Just as a completely baseless aside, when I first read the trilogy in 1972 or so, I assumed from the description (hastily read) that aethelas was actually wintergreen. Wintergreen has numerous uses, I don't know of anyone who cultivates it, And any fool can make tea out of it or wash a wound with it.
Aragorn' s ministry to Faramir, Eowyn, and Merry was more about Osanwe than aethelas. He wrestled the forces of darkness for their souls, calling them back from desolate wandering and despair-- and won.
While the movie showed Gandalf doing that for Pippin, the movie didn't show Aragorn doing any of that; the movie showed Aragorn squeezing out a washcloth.
At least Tauriel broke a sweat and did some spiritual warfare.
To me this is more like having Treebeard quote Bombadil' s lines. At least it's a gesture toward what might have been.
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...down to the water to see the elves dance and sing upon the midsummer's eve.
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