancient religious ideas? I noticed a story where they used elecampane to bring the Wild Man back to life in a mummer's Christmas play. It is from the book, Santa Claus - Last of the Wild Men...
