COMMON BROOMRAPE : HISTORY OF HEALTH BENEFITS OF BROOMRAPE

COMMON BROOMRAPE, OROBANCHE MINOR 

Common broomrape is native to southern Europe and has colonized in Britain and North America. It was first noted in Oregon in 1923 and since then it has increased its population size so much so that it is listed as a noxious weed.

 This plant is a complete parasite, lacking chlorophyll. It seems to prefer to live on red or white clover or wild carrot plants, while others live on specific plants such as thyme or thistle and are called after their hosts, for example, thyme broomrape. As a member of the Orobanchiaceae family it is a relative of red and yellow rattle, which are only semi-parasitic.

  Common broomrape may be brown, yellow or purple, or other colours within this broad spectrum. They flower in May and will be in bloom until the end of August. The plant has astringent properties, which explains why it was used in traditional medicine for wound healing.                                                                                                                      

  The English herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper, writing in his Herball in the 17^th century has this to say of the medicinal benefits and uses of broomrape: -

“The broom-rape also is not without its virtues. The decoction thereof in wine, is thought to be as effectual to void the stone in the kidney and bladder, and to provoke urine, as the broom itself. The juice thereof is a singular good help to cure as well green wounds as old and filthy sores and malignant ulcers; the insolate oil, wherein there has been three or four repetitions of infusion of the top stalks with the flowers strained and cleared, cleanseth the skin from all manner of spots, marks, and freckles, that arise either by the heat of the sun, or the malignity of humours. As for the broom and broom-rape, Mars owns them; and it is exceeding prejudicial to the liver. I suppose by reason of the antipathy between Jupiter and Mars: therefore, if the liver be disaffected, administer none of it.”

  Culpeper describes the broomrape in this way:-

“The broom-rape springeth up in many places from the roots of the broom, but more often in fields, or by hedge-sides, and on heaths. The stalk thereof is of the bigness of a finger or thumb, above two feet high, having a show of leaves on them, and many flowers at the top, of a deadish yellow colour, as also the stalks and leaves are.”

  He seems not to have realized its parasitic nature, and that it grows in “fields…hedgerows and on heaths” where there are plants such as red clover for it to live off. Interestingly, the crimson clover seems not to be to the liking of broomrape.                                                             

  Most of the research that has been done on this plant is because it is a weed, and not because it may have health benefits for us, so whether Culpeper’s herbal wisdom is sound has yet to be proved one way or another as far as broomrape is concerned.

WILD GERANIUM OR SPOTTED CRANESBILL- HISTORY OF HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF WILD GERANIUM

WILD GERANIUM, SPOTTED CRANESBILL, SPOTTED GERANIUM, GERANIUM MACULATUM

This wild geranium is native to eastern North America and can be found in wet or damp places, in swamps, marshes, moist woodlands and meadows. It is a member of the Geraniaceae family of plants.

  This wild geranium can grow to heights of around two feet, and may have pink, lilac rose-purple or pale violet flowers, and sometimes, but more rarely, white ones. It is also called, in different areas, alum root (but it has no relation to alum or to Heuchera glabella which is also called alumroot). Geranium comes from the Greek, geranos meaning crane, and Cranesbill refers to the seed-like capsules.                                

  It was used by Native Americans for STDs and for diarrhoea, and the herb became a favourite herbal remedy for the early settlers. Boiled in milk, the root is said to be effective against diarrhoea in children. The boiled root was also used for toothache and crushed to a paste applied to piles. The plant became official in the US pharmacopoeia between the years 1820 and 1990, and is believed to be valuable for dysentery, for the stomach, and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and was used to staunch haemorrhages in the lungs, uterus, bowels and stomach as well as being used for excessive nosebleeds. It is supposed to be good for cancer of the stomach, but there have been few clinical trials carried out on this plant.

  A lotion made from the root was applied to runny eyes and the root, with cayenne pepper was made into a decoction for typhoid fever and childhood cholera. In the 19^th century the root was used as a remedy for gastric ulcers, to relieve pain and perhaps to cure them. An infusion of the root was given for kidney troubles and to stop a heavy menstrual flow and for period irregularities in general.

  It is deemed best to harvest the root just before it comes into flower, which it does in April, blooming until July. The root is at its most potent medicinally before the flowers bloom.                                                                           

  The whole plant, especially the root is considered an astringent as the leaves and root are tannin-rich, so it is a good wound healer, and useful for loose bowel movements. It is also a useful diuretic and has been used as a general tonic.

  Externally the root has been used not only for piles, but also for thrush and vaginal infections as well as mouth inflammations.

  When combined with Geum urbanum, avens, comfrey (Symphytum officinale) and Agrimonia eupatoria, common agrimony it is said to be effective for stomach problems especially for peptic ulcers.

  However the traditional uses of this plant have yet to be supported by clinical research.

  

SAVINE INFORMATION: HISTORY OF USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF SAVINE

SAVINE, JUNIPERUS SABINA 

Savine has leaves like those of the common juniper, whose berries are used in cooking. It is a member of the Cupressaceae family and as such is related to the cedars, junipers and redwoods. It is an evergreen shrub.

  At one time it was studied for its cytotoxic effects, but studies were not conclusive and the discovery of taxol in yew trees (Himalayan yew for example) meant that it was no longer studied.

  The plant is used by gardeners as ground cover, and so it has spread from its native regions of Central and southern Europe and North America, to the rest of the world.                                                                              

  The young shoots have been used as an abortifacient, diuretic and emetic to provoke purging. It has also been used to promote a woman’s menstrual flow. However it is toxic and an irritant to tissues so is not recommended for use.

   It was usually used in the form of an ointment and mixed with verdigris the powdered leaves were used to get rid of warts. The ointment was used to promote discharge from blisters on the skin.

  The leaves have been used as an insect repellant and a decoction of these was used to get rid of body and head lice. The essential oil obtained from the shoots and leaves is used in perfumery.

  The 17^th century English herbalist, Nicholas Culpeper has this to say about its uses:-

“Government and virtues. It is under the dominion of Mars, being hot and dry in the third degree, and being of exceeding clean parts, is of a very digesting quality. It is hot and dry, opening and attenuating, and a powerful provoker of the catamenia, causing abortion and expelling the birth; it is very good to destroy worms in children. *Mr. Ray comments the juice of it mixed with milk, and sweetened with sugar, as an excellent medicine for that purpose; beaten into a cataplasm with hog's lard, it cures children's scabby heads. It is a most powerful detersive, and has so violent an effect upon the uterine passages if used imprudently, that wicked women have used it to very ill purposes. It is a very fine opener of obstructions of any kind, whence in compositions for the jaundice, dropsy, scurvy, rheumatism, &c. it makes a very useful ingredient. It is also an enemy to worms, and its chymical oil rubbed upon the navel of children, has often a wonderful effect in expelling them. It deserves the high regard of surgeons, as it is a very potent scourer and cleanser of old sordid stinking ulcers, whether used in lotions, fomentations, ointments, or even the powder only mixt with honey.”                                                       

* Mr. Ray (1627-17050 wrote the Historia Plantarium, published in three volumes between 1686 and 1704. He was an English naturalist and botanist who was responsible for establishing the species as the “ultimate unit of taxonomy” according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica.

BLUE COHOSH - WOMAN'S HERB BUT NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE: HISTORY OF HEALTH BENEFITS OF BLUE COHOSH

BLUE COHOSH, CAULOPHYLLUM THALICTROIDES 

Blue cohosh is native to North America, but is no relation to black cohosh (Cimicihiga racemosa). It is a member of the Berberidaceae family and so is related to the common barberry or rasout and to kashmal, the berberry, as well as to another North American native plant, the Oregon grape.

  It is also called papoose root, as Native Americans used to drink an infusion of this two weeks before their babies were due in order to have an easier birth. The plant acts on the uterus and has been used to promote the menstrual flow and to regulate period. It has oestrogen-like effects and so should not be used by women who should not take the contraceptive pill.                                                              

  The root is the main part used, whether fresh or dried, but this must be used only under the close supervision of a physician as it can cause many side effects. People with diabetes, heart problems, pregnant women and diarrhoea should not take this herb as a medication.

  The seeds have been used roasted, as a coffee substitute, as dandelion root and chicory have been used. The flowers were used by Native American women to induce labour and menstruation. However these only bloom between the months of April and May.

  The blue cohosh plant can grow to heights of three feet, and has either yellow-green or burgundy-purple flowers. These give way to blue-black berries with seeds ripening in September. Because of the berries similarity to blueberries, the plant is also known as blueberry root, and it has other names too, such as yellow or blue ginseng, and beech drops.

  The medical establishment advises that this plant is unsafe to use, especially as there are safer herbs to help with female problems such as the Chaste tree, the small-flowered chaste tree, and black cohosh among many others.

  It is believed that the saponin, caulosaponin is responsible for the plants action on the uterus, although it may be that the action is contributed to by other alkaloids present in the plant. Not very much research has been done into it.

  In traditional medicine this plant has been used for the treatment of gout, arthritis and rheumatic pains as it is thought to have an anti-inflammatory action. The root has been used to get rid of intestinal worms, to promote sweat in fevers and as a diuretic, although, of course, there are safer alternatives to use for the same effects.                                                                        

  Basically the information here is for interest’s sake; it is not considered safe to use this herb.

THE OPIUM POPPY- PERHAPS IT SHOULDN'T BE IN YOUR GARDEN: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF THE OPIUM POPPY

THE OPIUM POPPY, PAPAVER SOMNIFERUM

The opium poppy is native to and cultivated in the Mediterranean region through to Iran; although it is now cultivated in many tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate countries. It is cultivated for the opium in, Japan and Australia for medicinal purposes and elsewhere for the illegal drugs trade. It is grown in poor countries and a problem for the developed world is that poor farmers see the cultivation of this poppy as a better way of making money (albeit illegally) than by growing legal crops.

  It is a member of the Papaveraceae family and related to the Greater Celandine, the Californian poppy, the Yellow Horned Poppy and the common red poppy which grows among crops.

  The poppy is used for the extraction of morphine and other alkaloids which have strong pain-relieving properties. It is also used for a multitude of other purposes in traditional medicine where the poppy grows.

  For example it is used as an aphrodisiac, astringent, for its anti-bactericidal properties, to get rid of flatulence, as a soothing, softening agent, an expectorant, as well as for its hypnotic, narcotic, nervine and sedative properties. It has also been used as a tonic. Poppies have been used in folk remedies for asthma, bladder, bruises, cancer, catarrh, colds, colic, conjunctivitis (pink eye), coughs, diarrhoea, dysentery, irregular periods, enteritis, fever, headaches, high blood pressure, hypochondria, hysteria, inflammation, insomnia, leucorrhea, malaria, madness, melancholy, nausea, neuralgia, rheumatism, snakebites, spasm, spermatorrhea, sprains, stomachache, swellings, toothache, tumors, ulcers, and warts along with many other ailments. It has also been used in traditional medicine systems for cancers of the skin, stomach, tongue, uterus, carcinoma of the breast, polyps of the ear, nose, and vagina; also for scleroses of the liver, spleen, and uterus; and tumors of the abdomen, bladder, eyes,  liver, spleen, and uvula. The plant, boiled in oil, is said to help treat liver tumours, while the tincture of the plant is said to help cancerous ulcers.

  In Ayurvedic medicine, the seeds are used as an aphrodisiac, for diarrhoea, and as a tonic; the fruit is used for coughs, its cooling properties, as a stimulant and intoxicant, but is said to cool lust or libido if used too heavily. In Unani (Greek) medicine in the Indian subcontinent, the fruit is used for anaemia, chest pains, dysentery, fever, but is believed to be harmful to the brain because of its hypnotic and narcotic properties.

   Nearly all parts of the plant contain the white milky juice or latex so prized in medicine, it is the unripe fruit capsules from which morphine and other alkaloids are taken.

  The seeds are used extensively in baking and cooking in general and they produce nutritious edible oil which is said to be as good for health as olive oil.                                                            

  It is grown in gardens around the world, although this might not be legal as it is generally illegal to cultivate them and even growing them for ornamental purposes is against the law in most countries.

  Opium has been the cause of wars, for example with the Opium Wars in the 19^th century  between the British and Chinese, and has been used by writers of the 19^th century, notably by Thomas de Quincey “Confessions of an Opium-Eater,”  the Romantic poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge whose “Kubla Khan” is said to have been influenced by an opium-induced dream. Sherlock Holmes the fictional detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also experimented with laudanum (not ladanum) which is an opium poppy derivative. Of course, who could forget the scene in the film "The Wizard of Oz" when Dorothy and her companions fell asleep in the poppy field. This is the "poppy of sleep" Papaver somniferum,  which has so influenced literature.

  It is a very beautiful flower, but perhaps not the best one to have in the garden if you want to stay on the right side of the law.

  .

CALIFORNIAN POPPY - RESEARCH DOES NOT YET SUPPORT ITS TRADITIONAL USES: HISTORY OF USES OF CALIFORNIAN POPPY

CALIFORNIAN POPPY, ESCHSCHOLIZIA CALIFORNICA

The Californian poppy is a member of the Papavaraceae family making it a relative of the European red poppy and the opium poppy as well as the Greater Celandine and the Yellow Horned Poppy, but does not have the same properties as the opium poppy. As its name suggests it is native to California and other US states, and has the distinction of being the official state flower of the state from which it gets its name. It has its own day in that state in April and there is also a Californian poppy festival in the same month.

  It gets its genus name from Adelbert von Chamissa who was the first to describe it in 1820. He named it after his friend, a physician and botanist, Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz who was on the same expedition which landed in California in 1816.

   The Native Americans used this plant mainly, it would seem, to stop a breast-feeding woman’s milk. This was done either by using poultices of the seeds pods and applying them to the breasts or by taking an extract of the roots and washing the breasts to suppress the milk.

  The watery sap from the plant is mildly narcotic and was used to relieve the pain of toothache. The root was also chewed for toothache. The pollen from the poppies had cosmetic uses for some Native American tribes, and they used the seeds in cooking.

  Today the leaves and stems, also the flowers sometimes are used to make a tisane which is supposed to relieve a tension headache and to induce sleep. This tisane is used to relieve stress in the same way as Eleuthero, Skullcap, rose root and American ginseng are used. The tisane may be made from the fresh or dried leaves.

  Research that has been conducted into the Californian poppy has been inconclusive; it may have mild pain-killing effects, but only in high doses. It does however contain the flavonoids quercetin, rutin and zeaxanthin, so the tisane would have good antioxidant properties.

  The leaves are edible if cooked, although they have a bitter taste. To make the tisane take a handful of the fresh chopped plant and pour a cup of boiling water over it and leave it to steep for 10 minutes before straining and drinking. You can sweeten it with honey or mint leaves, if it is too bitter for your palate.                                                                         

  The plant is nyctinastic, meaning that its flowers will close at night and reopen in daylight and also they will close when it rains. In this way it is like the sensitive plant and wood sorrel.

  The Californian poppy has been introduced to parts of Europe and is a garden escapee in Britain. It has also found the climate of South America and Australia to its liking.

  Traditionally the Californian poppy has been used to prevent children bedwetting, and as a diuretic and to promote sweating in a fever.

  You should only take medical preparations of this poppy, including the tisane, under close medical supervision of course.

EUROPEAN ROCK ROSE - SOURCE OF BALM OF GILEAD? HISTORY OF USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE EUROPEAN ROCK ROSE

EUROPEAN ROCK ROSE, CISTUS (INCANA) CRETICUS

The European rock rose is a native of the Mediterranean and grows profusely on the Greek island of Crete. It is a member of the Cistaceae family and is a relative of frostwort. It is an evergreen shrub growing to heights and breadths of one foot, in rocky habitats. The flowers, which can be lilac-mauve, pink and white, bloom in June and the seeds ripen in August. The flower only lasts for a single day, but there are so many buds on the plants that they are constantly in flower during their blooming period.                                             

  The plant is also known as Gum Cistus and Balm of Gilead, although it is not the oil of the ancient persimmon tree. Some, however, say that it is the oleo-resin from this plant that was the Biblical Balm of Gilead. Whatever the case, the resinous substance from the European rock rose has been used since antiquity as incense and for medicinal purposes, along with myrrh and frankincense. It has also been used to purify the air as well as used in religious ceremonies.

  It was one of 16 other ingredients in Kyphi, an incense preparation used by the ancient Egyptians, for religious and medicinal reasons, according to Plutarch, who also says that it was used as “a potion and salve”. It is also part of Neriko, an ancient Japanese incense blend which has been in use since the 7^th century.

  This oleo-resin from the European rock rose is called Ladanum or labdanum (not laudanum which was an opium based tincture). It was much-[prized in the ancient world and was gathered in a rather strange way. Goats were taken to graze where the European rock roses grew, and the oleo-resin would stick to their long hair and beards. They would be shorn and the hair boiled in water, as the resin in non-soluble in water, so as it rose to the top, it would be skimmed off. There are some who still gather it in this way on the island of Crete. Reportedly it still is gathered in this way there. However there are now modern methods of harvesting the precious oleo-resin which is used in perfumery and in the food industry.                                                                          

  This rock rose even figures in some of the Minoan frescoes found on Crete, like this one which features blue birds. The rock rose is at the top left hand corner.

  This oleo resin comes from the glandular hairs on the leaves of the plant, and is viewed as an acceptable alternative to ambergris which is no longer legally obtainable in viable amounts for the perfume and cosmetics industry. The mauve-flowered  plant produces the most labdanum of all and this is at its peak for harvesting purposes in the hot summer months.

  The resin is used for its antibiotic effects and the leaves and resin are used as an expectorant, in cases of catarrh and for diarrhoea, and for regulating the menstrual flow. Just one cup a day of rock rose leaf tisane is said to boost the immune system and protect the cardio-vascular system. This no doubt is due to its potent antioxidant properties- said to be more than those of green tea.

   The balsamic nature of the resin makes it a good wound healer, and the crushed fresh leaves may be placed on wounds to heal them and clean them. Labdanum is good for skin problems and it also has antimicrobial and antifungicidal properties.