ALEXANDERS OR BLACK LOVAGE: HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF ALEXANDERS

ALEXANDERS, BLACK LOVAGE, SMYRNIUM OLUSATRUS 

Alexanders looks a lot like angelica, and is related to it as it is a member of the Apiaceae or Umbelliferae family. As such it is related to fennel, dill, sweet Cicely, cow parsley, lovage, carrots, caraway, anise, lesser and greater burnet saxifrage, water fennel or water dropwort and Thapsia to which it bears a strong resemblance with its yellow- green flowers. It originated in Europe and Asia and has naturalized in Britain where it was grown in monastery gardens in the Middle Ages as a pot-herb and vegetable.

  It tastes a little like celery and the leaves are similar to those of this plant. The seeds are used as a condiment and all parts of the plant are edible. The flowering tops can be eaten and cooked like broccoli for which it can be a substitute. The unopened flower buds can be pickled and when this is done they look like mini-cauliflowers. The leaves and young shoots may be eaten raw in salads or cooked and added to soups or stews, which is what the Romans used them for. It is said that they introduced this plant to Britain as they enjoyed the “myrrh” taste they thought these imparted to soups.

  The stems can also be cooked like asparagus, steamed or boiled for 5 to 10 minutes, and served as a side dish. The plant grows in autumn and has leaves throughout the winter, so was a useful source of nourishment. It is said that if the root is left in a cool place over winter it becomes tender and is good in soups and stews. The stems are a little more pungent than celery and the seeds are peppery. The flower buds may be eaten raw in salads too.

  In the past Alexanders was used to treat asthma, menstrual problems and wounds, but generally it is not used today, although there would seem to be no reason not to as it is not poisonous as plants such as aconite, thornapple (datura) and aak are.

  Nicholas Culpeper, writing in the 17^th century has this to say about it:-

“Government and virtues. This plant is under Jupiter, therefore friendly to nature. The whole plant has a strong warm taste, and was more used in the kitchen than in the medicinal way, having been either eaten raw, as a sallad among other herbs, or else boiled and eaten with salt meat, or in broths in the spring season. The root pickled was deemed a good sauce, but its use in the kitchen has been entirely superseded by the cultivation of celery. It is reckoned to be of the nature of parsley or smallage, but stronger, and therefore may be serviceable in opening obstructions of the liver and spleen, provoking wind and urine, and consequently good in the dropsy or stranguary. For this purpose, half a drachm of the seeds powdered, and taken in white wine, every morning, is seldom known to fail. It is likewise good for bringing on the courses, and expelling the after-birth, notwithstanding it is seldom used in medicine.”

  It is known as black lovage because of the colour of the root and seeds, which are almost black when ripe. It flowers in Britain in April and May and the whole plant was once used in a decoction as a diuretic.

  Writing in 1640, Parkinson says that it was eaten during Lent to aid digestion and to digest “the viscous humours in the stomache.” Lenten pottage is an old Irish recipe which was eaten during Lent and which comprised nettles, watercress and Alexanders. Nowadays the seeds are crushed and added to vodka to give it some more oomph.

  It used to be called the herb of Macedonia, where Philip of Macedon, Alexander the Great’s father had ruled. It could be that this is why it was called Alexander’s herb, although some sources claim that the Alexander in question was actually Alexandria. (It is sometimes called Alexander’s parsley.)

  Alexanders is the centre of some research into the sesquiterpenoids all parts of the plant yield in their essential oil (2010 Papaioannou, F. et al).  Sesquiterpene lactones from the plant have also been investigated in a study published in 2001 for their ability in vitro and in mice to kill cancer cells. More research needs to be done on this plant to discover what medicinal benefits it has for us.

TEAK TREE IS NOT ONLY USED FOR ITS WOOD: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF TEAK TREES

TEAK TREE, TECTONA GRANDIS 

The teak tree is renowned for its durable wood which can be used for almost any purpose, including in the construction industry, for furniture, flooring, ships’ decks, and because it is resistant to the wood-boring mollusc, the shipworm, it is used for piers and jetties too. It has quinones in its sawdust which are resistant to fungi making it ideal for many purposes in tropical conditions.

  It has its origins in south and south-east Asia, but is now cultivated in many parts of the world for its timber. It is a member of the mint or Lamiaceae family and so is related to the Chaste Tree and Fragrant Premna, as well as herbs, marjoram, basil, Holy basil, oregano, savory, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, bugle, motherwort, self-heal, wall germander, cat nip, ground ivy, Jupiter’s sage and hyssop and a whole host of other plants. As one of the verbenas (some botanists classify this as a member of the Verbenaceae family) it is allied with vervain (Verbena officinalis) and lemon verbena.

  Teak trees can grow to heights of forty metres and have white through to cream flowers which are followed by pale yellow fruit which are about 1 or 2 centimetres in diameter and covered with star-shaped hairs.

  It is cultivated now throughout the tropics and has its uses in traditional systems of medicine in countries where it grows. Virtually every part of the teak tree has medicinal uses, and medical science has shown that the leaves have antibacterial, anti-ulcer and antifungal properties. In Ayurdeva the wood is considered a laxative, a sedative for the uterus, good for piles, dysentery and leucoderma. In folk medicine the roots are used for urinary tract problems, the flowers for bronchitis, nausea and urinary tract problems too. The bark has been used to treat diabetes, and an extract of the bark has been found to have insulin resistance in mice.

  In other parts of Asia a decoction of the fresh or dried leaves is used for menstrual problems and haemorrhages, as well as a gargle for sore throats. A plaster made from the powdered wood is applied to headaches which cause nausea, and too disperse swellings which are caused by inflammation, perhaps caused by rheumatism for example. The powdered wood is used internally to get rid of intestinal parasites, and, made into a paste with water, it is used on swollen eyelids and also for acute dermatitis and other skin irritation. In India the charred wood is soaked in poppy juice and made into a paste for swollen eyelids. Flowers and seeds have diuretic properties while the oil from the fruit seeds is used to stimulate hair growth and soothe irritated skin.

  Dyes are produced from the root bark and young leaves and this is used for paper products, matting and cloth. The dyes may be yellow-brown or red-brown. Dye from the leaves alone is used for dying cloth especially wool and cotton. In Java, Indonesia, the sawdust is burnt as incense.

  The leaves are edible and can be filled with jackfruit and other ingredients and steamed, and are combined with jackfruit in other ways to make desserts in southern India and in parts of Indonesia too.

  Research is ongoing to attempt to prove that there are scientific bases for the tree’s use in traditional systems of medicine.

ACONITE, POISONOUS PLANT: HISTORY OF USES OF ACONITE NAPELLUS

ACONITE, MONKSHOOD, WOLFSBANE, ACONITUM NAPELLUS 

Aconite has been used for pain relief and was in the British Pharmacopeias, but only that grown in Britain, however there is no scientific evidence to support its use as a cancer treatment, whether as a cure or for preventative purposes. Neither is there evidence for its other purported uses. Aconite is extremely poisonous as is datura or thornapple and aak. Aconitum napellus is an attractive flowering plant whose leaves, stems and roots were especially valued in medicine until the mid 1900s. However it has fallen into disuse because it is so poisonous.

  It has been used in traditional Asian medicine in China, Japan and in Ayurvedic medicine in the Indian sub-continent for centuries, but the poisonous principle is removed by processing the plant and it is used only in miniscule dosages. It is used as a pain-reliever in inflammatory problems such as gout, migraines, rheumatism and sciatica, but is used to cure the symptoms and not the disease itself.

  It is a member of the buttercup of Ranunculaceae family and as such is a relative of the Lesser Celandine, marsh marigolds, black cohosh, wood anemones and goldenseal. It grew in South Wales when I was growing up and looked to me like a delphinium (larkspur). It seems to like to grow on rocky, craggy places and aconite comes from the Greek akonos which means stone while napellus refers to the root shape which was thought to resemble a small turnip.

   It gets the name monkshood because the petals are thought to resemble a monk’s cowl.

  Aconite causes arrhythmia, heart failure and death and was Medea’s poison of choice in her potions, one of which was destined for Theseus, who did not drink it. The Greek myth says that aconite grew from the slobber of the three-headed dog, Cerberus who guarded the gate of Tartarus. Because of the association with this hell-hound it has been called Dog’s bane. Athena used its poison to turn Arachne into a spider for her impiety, and it was much feared by the ancient Romans. The Roman Emperor Claudius I was poisoned with it by his physician and the Emperor Trajan forbade its cultivation under pain of death. It was referred to as Hecate’s herb (Hecateis herba) in Mediaeval times and it was believed to have been an ingredient along with Belladonna of witches’ flying ointment.

  Aconite can be absorbed through the skin, whether broken or not so should not be used externally or internally.

  Pliny wrote that aconite could kill a mouse that was some distance away, and for this reason it was called mousebane by some. The name wolfsbane comes from the belief that it could turn people into werewolves or perhaps cure them of being wolf men. Its poison was also used to tip arrows to kill wolves.

  John Gerard, the English herbalist writing in the 16^th century wrote that it was “so forcible that the herb only thrown before the scorpion or any other venomous beast, causeth it to be without force or the strength to hurt” until the plant was removed.

  In 1603, Ben Jonson the English playwright has this to say about aconite in his play “Sejanus, his fall”

“I have heard that Aconite

Being timely taken hath a healing might

Against the scorpion’s stroke.”

Shakespeare in his play Henry IV part 2 Act 4 scene 4 mentions it in this way:-

“A hoop of gold to bind thy brothers in,

That the united vessel of their blood,

Mingled with venom of suggestion-

As perforce, the age will pour it in-

Shall never leak, though it do work as strong

As aconitum or rash gunpowder.”

  Much late in his poem Flowers, Thomas Hood (1799-1845) an English poet, mentions it in this way: -

 “The wolfsbane I should dread;

   Nor will I dreary rosemarye,

   That always mourns the dead;

   But I will woo the dainty rose,

   With her cheeks of tender red.”

It is best not to touch this plant especially if you have broken skin, and don’t be tempted to make your own poison with it –it has been too well documented in literature as a poison (Brother Cadfael books, Harry Potter and others).

FRAGRANT PREMNA TREE, WITH LOTS OF POTENTIAL BENEFITS: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF THE FRAGRANT PREMNA TREE

 FRAGRANT PREMNA, ALAGAW, PREMNA ODORATA 

The Fragrant Premna is a small tree or shrub which can flower at 3 or 4 metres high, but which can grow to heights of 8 metres. It is a member of the mint or Lamiaceae family, or the Verbenaceae family. This being so it is related to marjoram, basil, Holy basil, oregano, savory, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, bugle, motherwort, self-heal, wall germander, cat nip, the Chaste tree, ground ivy, Jupiter’s sage and hyssop and a whole host of other plants. As one of the verbenas it is allied with vervain (Verbena officinalis) and lemon verbena.

  This tree or shrub is native to the Philippines, where it is used for a number of ailments in folk medicine. It has aromatic leaves which are fragrant when crushed, thus giving rise to the Latin name odorata, meaning fragrant. Its flowers, which are a green-white, grow in clusters as do those of the elder tree and its dark purple berries are also reminiscent of those of the elder.

  A decoction of the leaves mixed with sugar or honey and lemon juice is drunk for coughs, while a decoction of the fresh leaves is used for vaginal irritation. The fresh leaves, applied over the bladder area promote urination it is believed. An infusion of these is given for flatulence, and when children have tympanites (a swollen abdomen due to gas or air in the abdomen or the peritoneal cavities) the leaves are mixed with coconut or sesame oil and this lotion is applied to the swollen area. A decoction of the leaves and flowers is given to remedy fever, stomach pains and dysentery, while a decoction of the roots, leaves, flowers and fruit is given for chest complaints such as coughs and bronchitis.

  When the leaves are boiled in water, the liquid is used to bathe babies, and the boiled leaves are also applied externally for beriberi which is a deficiency of thiamin (vitamin B1). A decoction of the young shoots kills parasites too, and it is believed that if you chew the root and then swallow the resulting saliva, this is good for heart problems.

  Clinical trials have shown that extracts from the plant have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties (Lunesa C.Pinzon et al. “Isolation and characterization of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive flavones of Premna odorata Blanco” Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, Vol.5 (13) pp2729-2735, 4^th July 2011). It has potential in cancer treatment too but the study concludes with the sentiment that more research is needed to ascertain how the tree and its extracts can be used for the benefit of patients.