THAPSIA GARGANICA OR DRIAS PLANT - WITH GREEK ORIGINS: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF THAPSIA GARGANICA

DRIAS PLANT, FALSE FENNEL, THAPSIA GARGANICA

This plant is native to the Mediterranean area and is called Thapsia because it is said that it was found on the island of Thapsos, although it grows throughout Greece including in Attiki. It is a member of the Apiaceae or Umbelliferae family of plants so is related to carrots, lesser burnet saxifrage, caraway, dill, fennel, sweet Cicely and cow parsley to name but a few of its relatives.

  It grows to around 4 feet tall or 1.2 metres and looks a lot like fennel. It flowers in July and August, bearing fruit in autumn.

  The ancient Greeks called it “the deadly carrot” as any cattle eating it would die, although it is related that indigenous cattle kept away from it - only imported ones were foolhardy enough to eat it. In Algeria it is said to have killed unwary camels within a few days of ingesting it.

  Theophrastus and Dioscorides, the ancient physicians used it and it is related that the Emperor Nero used it mixed with frankincense to heal bruises. It was used as a counter irritant to rheumatic pains, but as it causes burning and a rash along with itching, its use is not recommended. The idea was that the pain caused by its use would stop the feeling of the original pain. In much the same way the Romans are said to have used nettles to restore feeling to numbed limbs on their campaign in Britain in 55 BC.

  The root is emetic and purgative, and resin can be extracted from the root bark. It is poisonous to some animals and best not touched. A preparation of the root was used for lung problems, in folk medicine.

  Scientists have managed to extract phenylpropanoids from the fruit which were “found to be potent cytotoxins” according to a study in Phytochemistry Vol.67 (4) pp 2651-56 by Huizhen Liu et al.

  This research led to other studies and the thapsigargins found in the resin of this plant have been developed as an anti-cancer treatment. Specifically the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are conducting phase one trials on a select group of prostate cancer patients and it is hoped that the treatment will prove to be as effective at killing cancer cells in humans as it was in the lab. However it will be some time before the treatment can be deemed safe as trials usually consist of three phases in human subjects.

  Unfortunately it has not yet proved possible to grow this plant in greenhouse conditions, so the species is in danger of becoming extremely rare as the search for thapsigargins continues.

FIELD RESTHARROW: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF FIELD RESTHARROW

FIELD RESTHARROW, LAND WHIN, GROUND FURZE, ONONIS ARVENSIS 

Field Restharrow has a tough weedy stem which could halt the harrows used to till soil, hence its name. The ancient herbalists used this plant to treat bladder and kidney stones and as a diuretic. It is a native of Europe and found in Britain. It flowers in July and August and has pink or purple flowers. It is a member of the Fabaceae (pea family) and the flowers look a little like those of a small sweet pea which is commonly grown in British gardens. It is related to chickpeas, green beans, borlotti beans, lentils, indigo, kudzu or pueraria, senna, alfalfa, carob, broom, lupins, and peanuts to name but a few. It’s more exotic relatives include the Indian coral tree, the ashoka tree, the Monkey Pod tree, dhak, jhand, the pongam tree and the butterfly pea.

  It is endangered and protected in Finland and has been used for culinary and medicinal purposes. The tender young shoots can be pickled or used as a vegetable when cooked, and are said to refresh the breath and disguise the smell of alcohol.

  This plant contains essential oils, flavonoids, glycosides and tannins, with the root being the part employed in traditional systems of medicine in Europe. The root is harvested in September and October, and dried for later use. It is used to stop bleeding from fresh wounds, for headaches, rheumatism skin problems, infections of the urethra and piles. It has been in the official Pharmacopoeias of the former Soviet Union states, the Czech Republic, Serbia and Austria.

  A decoction of the root was used for skin problems as an external wash and an infusion was used incases of delirium.

  Currently research is being carried out into its flavonoid contents 

ARROWLEAF DOCK, KHATTI BUTI: HISTORY AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF AROWLEAF DOCK

ARROWLEAF DOCK, KHATTI BUTI, RUMEX HASTATUS  

Arrowleaf dock is called khatti buti in Urdu which means sour wheat. It is a member of the Polygonaceae or buckwheat family of plants and related to Yellow dock, Common dock, Red dock, sorrel and rhubarb. The Arrowleaf dock is native to the Indian subcontinent and is used both as a vegetable, like spinach, in saag dishes, although the water is changed several times during the cooking process as the older leaves are bitter. The leaf is used in chutneys and pickles as well as to flavour some dishes.

  Arrowleaf dock is also used in traditional medicine systems to treat a number of ailments. One treatment is ½ a kilo of the fresh roots and 250 grams of the bark of an oak tree (Quercus incana) boiled for one or two hours in 4 litres of water until only a litre of liquid is left. The liquid is then filtred and 250 grams of sugar and one kilo of sooji (semolina a wheat product) flour, 250 grams of desi ghee (fat) are added to it and this is cooked for ten to fifteen minutes to make halwa. It is given to people with asthma, coughs or fever.

  This plant can grow up to about 2 feet tall and has pink flowers which bloom throughout March to August. The fruit is also pink and has a one seed. Its leaves are edible and are also used as fodder. It is found in Northern Pakistan, north eastern Afghanistan and south west China, as well as in India.

  In traditional medicine the leaves and young shoots are said to be diuretic, and cooling. Its roots are used in Ayurvedic medicine and other folk medicine systems for rheumatoid arthritis, diarrhoea and dysentery, for wound healing and jaundice among other ailments. The juice of the plant is used to lower and regulate blood pressure and the leaves have laxative properties as well as being used for upset stomachs and bilious attacks, skin diseases, piles and bleeding of the lungs. They are also made into a general tonic for weak animals. The fresh tuber is chewed to relieve a sore throat, and it is believed that this plant is good to treat STDs including the HIV/AIDS.

  Arrowleaf dock has been the subject of several clinical trials and has been found to be effective in the treatment of diarrhoea in lab rats (“Evaluation of Antioxidant activity of extract from roots of Rumex hastatus (Family: Polygonaceae) on experimental animals” Shakuntala et al., Journal of Applied Pharmaceutical Science 1 (6): 2011 pp. 182-5).

  In the Journal of Medicinal Plants Research Vol. 5 (13) pp 2755-2765, Sumaira Sahreen et al July 2011, “Phenolic Compounds and antioxidant activities of Rumex hastatus D. Don. Leaves” found Rumex hastatus leaves “can be used as a good source of potential antioxidant or functional food material due to the presence of sufficient amounts of phenolic such as luteolin and kaempferol.”

  The plant has bioflavonoids and phenolic compounds which need further screening to discover just how beneficial they can be for us and our health. The studies have so far centred on the traditional uses of this plant and have tried to identify the substances which are responsible for its reported actions.

COMMON POLYPODY, FERN WITH TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USES: HISTORY AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF COMMON POLYPODY

COMMON POLYPODY, POLYPODIUM VULGARE 

Common Polypody is a fern of the Polypodiaceae family and is native to Britain and all other parts of Europe through to the Mediterranean region, temperate Asia and the eastern parts of North America. It is found in shady, moist places and on old walls and rocks. It grows from a creeping rhizome which has been most frequently used in traditional herbal medicine in Europe.

  It is a British native fern along with bracken, moonwort, hart’s tongue, adder’s tongue and spleenwort. It was a familiar sight when I was growing up in south Wales. The ancients believed that it grew on the roots of the European oak, which was the Druid’s sacred tree imbued with potent power, as was mistletoe which grew on it and also common polypody. Now we call another fern the Oak Fern, Gymnocarpium dryopteris. However at one time this was known as the Oak Fern, Polypody of the oak, and also Wall fern, and Brake root among other names. The genus name, Polypodium means many footed in Greek.

  The rhizome is best when harvested in autumn, in October or November and used fresh or dried. The European Medicines Agency published a report on its traditional use in 2008 and as it has been safely used for more than thirty years as a mild laxative it is considered to be safe, although not recommended for use by children under twelve years old or during pregnancy or breastfeeding. It has been used for a number of purposes including for jaundice and hepatitis, indigestion and stomach upsets, to promote appetite, for respiratory problems, as a diaphoretic, diuretic and expectorant, although it should be remembered that it does have mild laxative problems. The EMA recommend that it should not be taken for longer than a week. It may cause a rash so is not recommended for external use and it can sometimes cause a rash which is not harmful when taken internally. (Assessment Report on Polypody vulgare, L., Rhizoma EMA, London 6^th November, 2008)

spores

  Traditionally the root has been used as a poultice for rheumatic swellings, for hives, sore throats and stomach upsets. In the past a tisane or infusion was used to drive away melancholy and for scurvy (vitamin C deficiency); when it was combined with the common mallow or the marsh mallow it was used for hardness of the spleen and pains in the side (stitches). It has also been used over a period of time for skin diseases.

  The infusion was made with ½ ounce of the crushed roots to one pint of boiling water, left to steep for 10 minutes before straining and using in teacupfuls throughout the day as an expectorant, laxative and to promote appetite. Honey was used to sweeten it if necessary.

  The root has a sweet taste although this is quickly cloying and has been used as a liquorice adulterant. The distilled water of the root was used for fevers as a diaphoretic, to promote sweating.

  The fern fronds are mucilaginous and the mature ones, collected in autumn were boiled with coarse sugar or gur (jaggery) and the resultant liquid was given to children with whooping-cough.

  John Gerard the English herbalsit who translated the works of ancient herbalists has this to say of this fern:-

“Johannes Mesues reckoneth up Polypodie among those things that do especially dry and make thin: peradventure he had respect to a certain kind of arthritis or ache in the joints: in which not one part but many together most commonly are touched: for which it is very much commended by the Brabanders and other inhabitants about the river Rhene and the Maze. Furthermore Dioscorides saith that the root of Polypodie is very good for members out of joint and for chaps between the fingers.”

polypody spores

  A century later, Nicholas Culpeper has this to say in his “Complete Herball”:-“Government and virtues. It is under Jupiter in Leo. With laxatives it gently carries off the contents of the bowels without irritation. By itself it is a very mild and useful purge; but being very slow, it is generally mixed by infusion or decoction with other purging ingredients, or in broths with beets, parsley, ammow, cummin, ginger, fennel and annise. With mucilaginous herbs, as white beet and mallow, it is excellent in cholics. The powder taken to half a drachm daily, and fasting three hours after, is good for the spleen, jaundice, and dropsy, for it is as fine an alternative as can be procured, and will penetrate farther than most other things yet known. Some use its distilled water in a cough, asthma, diseases of the lungs, pleurisies, obstructions of the mysentery, and in whatever cases acrimony is to be subdued. The best form to take it for any complaint of the intestines, is as follows: to an ounce of fresh polypody root bruised, add an ounce and a half of the fresh roots of white beets, and a handful of wild mallow; pour upon these a pint and a quarter of water, boiling hot, and let it stand till next day, then strain it off.” (mesentery is a double fold on the peritoneum wall.)