AUTUMN CROCUS OR MEADOW SAFFRON: A POISONOUS PLANT: HISTORY OF USES

AUTUMN CROCUS, MEADOW SAFFRON, COLCHIUM AUTUMNALE 

The Autumn Crocus is not a relation to Crocus sativa from which we get saffron, which is in the Iridaceae family of plants. This one was formerly in the Liliaceae (lily) family but has recently been moved to the Colchiaceae family. It has light purple or white flowers and as its name suggests, flowers between September and October during early autumn and grows in meadows.
 It is native to Europe and North Africa, but is restricted in range now in Britain to an area around the Bristol Channel.                                         

  All parts of the plant are poisonous to cattle and the corm or bulb from which the plant grows contains the alkaloid colchinine which is highly toxic. A woman was convicted of poisoning in 1862 using the drug Colchium. This was considered virtually a specific treatment for gout in the 18^th century, and was used extensively with imported corms being used in Britain. The corms used were cultivated for medicinal purposes in France and Germany.

  Autumn Crocus has a long history of use, although writing in his Des Materia Medica in the first century AD, Dioscorides records that it is a poison. Despite this knowledge, it was used in the Byzantine Empire for joint problems such as rheumatism and arthritis. It was the Arabs who first realized that it could be used to treat gout effectively.

 The plant is a drastic purgative and can be fatal to humans as it is to cattle which inadvertently graze on the leaves. However topically it can be applied to neuralgia and itching to bring relief – although so can other herbs which are safer to use. It should never be used during pregnancy or when lactating, and neither should it be used by people who suffer from kidney problems.                                                                                       

  It is also not a good idea to harvest it as some cases of poisoning have occurred when people have mistaken it for ramsons or wild garlic, Allium ursinum, also called bear’s garlic and cooked the leaves or corms.

    In the Language of Flowers the Autumn Crocus or Meadow Saffron stands for “my best days are gone; I am growing old.”

  The genus gets its name from the ancient district of Colchis which was situated on the eastern shore of the Black Sea and which seems to have been the original source of this medicinal herb.

  Nicholas Culpeper, the 17^th century English herbalist, had this to say about Meadow Saffron:

"Government and virtues. It is under Saturn. Indirectly used, this root is poisonous; two drachms of it killed a large dog, after putting him to great torment for twelve or fourteen hours; it operated violently by vomit, stool and urine. A single grain only being swallowed by a person in health, by way of experiment, produced heat in the stomach, and soon after flushing heats in various parts of the body, with frequent shiverings, which were followed by coliky pains, after which an itching in the loins and urinary passages was perceived, and presently after came on a continual inclination to make water, with a tremour, pain in the head, great thirst, a very quick pulse, and other disagreeable symptoms.                                                             

Notwithstanding these effects, it is, when properly prepared, a safe, but powerful medicine; the best way of doing this is to make it into a kind of syrup, by digesting an ounce of the fresh roots, sliced thin, in a pin of white-wine vinegar, over a gentle fire, for the space of forty-eight hours, and then mixing two pounds of honey with the strained liquor, and letting it boil gently afterwards till it comes to a proper consistence.
The syrup is agreeable acid, gently vellicates or bites the tongue, is moderately stringent, and excellent for cleansing the tongue from mucus. In an increased dose it vomits, and sometimes purges, but its most common operation is by urine, for which it is a remarkable powerful medicine. The dose at first should be but small, half a tea-spoonful twice or three times a day is enough to begin with, and the quantity may afterwards be gradually increased, as the stomach will bear it, or the case may require. It has been given with the most astonishing success in dropsies and tertian agues; and it frequently succeeds as an expctorant, when all other means fail."

SEA WORMWOOD - MENTIONED IN THE QURAN: HISTORICAL HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF SEA WORMWOOD

SEA WORMOOD, ARTEMISIA MARITIMA 

Sea wormwood likes salty ground, so can be found in coastal areas and in salt marshes along with marsh samphire. It is a close relation of wormwood, Artemisia absinthum, sweet wormwood, Artemisia annua, mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris, tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus, southernwood, Artemisia abrotanum, field southernwood, Artemisia campestris and Artemisia cina known as the producer of Levant wormseed among others. It is a member of the daisy Asteraceae or Compositae family.

  It is sometimes referred to in Britain as Old Woman, with southernwood being it counterpart, the Old Man. This is because the plants resemble each other.

Sea wormwood is a hairy plant with fine cottony hairs growing all over it. It is native to Europe including the British Isles, and parts of Asia including Pakistan. It flowers between August and September growing to heights of around two feet tall. A synonym for the genus is Seriphidium maritimum.                                                                            

  As it is closely related to wormwood, which is poisonous in large amounts, it is likely that the same applies to this plant.  Some people are affected just by the smell of the plant and suffer from headaches and nervous agitation. However the leaves are edible and have been used as a flavouring agent.                 

   The medicinal uses of sea wormwood are similar to those of wormwood, although it is said not to be as potent. It is mainly used as a tonic for the digestive system, intermittent fevers and as a vermifuge (to get rid of intestinal worms), although it is said not to be effective against tapeworms. The same is true of Artemisia cina or Levant wormseed.

   The leaves and flowering tops are used for worms and also as an antiseptic for external use, and to relax muscles cramps and to stop spasms. They have also been used to calm nervous irritation, reduce flatulence, promote the menstrual flow, to aid digestion and for fevers.

   Traditionally the plant has been harvested when it comes into flower and dried for later use. The flowers which are closed and newly opened contain the vermicide, santonin.           

 The growing shoots of the plant are said to repel insects and mice and other rodents, and were once used as a strewing herb. An infusion of the shoots and aerial parts of the plant can be used to discourage garden pests such as insects and slugs.

  In Arabic Sea wormwood is called Afsanteen and is used as a deobstructant and is used for stomach problems including worms, and flatulence and for jaundice. Externally it is applied as an antiseptic to wounds. In the Quran it is described as being used to fumigate houses along with frankincense, or with myrrh and thyme for the same purpose.

   In traditional Arabic medicine the leaves are said to have cooling properties and the powdered plant is administered for worms. The plant’s twigs are also used as a broom.

The chloroform extract of the root has been shown to have anti-malarial properties, and it has been traditionally used for this in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtoonkwha (formerly the North West Frontier Province).                                                            

  Some people use the plant to relieve pain, and smoke it although they have reported having vivid dreams under its influence and have found it “stimulating.”

  Writing in the 17^th century, the English herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper has this to say about it. (The annotations are mine.)

“Government and virtues. This is an herb of Mars. It is a very noble bitter, and succeeds in procuring an appetite, better than the common Wormwood which is best to assist digestion. The flowery tops, and the young leaves and shoots, posses the virtues; the older leaves, and the stalks, should be thrown away as useless. Boiling water poured upon it produces an excellent stomachic infusion; but the best way is, taking it in a tincture made with brandy. For lighter complaints, the conserve, such as directed to be made of field southernwood, agreeably answers the purpose. The apothecaries usually put three times as much sugar as of the ingredients in their conserves; but the virtue is lost in the sweetness: those will not keep so well that have less sugar, but it is easy to make them fresh as they are wanted. The power and efficacy of Wormwoods in general are scarce to be credited in the vast extent of cases to which they may be applied. Hysteric complaints have been completely cured by the constant use of this tincture. In the scurvy, and in the hypochondriacal disorders of studious sedentary men, few things have greater effect; for these it is best in strong infusions; and great good has risen from common Wormwood, given in jaundice and dropsies. The whole blood, and all the juices of the body, are affected by taking Wormwood. Women using it whilst suckling, their milk turns bitter. The shops make use of this instead of the *Roman Wormwood, and have done so for more than a hundred years; †Parkinson complaining in his time that the physicians and apothecaries made use of it instead of the former, though it fell short of it in virtue.”

*Roman wormwood referred to by Culpeper is Artemisia pontica.

†John Parkinson (1567-1650) apothecary to Charles I of England and also a herbalist.

HIMALAYAN ARNEBIA, KHANG - ENDANGERED IN INDIA: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF ARNEBIA BENTHAMII

HIMALAYAN ARNEBIA, KHANG, ARNEBIA BENTHAMII  

This plant is known as Himalayan Arnebia, although there are at least four plants which could be called by this name. Like kuru it doesn’t really have an English name because it is indigenous to the Himalayas, so is found in Pakistan, India and Nepal. It is a member of the borage, Boraginaceae family, making it a relative of viper’s bugloss, lungwort, the alkanets, comfrey and fragrant manjack and its fruit, lasora among others.

  In India it is threatened because of its value in traditional medicine, so it is illegal to harvest it. Conservation efforts are underway to save this medicinal plant from extinction. It is used in a medicine Gule Kahzaban which is for heart diseases and is expensive. It is also used in other herbal preparations for cardiac troubles.

  The plant has antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as wound healing ones. In traditional medicine systems it is used as a stimulant, diuretic and expectorant as well as for throat and tongue problems.                                                                   

  The flowering shoots are harvested and made into a conserve or in the preparation of sharbat (syrup) and used for the throat, tongue and heart.

  As you can see from the pictures on this post, the flowers are in purple spikes with shaggy leaves which remind me of small Ents from Lord of the Rings. The roots have a very distinct red bark and this is soaked in oil which is then used as a hair dye - what a waste of an endangered plant!

  Clearly this plant needs protecting and one hopes that the conservation efforts are successful, but until people of the subcontinent can find jobs which pay a living wage, they will still harvest plants illegally for the extra cash they bring in (which is nowhere near the actual value of the plant of course).

KURU - ASIAN MEDICINAL PLANT: HEALTH BENEFITS OF KURU, PICRORHIZA KURROA

KURU, KUSUMB, KITAKI, PICRORHIZA KURROA 

Kuru is the English name for this plant which is native to the Indian subcontinent and the Himalayan area. It doesn’t grow in English-speaking countries, so there is no other name for it that this which takes the species name of the genus. It is a member of the Scrophulariaceae family, making it a distant relative of the snapdragon, toadflax, figwort, water figwort, brahmi or water hyssop, mullein, foxgloves and eyebright.

  It has spikes of flowers which are either purple or white, which flower between June and August. The rhizome is the part most often used in medicine and this is collected between the months of October and December. It is sold at markets, dried.

  Unfortunately in the state of Himchal Pradesh in India, the plant is threatened and in danger of extinction because of over-harvesting of the root for medicinal purposes.                     

  The root has traditionally been used for its liver protective actions and for the relief of joint pains and fevers. Some research has been done on it but the studies have not been replicated. Much more research needs to be done on this plant before it can be said absolutely that it can cure a particular disease.

  However, that being said some studies have found that extracts of the root have anti-tumour activities perhaps due to the curcubitacin the root contains. Extracts of the rhizome have also been found to stimulate the immune system and to lower blood cholesterol levels. Others have shown that is an anti-periodic, which means that it can combat recurring diseases such as malaria, which is one of its traditional uses.

  It has antibacterial properties and extracts of the rhizome are said to have a specific action against a tropical disease, leishmaniasis which is caused by a parasite. Traditionally it has also been used as an antidote to snake bites and scorpion stings.                                                             

  In both Chinese traditional medicine and Ayurveda it is used to protect the liver and used against jaundice and other liver diseases. In these systems, the rhizome, stems and leaves are used.

 One study published in the BMC Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Banerjee, D. et al 2008 vol. 8 (3) “Healing potential of Picrorhiza kurroa (Scrophulariaceae) rhizomes against indomethacin-induced gastric ulceration: a mechanistic exploration”  showed that it could heal stomach ulcers in vivo.

  Extracts of the root have anti-inflammatory properties as well as those mentioned above, plus anti-allergy properties, and have antioxidant ones as well. Apocynin can be extracted from the plant and this reduces platelet aggregation and is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent as well as being protective of the liver (hepaprotective).

  Androsin, also presenting the plant is considered responsible for its anti-asthma (and allergy) actions.

 More research is clearly needed into this plant, although it has been used safely for centuries without reports of damage to health.

SYRIAN RUE- POSSIBLY THE SOMA OF THE ANCIENTS: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF SYRIAN RUE

SYRIAN RUE, PEGANUM HARMALA   

Syrian rue is known in North America as Mexican Rue, African Rue and in Turkey is yüzerlik or üzerlik. It may be native to the Middle East but is native to the Mediterranean region and south east Europe. It was formerly placed in the Zygophyllaceae family of plants which would have made it a relative of puncture vine (Tribulus terrestris) and aak, but it is now in the Nitrariaceae family in the order Sapindales. However it is not a relative of rue, but its young leaves do resemble that plant.

  The plant was introduced into New Mexico in 1928 and is now classed as an invasive species in some of the USA’s arid states. It has also spread to Australia and other parts of the world. It can grow to heights of a metre and has thin spiky leaves, with white flowers which are followed by seed capsules, which contain small dark brown seeds. These ripen in September.

  The seeds contain harmala alkaloids which are (MOAI) Monoamine Oxidase inhibitors (MOAI). They have hallucinogenic properties and that is why the plant is a contender for being the Soma of the ancient Persian and Indian shamans who used it to gain a more profound understanding of the meaning of life.

  Although the seeds are used as incense, mixed with other fragrant herbs, the smoke from the burning plant is sad to be toxic to both humans and animals, so it cannot be used as tinder or kindling. However in Afghanistan it is used to fumigate a dwelling to get rid of unwanted and unwelcome insects.

   An edible oil can be extracted from the seeds after the outer hull has been removed, and this is said to be an aphrodisiac. It is also used, as are the seeds, to rid the body of tapeworms and to stimulate lactation in breast-feeding mothers. It has also been used as a truth drug. It is also used for eye problems and as a mild sedative.                                

  In traditional medicine systems, the fruit and seeds have been used for stomach problems, to aid digestion and promote the flow of urine, for a variety of sexual problems, epilepsy, mental and nervous afflictions and menstrual problems.

  Externally the seeds are used for baldness and to relieve piles. (Strange image that- hairy piles!)

  A decoction of the leaves is used for rheumatism and the root kills body lice. This is applied externally, although an infusion is taken internally too for rheumatism. The whole plant is used to treat female problems and as an aphrodisiac.

  A red dye is made from the seeds which is, or rather was, called Turkey red, and was used to colour wool for carpet-making.

  The

  In Iranian traditional medicine the plant is used for plumbago, asthma, colic and jaundice as well as for menstrual problems. In Turkey the seeds are burnt to keep away the evil eye. Dried seeds capsules are also hung in houses and vehicles for the same purpose.

  The seed hulls contain the alkaloid harmine which is toxic if ingested. However this substance is being investigated for its possible effectiveness in mental diseases, including encephalitis which is an inflammatory disease of the brain. Harmine depresses the central nervous system but small quantities are believed to be therapeutic.

   The ripe seeds contain the alkaloids, harmine, harmaline, harmalol and peganine, which are not effective on contact, but their vapour is effective against fungus, bacteria, intestinal parasites and algae. Because of some of these properties there is hope that the plant extracts could be used for the control of pests on crops, rather than a chemical pesticide in the future.    

  The seeds have been tested and one study concluded that they might be used as a “novel anticancer therapy.” (Lamchouri F. et al., February 2000, Journal of Fitotherapia; “In vitro cell-toxicity of Peganum harmala alkaloids on cancerous cell-lines”) Other studies have concurred although these alkaloids have not been tested on humans with cancer.

  The plant may have been rightly revered by the ancients for its spiritual and medicinal properties.

  

GARDEN PATIENCE, MONK'S RHUBARB - ONE OF THE DOCKS: HEALTH BENEFITS OF PATIENCE DOCK

MONK’S RHUBARB, GARDEN PATIENCE, HERB PATIENCE, RUMEX PATIENTIA    

Monk’s rhubarb, or Patience dock, herb patience or common garden patience, is a member of the Polygonaceae family of plants. It is closely related to Yellow dock, common dock and red dock or bloodwort, arrowleaf dock or Khatti buti, sorrel and wood sorrel. As a member of the Polygonaceae family it is related to water pepper (hot arssmart), bistort, Lady’s Thumb, water smartweed and buckwheat.

   Monk’s rhubarb is native to continental Europe but has naturalized in some parts of Britain.                                                      

  This dock is eaten as a leafy green vegetable in Eastern Europe, as spinach is. You can eat it cooked or raw, but as this genus is known to contain oxalic acid, it is better to have it cooked as cooking reduces the amount of acid in the plant. It can be used as a salad green, although it is best to mix it with other green leaves such as sorrel for a better flavour, and it can be cooked and pureed. The plant flowers in June and July with its seeds ripening in August. The young leaves appear early in the year and are best eaten at this time. Monk’s rhubarb can grow to heights of around five feet and has a spread of around 18 inches.

  The root of the plant and leaves have antioxidant properties and the root has a little effect on the symptoms of diabetes. Dye may also be obtained from the roots.

   An infusion of the root has been used in traditional systems of medicine to relieve constipation and the juice of the plant in the root infusion is used for skin problems. The leaves, rubbed in the mouth are said to afford some relief from sore throats.

   Nicholas Culpeper, the 17^th century English herbalist had this to say of it:-

“A dram of the dried root of Monk's Rhubarb with a scruple of Ginger made into powder, and taken fasting in a draught or mess of warm broth, purges choler and phlegm downwards very gently and safely without danger.... The distilled water thereof is very profitably used to heal scabs; also foul ulcerous sores, and to allay the inflammation of them....”

  He also says “This is a Dock bearing the name of rhubarb for some purging quality therein, … and points out this is not a wild dock, but a cultivated one in Britain. That being so, he says this about docks in general:-   

           "Government and virtues. All docks are under Jupiter, of which the red dock, which is commonly called blood-wort, cleanseth the blood, and strengthens the liver; but the yellow dock-root is best to be taken when either the blood or liver is affected by choler. All of them have a kind of cooling (but not all alike) drying quality, the sorrel being most cold, and the bloodworts most drying. ... The seed of most of the other kinds, whether the gardens or fields, do stay lasks and fluxes of all sorts, the loathing of the stomach through choler, and is helpful for those that spit blood. The roots boiled in vinegar helpeth the itch, scabs, and breaking out of the skin, if it be bathed therewith. The distilled water of the herb and roots have the same virtue, and cleanseth the skin from freckles, morphew, and all other spots and discolourings therein.

  All docks being boiled with meat, make it boil the sooner; besides, blood-wort is exceeding strengthening to the liver, and procures good blood, being as wholesome a pot-herb as any that groweth in a garden; yet such is the nicety of our times, forsooth, that women will not put it into a pot, because it makes the pottage black; pride and ignorance (a couple of monsters in the creation) preferring nicety before health."
I particularly like his social commentary!

  

ROCKFOIL, ZAKHM-E-HAYAT ONE OF THE SAXIFRAGE FAMILY: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF ROCKFOIL

ROCKFOIL, BERGENIA CILIIATA 

Rockfoil is in the Bergenia or begonia genus of plants and a member of the Saxifragaceae family, although it is not related to the lesser and greater burnet saxifrages which are in the carrot family of Apiaceae or Umbelliferae family of plants. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and a close relation of Bergenia cordifolia Purpureae which is cultivated in Britain in gardens. I never liked this plant which grew in a neighbour’s garden as it reminded me of a cabbage (and like most children I didn’t like the taste of these green vegetables).

  This plant has several synonyms for its genus which include Bergenia ligulata, Saxifraga ciliata, and several others. It is used in medicine in several countries including Nepal, Tibet, India and Pakistan. It grows to heights of only a foot and has a spread of one foot and eight inches. In Urdu the plant is called Zakhm-e-Hayat, although this name is given to several of the saxifrages.

  The pink-white flowers are boiled and then pickled, and the leaves and roots are used in medicinal preparations. For external use the root is crushed slightly and applied as a poultice to sores and abscesses and other skin eruptions, and is also thought to relieve the pain of backaches. A paste made with the roots is applied on wounds and skin infections as it has an anti-inflammatory effect.

  The root can also be used for diarrhoea as it is astringent and contains tannin, and is used as a tonic during a fever, and it is often prescribed for lung and chest infections including asthma.

   The root powder is massaged into the gums of teething infants and young children to take away the pain. However the roots are primarily used for urinary calculus and kidney stones, as it has a lithotropic effect and is also a diuretic, which means that the dispersed stones can easily flow out of the body in urine. In some parts, the root powder is used as a treatment for diabetes mellitus and as an antidote to opium poisoning.

  Other uses for the root include menstrual problems, heart disease, vaginal discharge and diseases and for the protection of the spleen.    

  It can be combined with shilajit (mineral pitch), pippali (long pepper), cardamom and rice water to stop cystitis. It is given to disperse kidney stones either alone or mixed with Puncture vine (Tribulus terrestris).

  The expressed juice from the root is dropped into the ear for earaches, and is also used on piles and as an expectorant for coughs and so on. In Nepal either the powdered root or the juice is used for urinary tract problems.

  The root contains bergenin, which has anti-inflammatory effects and may be used in future in the treatment of arthritis and neobergenin which has potent immunomodulatory effects according to research.

  The plant has also been shown to have antibacterial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties, and most of its traditional uses have been vindicated by research