COWSLIP( PRIMULA VERIS): MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND USES OF COWSLIP: HOW TO MAKE COWSLIP TISANE AND DECOCTION OF COWSLIP ROOT

COWSLIP, PRIMULA VERIS

How the cowslip got its name is a matter of conjecture, as some believe that it is a corruption of cousleek from the Anglo-Saxon leac meaning plant (compare this with houseleek), and others believing that it is derived from the Anglo-Saxon for cow pat “couslyppe”) with the latter seeming most plausible as they tend to grow where cows have been. The cowslip is native to Europe and West Asia and grow in temperate zones in Pakistan quite profusely.

  They are sometimes called Fairy Cups as it was believed that frightened fairies would hide in them. This was mentioned in Shakespeare’s play “The Tempest” in Act 5 scene 1, in Ariel’s song, when he has his freedom from Prospero.

   “Where the bee sucks there suck I

    In the cowslip’s bell I lie

    There I crouch when owls do cry.

    On the bat’s back I do fly,

    After summer merrily

    After summer merrily”

In fact Shakespeare refers to cowslips in other plays too, notably in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” when at the start of Act 2 a fairy tells Puck or Robin Goodfellow,

  “And I serve the Fairy Queen

    To dew her orb upon the green;

    The cowslips tall her pensioners be;

    In their gold coats spots you see;

    Those be rubies, fairy favours,

    In those freckles live their savours;

    I must go seek some dewdrops here,

    And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.”

In Warwickshire where Shakespeare came from (Stratford-upon-Avon is in that county)cowslips still grow, although there aren’t as many as there would have been in Shakespeare’s day, as so much of their habitat has been lost in development.

Cowslips were popular in 19^th century English literature too, with the Tulliver children Maggie and Philip drinking cowslip wine, in George Eliot’s novel “The Mill on the Floss,” and Thomas Hardy describes a maypole entwined at its top with cowslips in his novel, “Return of the Native.” Matthew Arnold in his poem “Thyrsis” describes the Oxford hills

   “With thorns once studded, old white-blossomed trees,

     Where thick the cowslips grow.”

  In William Morris’ short story “Frank’s Sealed Letter” the hero, Hugh, remembers “it was the cowslip time of year.”

From the above quotations we see how prolific the flowers were at one time, and in “The Mill on the Floss” the children drink cowslip wine which is a sedative. At the time of writing that novel, children were given cowslip wine to calm them down and to send them to sleep. In the Midlands in England (the setting for this novel) cowslip wine was believed to be good for the kidneys.

   There are many superstitions about cowslips and these are reflected in some of the old names for them. For example they were called Herb Peter and Keys of Heaven, because it was said that St Peter, who has the keys to the gates of heaven and acts as the gatekeeper, once dropped the keys to heaven and cowslips grew where they fell. It was also though that nightingales are attracted to the fragrance of cowslips and would only frequent places where they grow. If you want (like Greta Garbo) to be alone, then you should scatter cowslip flowers on your threshold. They should be carried around for good luck and if a woman wants to marry, she should wash her face in milk in which cowslips have been infused, to attract the man she wants to marry. They will also help you find fairy gold and will split rocks containing treasures. If you plant cowslips on Good Friday they will turn into primroses, and the fragrance will cure amnesia.

   Primroses are closely related to cowslips and another relative that grows in the British Isles is the oxlip. Cowslip wine is reputedly slightly narcotic as it is made from the flowers which have narcotic juice in them. The flower petals can be crystallized like rose petals and violets and used in desserts, or made into preserves and jam. Tisane can also be made with the flower petals, and the roots can be made into a decoction. The recipes are below. For coughs use equal amounts of coltsfoot, cowslips and aniseed and pour a cup of boiling water over the herbs and leave to steep for 15 mins before straining and drinking.

   The leaves have been used for wounds, and they used to be eaten with the petals in salads and used to stuff meat. In the 18^th century the flowers eaten to strengthen the brain and the powdered root was boiled in ale and given to people of a nervous disposition (to cure hysterics and “fits of the vapours”).

   In Norse mythology the cowslip was dedicated to the goddess Freya who was the Key Virgin, and the cowslip was thought to be the key to her treasure trove. When Christianity came to Europe and Scandinavia the cowslip became associated with the Virgin Mary, and became known as “Our Lady’s Keys.”

   In old herbals the plant was known as Radix arthritica and used as a remedy for muscular rheumatism. The ancient Greeks believed that it could cure paralysis and palsy and so it was known to them as Paralysio and in Britain was known as Palsywort. It is said to be second only to betony for curing headaches, and has antispasmodic and is believed to be good for nervousness, anxiety and restlessness. If you take a pound weight of flowers and pour 1½ pints of boiling water over them, then add a lump of jaggery and simmer this mixture until the sugar is dissolved, you will get a pale yellow syrup which can be diluted with water and taken for nervous excitability. It was believed that the flowers could strengthen the brain and nerves.

   Apparently cowslips infused in white wine are good for the complexion and can remove freckles, while the juice from the flowers will get rid of spots and pimples and wrinkles, halting the aging process of the skin. Ointments can be made from the flowers using a base of lard or ghee. They have been used in cosmetic preparations for centuries.

  Culpeper says: -

   “An ointment being made with them taketh away spots and wrinkles of the skin, sunburning and freckles and promotes beauty; they remedy all infirmities of the head coming of heat and wind, and vertigo false apparitions, phrensies, falling sickness, palsies, convulsions, cramps, pains in the nerve, and the roots ease pains in the back and bladder. The leaves are good in wounds and the flowers take away trembling…”

  Today the dried flowers and sometimes the roots are used as an expectorant for chronic coughs and bronchitis (see the remedy above).The root may be diuretic and anti-rheumatic and the leaves have similar properties, although those of the root are stronger. The flowers have anti-spasmodic properties and anti-inflammatory ones and they may be beneficial in asthma conditions and other allergic ailments. The flowers should be harvested in spring, while the roots are best collected in autumn. However in Britain and other countries cowslips are protected in the wild so should not be gathered.

  The flowers and leaves contain saponins and flavonoids so have antioxidant properties. These also give them antispasmodic action and anti-inflammatory actions, while it is the triterpenoid saponins which give the plant its expectorant properties.

 Not very much research has so far been done on cowslips to test their efficacy.

COWSLIP TISANE

Ingredients

2 tsps cowslip petals

1 cup boiling water

Method

Pour the boiling water over the petals and leave to steep for 10 – 15 mins.

Strain and drink a cup three times a day.

DECOCTION OF COWSLIP ROOT

Ingredients

1 tsp chopped root

1 cup water

Method

Put the root in the water and bring to the boil.

Simmer for 5 mins.

Leave to steep for 10 mins, then strain and drink.

These have Taste and are Treat(ment)s.

INDIAN CHESTNUT TREE: MEDICINAL BENEFITS AND HOW TO USE INDIAN CHESTNUT TREE

THE INDIAN CHESTNUT TREE, AESCULUS INDICA

The Indian Chestnut tree is closely related to the horse chestnut tree (Aesculus hippocastanea) although the “chestnuts” are smaller and not good to play ‘conkers’ with. They don’t have spines on the outer casing either, so are easy to distinguish. They were introduced into Britain in 1851 and can be seen in many open places such as public parks and gardens. They originally come from the North West Himalayan regions of Pakistan and India, but are grown around the world now. The trees are smaller than the horse chestnuts as they usually reach heights of only 60 feet. They flower later than other trees and are a good source of food for bees in late spring.

   Native Americans used to use the seeds to make a kind of porridge, but as the fruit contains saponins, these must be removed before they are eaten. This can easily be done by boiling them in water or leaving them to soak in water for more than 12 hours. Deer and squirrels eat the nuts without having any harmful effects. They contain aesculin which is a toxic saponin. They also contain aescin which seems to have anti-inflammatory properties. This is a mixture of triterpene glycosides and can be used externally to prevent thrombosis and it has been shown to inhibit oedema.

   In Nepal the seeds are roasted then eaten and also dried then ground into flour, mixed with wheat flour and used to make bread etc. They are dried and ground into a powder before soaking in water to remove the saponins.

   Traditionally they are used in medicine to get rid of intestinal worms in both horses and people, and they are also used for a number of other purposes, including to help with rheumatism. They are narcotic, stimulant and astringent (particularly the seeds).The oil extracted from the seeds is used for skin problems and diseases, and when the fruit is chopped and boiled in water, the water is used for washing the body, clothes etc, as it has properties like the soapberry (reetha). If you don’t mind the lingering smell of horse chestnuts, this is a good natural “soap.” The residue or oil cake left after the oil has been extracted is applied to the forehead to relieve headaches, and juice from the tree bark is used for rheumatism.

  The wood from the Indian Chestnut tree is useful for fuel and used in construction and to make spoons and other household items as well as to make agricultural implements. Sometimes in the Indian subcontinent people inscribe psych-spiritual remedies on these trees for others to use. The wood can also be used in the dying process.

  A recent study has shown that an extract of leaves when picked fresh then dried and ground to a powder can regulate the immune system and has the ability to help kill cancerous cells. It is believed that the flavonoids present in the leaves and seeds are the reasons for this anti-cancer activity, but more research still needs to be done, as the study quoted here was on lab animals.

The hydrosycoumarin glycoside, aesulin extracted from the bark and branches of the tree, is used in suntan oil as it is able to absorb Ultra Violet rays from the sun.

  The seeds have astringent properties so are good for wounds, and are also nutritious. They can be used to treat stomach disorders too, while the roots are used for leucorrhea. Medical research has shown that the tree is useful in the treatment of problems associated with the veins and blood circulation, for example, varicose veins, phlebitis, piles, ulcers, problems in the joints and frostbite.

 

CARIBBEAN SPIDER LILY ( HYMENOCALLIS CARIBAEA) - INFORMATION

CARIBBEAN SPIDER LILY, HYMENOCALLIS CARIBAEA

The Caribbean Spider Lily or White Amaryllis belongs to the lily family and more specifically to the Amaryllidaceas. It gets its name from the long tendrils that grow from the flowers and it is a beautiful plant. It is native to the West Indies as its name suggests, and is grown as an ornamental plant in many countries. However if you visit Anguilla, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and other Caribbean islands you might come across these flowers.

   The plants in the Amaryllidacea family grow from bulbs (you might have grown an amaryllis lily in water) and these bulbs and those of the Narcissus family of plants (which include the daffodil) have been shown to have alkaloids in them which may help kill tumours. Among these alkaloids are lycorine and narciclasine which may in the future be the basis for anti-cancer drugs. Galanthamine is also present in both types of plants (and the snowdrop) and this has been shown to reduce blood pressure in lab mice.

  In folk medicine these plants have been used to treat tumours, as far back as the time of Hippocrates (BC 460-370) who prescribed pessaries of narcissus oil for the treatment of uterine tumours. This was also recommended by Dioscorides in the first century AD and Pliny the Elder (AD 23 – 79) also mentions that Narcissus poeticus was used for such treatments.

  Some extracts from the Amaryllidaceas have been found to have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties in lab tests in vitro and research is ongoing into the properties of these plants.

  It is estimated that only 15 % of the world’s plants have been screened for their potential use in medicine, and bulbous plants such as the Caribbean Spider Lily have not received as much attention as have herbs and trees. Now that plants that grow from bulbs have been proved to have unique biological compounds, more research will be carried out on them to assess their potential therapeutic value.

BLACK BRYONY( TAMUS COMMUNIS) - NO LONGER RECOMMENDED FOR MEDICINAL USE

BLACK BRYONY, TAMUS COMMUNIS

Black Bryony is related to the yam as it is in the Dioscorea family of plants along with Dioscorea deltoides, and is the only one of the species that grows in most parts of Britain. It is native to northern European countries although its relatives also grow around the Mediterranean. It has tuberous roots and is a climbing vine plant and the young shoots can start their convolutions after 2½ to 3 hours of sprouting. It is a very fast growing plant and in November 2008 the popular UK tabloid newspaper “The Daily Mail” reported that it was the plant that was increasing in numbers quicker than any other native wild plant, along with ivy which was in third position. Unfortunately this is at the expense of other plants such as the wild strawberry and the harebell which grow closer to the ground. These climbers take over from the lower plants and deprive them of sunlight and root space. Unfortunately those who own land are not managing hedgerows and fields as well as they did in the past because of the expense involved, so there are concerns about Britain’s wild fauna.

   The name Bryony comes from the Greek bryo which means shoot or sprout, presumably referring to the fast-growing nature of the young shoots. Pliny referred to this plant as Uva Tamina it is thought, hence the botanical name Tamus, and it is called communis because it is wide spread. Pliny says that it was eaten like asparagus and used as a diuretic and for the spleen. In Italy, especially in Tuscany, the young shoots are still boiled and eaten like asparagus and the Greeks also use a Bryony variety in the same way (Tamus cretica).

    Black Bryony is also called Black Bindweed, because of the way it clings to a support and climbs, and Our Lady’s Seal, because its roots were pounded to a pulp and used to heal scars and bruises (this is because of the saponins contained in the roots). Another name for this plant is Oxberry as farmers used to give it to cows to improve their chances of conceiving. There was once a commonly-held belief that snakes lurked close to Black Bryony, and so it got the name Serpent’s Meat It could be that this was in reference to its climbing nature rather than the fact that snakes did like it.

   Black Bryony is a poisonous plant and an irritant which has been employed to relieve the pain of rheumatism, gout and paralysis with the scraped pulp from the plant applied to the painful areas. The berries have emetic properties and produce vomiting so children should avoid eating them. They are bright red and attractive to both birds and children, although they tend to propagate around the parent plant when they fall.

   The expressed juice from the root used to be taken in wine to dispel gravel and stones from the organs, and it is also a diuretic, but is no longer used because it is too powerful and other plants are much more useful as diuretics (mooli for example or broom tisane). The juice was mixed with honey and given to asthma sufferers but once again this is no longer recommended as there are much safer remedies. Try a mullein ‘cigarette’ instead.

At one time the berries would be steeped in gin for a long period and then the spirit would be applied to chilblains that had not broken. However this would be a terrible waste of gin!

  Black Bryony is actually not recommended for use today, but it is worth writing about it for interest’s sake, and to see how modern medical research has invalidated traditional remedies that were probably dubious.