DWARF ELDER: USED FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES AROUND THE GLOBE: HISTORY, USES AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF DWARF ELDER

DWARF ELDER, (EUROPEAN), SAMBUCUS EBULUS 

The dwarf elder is in the same genus as the elder or common elder tree and in the Adoxaceae family of plants, although formerly it was in the Caprifoliaceae family. The Himalayan viburnums belong in the same family as does the Guelder rose (Viburnum opulis), making them relations of the European dwarf elder, which is different altogether from the plant called by the same name in the US; Aralia hispida of the Araliaceae family. This dwarf elder is native to Britain and mainland Europe as well as to the Mediterranean and eastwards to the Himalayas. Its cooked fruit is edible, and so are the leaves as they can be made into a tisane or infusion and have been used as a tea substitute.

  The Dwarf elder is also known as Danewort, Danesblood, and Walwort and there are legends surrounding these names. “Wal” means slaughter, and it was thought (or perhaps hoped) that the plant grew where the blood of invading Danes had been spilled in Britain. There are places called the Slaughters (Upper and Lower) in the Cotswolds and there are quite a lot of dwarf elders there still. It is also called Blood Elder or Blood Hilder and it was thought to have been brought to Britain by the Danes to lay on their graves.

  The berries and leaves closely resemble those of the elder tree, but this is a plant which only grows to around three feet high and it dies back in winter. The stem of this plant is not woody and the white flowers are sometimes splashed with red and they have red anthers. They bloom in July and August, and like their relatives, the Himalayan viburnums, they don’t smell pleasant. In fact the whole plant when bruised, smells obnoxious, and does not have the musky smell of the elder. It is said that the plant repels moles and mice, so perhaps the leaves repel mice too.

  The plant has been found to have some anti-cancer properties, anti-inflammatory ones and have antioxidant properties; it is an anti-rheumatism plant and can be used as a remedy for piles according to some modern research. The flowers and berried contain essential oil. And the rest of the plant contains tannins, steroids, flavonoids, glycosides including sambunigrin and ebuloside and ebulin, along with caffeic acid derivatives and other substances. However, much more research needs to be done to find how this plant can be used effectively for human health.

  In Iranian traditional medicine the plant is used to treat sore throats, and bee and nettle stings as well as arthritis. Juice from the root is used to dye hair black, in some parts of the world, and a blue dye and ink may be obtained from the berries.

  In traditional medicine the root is used as a very effective and drastic purgative and this is not recommended! The leaves also can be used as a milder purgative. These have anti-inflammatory properties, can help to increase the flow of bile in the body and help remove it, act as an expectorant, and in fevers can promote sweat. They also have diuretic activities. The leaves can be placed on burns and scalds to help heal them and can also be made into a hot or warm poultice for sprains and swellings. It was thought that placing a bunch of dwarf elder leaves on the chest of someone who had just begun to get T.B. would help, and if a person had a fever, he or she might be laid on a sheet which had the leaves on it and then wrapped in a blanket to get rid of a fever. The physicians of Myddfai used it for fevers, as you can see from these ancient remedies of theirs: -

  “Fevers The mugwort, madder, meadow sweet, milfoil, hemp, red cabbage, and the tutsan, all these seven herbs enter into the composition of the medicine required. Whosoever obtains them all, will not languish long from a wounded lung, or need fear for his life. Any of the following herbs may be added thereto, butcher's broom, agrimony, tutsan, dwarf elder, amphibious persicaria, centaury, round birth wort, field scabious, pepper mint, daisy, knap weed, roots of the red nettle, crake berry, St. John's wort, privet, wood betony, the roots of the yellow goat's beard, heath, water avens, woodruff, leaves of the earth nut, agrimony, wormwood, the bastard balm, small burdock, and the orpine”

This was a treatment for an intermittent fever such as malaria is: -

  “Take the mugwort, dwarf elder, tutsan, amphibious persicaria, pimpernel, butcher's broom, elder bark, and the mallow, and boiling them together as well as possible in a pot, or cauldron. Then take the water and herbs, and add them to the bath.”

  Nicholas Culpeper writing his herbal in the 17^th century, much later than the old Welsh physicians, has this to say of the dwarf elder: -

  “The dwarf elder is more powerful than the common elder in opening and purging choler, phlegm, and water; in helping the gout, piles, and women's diseases, coloureth the hair black, helpeth the inflammations of the eyes, and pains in the ears, the biting of serpents, or mad dogs, burnings and scaldings, the wind cholic, cholic and stone, the difficulty of urine, the cure of old sores and fistulous ulcers. Either leaves or bark of elder, stripped upwards as you gather it, causeth vomiting. Also Dr. Butler, in a manuscript of his, commends dwarf elder to the sky for dropsies, viz to drink it, being boiled in white wine; to drink the decoction I mean, not the elder.”

  This plant has been used for centuries for various ailments, and it seems that it has far more benefits for our health than even the old herbalists gave it credit for.

  

FRENCH MERCURY NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE BY CULPEPER: HISTORY AND MEDICINAL USES OF FRENCH MERCURY

FRENCH, GARDEN OR ANNUAL MERCURY, MERCURIALIS ANNUA

This Mercury, like dog’smercury is a member of the Euphorbiaceae or spurge family of plants along with Ricinis communis or the castor oil plant, cassava or manioc, and Croton tiglium or jamalgota among others. It is sometimes confused with Good-King-Henry, which is often called English Mercury to distinguish it from this plant which is poisonous. Garden mercury or French mercury has been used dried as a decoction in injections by the French, possibly for STDs, this is unclear, but it is best to take the advice of Nicholas Culpeper, the 17^th century English herbalist and stay away from Mercuries. He had this to say of them: -

“This species of mercury has been confounded with others of the same name, with which it has been thought to agree in nature. But there is not a more fatal plant, native of our country, than this. The common herbals, as Gerard's and Parkinson's, instead of cautioning their readers against the use of this plant, after some trifling, idle observations upon the qualities of mercuries in general, dismiss the article without noticing its baneful effects. Other writers, more accurate, have done this; but they have written in Latin, a language not likely to inform those who stand most in need of this caution. This is one of the reasons for compiling of this work.”

  It is said that the young leaves can be used as a spinach substitute, as it would appear that they lose their poisonous principle if heat is applied to them. However to be on the safe side, don’t use this herb or dog’s mercury either. Raw leaves are poisonous. It is said that this herb was once used as a pot herb but I find this very hard to believe.

  The leaves have been chopped and boiled or fried in lard to make a moisturizing cream for dry skin, and the herb has been used for a number of purposes in ancient medicine. However it doesn’t smell at all pleasant, so why would anyone want to use it when sweeter smelling herbs can be employed for all the purposes it was used for. I guess it wasn’t terribly popular unless one was desperately in need of a purge, in which case it was less noxious to use than dog’s mercury.

  Best advice? Take that of Culpeper and stay away from the mercuries!

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POINSETTIA - THE CHRISTMAS FLOWER: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF POINSETTIA

POINSETTA, EUPHORBIA PULCHERRIMA

December 12^th is National Poinsettia Day in the USA, and this seems a fitting time to write a post on this flower which has come to be associated with Christmas. It originated in Central America, and was introduced into the US in 1825 by Joel R. Poinsett for whom it was named in English.

  The red leaves attract pollinators to the insignificant flowers which reside in the centre of them. These upper leaves may be pink, white, pink and cream or white, and orange. There may be other colours too. The plant is not actually extremely toxic although if you eat enough of the foul-tasting leaves you might vomit. The sap from the plant has been used as a hair remover, and to stimulate lactation in nursing mothers. It is said that it was once used as an abortifacient too. It has antibacterial properties and has some reputation as a pain reliever particularly for toothache. The sap is also used to get rid of warts, pimples and other skin problems. As a member of the Euphorbiceae family it is related to Dog’s and French Mercury, as well as jamalgota, the castor oil plant, and cassava or manioc to name but a few of the plants in this spurge family.

  It is associated with Christmas due in part to a 16^th century Mexican legend which tells of a young girl, too poor to give a gift to Jesus on his birthday (Christmas Day). An angel told her to gather weeds from the roadside and place them on the church altar. She did this and the poinsettia flowered from them. In 17^th century Mexico the Franciscan friars also incorporated them into their Christmas decoration, claiming that the star-shape of the coloured leaves symbolized the Star of Bethlehem and the red leaves symbolized the blood of Christ, sacrificed for the human race.

  In the wild this shrub can grow to heights of 4 metres or 16 feet, but the kind we get in pots is rarely more than 2 feet high. In Spain it is called the Easter flower and it can be grown at this time as well as near Christmas. In Mexico it is “Noche Buenos” (Good Night) referring to Christmas Eve. In Greek it is papagallo or the parrot flower, while in Turkey it is the Ataturk flower.
  The Poinsettia cocktail is not made with the plant but with Prosecco a sparkling Italian wine (also used to make the peach cocktail, the Bellini), vodka and cranberries and sometimes an orange-flavour liqueuer such as Tripe Sec or cointreau.

DOG'S MERCURY - POISONOUS, BUT OK FOR CANINES! HISTORY, AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF DOG'S MERCURY

DOG’S MERCURY, MERCURIALIS PERENNIS

Dog’s Mercury is a common woodland plant in England and Wales as well as in mainland Europe and can also be found in South West Asia. It is poisonous and really should be avoided, although dogs seek it out their owners say and then vomit, so it is used by them as they use other grasses such as couch grass. Dog’s Mercury is a member of the spurge or Euphorbiaceae family of plants which includes Ricinis communis or the castor oil plant, cassava or manioc, and Croton tiglium or jamalgota among others.

  Nicholas Culpeper, writing in the 17^th century has this to say of it and certainly cautions against its use, chastising earlier herbalists for not doing the same: -

 “This species of mercury has been confounded with others of the same name, with which it has been thought to agree in nature. But there is not a more fatal plant, native of our country, than this. The common herbals, as Gerard's and Parkinson's, instead of cautioning their readers against the use of this plant, after some trifling, idle observations upon the qualities of mercuries in general, dismiss the article without noticing its baneful effects. Other writers, more accurate, have done this; but they have written in Latin, a language not likely to inform those who stand most in need of this caution. This is one of the reasons for compiling of this work.”                                                                         

  The Mercuries as Culpeper calls them got their name, so Pliny says because the Roman god Mercury discovered their medicinal virtues. This is a reference to the fact that Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine as he is known, used the plants for “female” complaints. The plant is also employed in homeopathy for rheumatism and gall bladder and liver complaints, but should not be administered without a physician’s approval.

  Traditionally Dog’s mercury has been used in an ointment applied to external dressings for wounds, and it is said to soften and moisturize the skin. It has also been used to get rid of sores in the ears and around the eyes, but that was in the dim and distant past when other forms of medication were unavailable. It was used in ancient Greece as an antiseptic and to get rid of warts.

  It smells rank and if you follow your nose, you will not be able to eat it, even if your body needs to be purged. This was its main use in the past, as it induces vomiting and diarrhoea.   

  It is even more noxious than French, annual or garden mercury, all names of the same plant, Mercurialis annua. For once it would be advisable to keep Culpeper’s advice in mind and stay clear of this plant.

   

GOOD KING HENRY - A MEMBER OF THE GOOSEFOOT GENUS: HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF GOOD KING HENRY

GOOD KING HENRY, CHENOPODIUM BONUS-HENRICUS
Good King Henry is a member of the Chenopodiaceae family of goosefoots, and is related to stinking goosefoot, fat hen (Chenopodium album) quinoa and also spinach. Clearly the Latin name for the plant does not mention “King” – it is only ‘good Henry” which means that it is not named after Prince Hal, or Henry VIII or even Henri IV of France who promised every peasant a chicken or a fat hen in his pot. It is also sometimes called fat hen, but this name more properly belongs to C. album white goosefoot or lamb’s quarters. It is more likely to be called good Henry to distinguish it from Bad Henry (Böser Heinrich in German) who was a malevolent spirit described by the Brothers Grimm. It is also the name given to Mercurialis perennis, generally known as Dog's Mercury. This Good Henry is sometimes called English Mercury, to distinguish it from the French herb, Mercurialis annua or French Mercury, which is a member of the spurge family of plants but whose medicinal actions are similar to Good King Henry. The Good Henry of German folklore performed household and other domestic chores in return for a saucer of cream. Bad Henry, of course, would turn milk sour like Puck or Robin Goodfellow in English folklore.

  Until the end of the 19^th century and even in the early years of the twentieth century, Good King Henry was grown as a spring vegetable and the tender young leaves were a spinach substitute, as some people prefer its milder flavour. It was known as Lincoln asparagus as it was grown there as an alternative to asparagus with the young shoots being peeled and then steamed like asparagus can be. It was also grown as a vegetable in other part of Britain including in Suffolk. The young flower buds are regarded as a gourmet food item when they are steamed, but they are fiddly to harvest. Later in the season, in summer the older leaves are bitter so it is best to harvest this herb in spring and chop the leaves and mix them with Swiss chard or kale, sorrel and spinach for a green mixed vegetable dish. They also make a good flavouring herb for soups and stews as do dandelion and nettle leaves.

  The leaves are mildly diuretic and the seeds have gentle laxative properties making them a good remedy for children who are constipated. The leaves are rich in vitamin C and the minerals calcium and iron.

  The herb has been used traditionally to relieve indigestion and the leaves made into a poultice have been placed on chronic sores to heal them. The herb is native to Europe, including Britain, and was introduced to North America by the early settlers who used it as a pot herb.

  Gold or green dyes may be obtained from the whole plant, and at one time the roots were fed to sheep that had coughs. The seeds were used in preparing an untanned leather with a rough grainy surface, known as shagreen, so it has had many uses in the past, although it is little used these days.

  

HORSE CHESTNUT TREE - CONKER TREE: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF HORSE CHESTNUT TREES

HORSE CHESTNUT TREE, AESCULUS HIPPOCASTANUM

The horse chestnut tree is native to Greece and Albania, and was first introduced into Britain as an ornamental in the 17^th century. Hippocastanum is Greek for horse chestnut, so we have its English name. Its nuts are quite different to those of the true chestnut (castanea), but these nuts, generally called conkers, are welcomed by children who brave the spiky cases of these inedible nuts and treat them with loving care, and a few other substances to make them hard, so that they can beat their friends’ conkers when they play with them. You thread string through the centre of these nuts and invite an opponent to smash your conker. The winner has his/her conker in tact when the other has broken. Since 1965 the World Conker Championships have been held in Oundle in Northamptonshire in the UK. In different parts of the UK conkers are also called “obblyonkers,” “cheggies” and “cheeses.”

  These trees grow to heights of 115 feet and have a huge spread and have large white candle-like blooms. Other varieties have pink flowers. Unfortunately the trees are under attack from the leaf miner caterpillar and suffer from a disease named Horse Chestnut Bleeding Canker (Pseudomonas syringae pathovar. aesculi) and trees in Britain are being decimated by this new disease which has its origins in the Himalayas.

  Medicinally conkers are used traditionally as a decongestant, expectorant and tonic for rheumatism, neuralgia and haemorrhoids. The tree bark has been used in a decoction to reduce fever, and applied in a lotion or ointment it has been used for skin problems and externally an oil from the seeds has been used to ease the pain of rheumatism and to help with varicose veins. Extracts from the horse chestnut have been combined with bromelian an enzyme extracted from gotu kola (Indian pennywort) and pineapple to help varicose vein sufferers. Horse chestnut tones the veins and strengthens the walls of these, so promoting better blood circulation, and stopping the seepage of fluid from the veins that causes swellings in the legs.

  A decoction of the leaves is said to be useful for whooping cough and for coughs and colds, and has antioxidant properties. Japanese scientists believe that extracts from the nuts can be used along with extracts from witch hazel, rosemary and sage to help prevent wrinkles and other signs of aging of the skin.

  The horse chestnut has astringent qualities and anti-inflammatory properties, so is not just a good toy for children in the autumn.

HEMP AGRIMONY - NO RELATION TO HEMP, OR AGRIMONY: HISTORY AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF HEMP AGRIMONY

HEMP AGRIMONY, EUPATORIUM CANNABINUM 

Hemp agrimony despite its name is not related to either agrimony or cannabis, or the Hemp tree (Vitex Agnus Castus or the Chaste berry tree) but is distinguished by being the only member of the Eupatorium genus which is native to Europe. It is also native to parts of Asia and North Africa, but has naturalized after introduction, to North America. The Latin name Eupatorium, refers to the King of Pontus, Mithradates Eupator who was a reputed alchemist who dabbled some believed in the dark arts. It is believed that the name cannabinum came from the shape of the leaves of this plant. In Culpeper’s day it was called Water Agrimony or Bastard Agrimony or hemp and it has been used medicinally for millennia.

  Hemp agrimony likes to grow in watery places, damp grasslands, marshes and wet woodlands. I’ve always liked the plant because it attracts butterflies and it is an attractive plant with pink-red flowers or sometimes white ones. The flower heads look large, but in fact they are made up of clusters of florets with pappus (hairs) growing on them. They grow to around 5 feet (1.5 metres) tall and can be 4 feet (1.2 metres) wide. They flower between July and September and it is best to harvest the leaves before the flowers open and dry them for later use. The leaves are said to be very effective if made into an infusion or tisane at the onset of flu as they contain vitamin C. This tisane used to be used to combat scurvy. The Physicians of Myddfai believed that hemp agrimony could stop you getting drunk and had this to say:-

“If you would not be drunk, drink in the morning as much as will fill an egg-shell of the juice of the hemp agrimony.”

In the Middle Ages it was believed that people should be bled regularly to make them healthy, and there were certain days when bleeding should not take place and after the bleeding you should eat and drink certain things. Here is another use the physicians of Myddfai made of hemp agrimony:

 “Month of April. Bleed. Take a gentle emetic, eat fresh meat, use warm drink. Eat two mouthfuls of hart's tongue twice a day. Avoid the roots of vegetables, as they will occasion an obstruction. Drink hemp agrimony.” (Hart’s tongue is a type of fern.)

  Writing much later in the 17^th century, Nicholas Culpeper had this to say about the virtues of hemp agrimony:

 “It is a plant of Jupiter, as well as the other agrimony; only this belongs to the celestial sign Cancer. It healeth and dryeth, cutteth and cleanseth, thick and tough tumours of the breast; and for this I hold it inferior to but few herbs that grow. It helps the cachexia, or evil disposition of the body; also the dropsy and yellow jaundice. It opens obstructions of the liver, mollifies the hardness of the spleen; being applied outwardly, it breaks imposthumes; taken inwardly, it is an excellent remedy for the third-day ague; it provokes urine and the terms; it kills worms, and cleanseth the body of sharp humours, which are the cause of itch, scabs... The smoke of the herb, being burnt, drives away flies, wasps....; It strengthens the lungs exceedingly. Country people give it to their cattle when they are troubled with the cough, or brokenwinded.”

  Country people believed that if they put hemp agrimony leaves on bread, they would prevent it from turning mouldy, and it is said that the juice from the leaves and stems can be rubbed on pets and domestic animals to repel insects, including mosquitoes (this would smell better than the juice of Herb Robert).

   Marie Corelli had clearly researched the use of the herb for this passage in her book, “The Treasure of Heaven” (although she didn’t get the colour quite right!) which is quoted below.

“..Cos they'se gittin' too wise for Nature's own cure. Nobody thinks o' tryin' agrimony, water agrimony--some calls it water hemp an' bastard agrimony--'tis a thing that flowers in this month an' the next, a brown-yellow blossom on a purple stalk, an' ye find it in cold places, in ponds an' ditches an' by runnin' waters. Make a drink of it, an' it'll mend any cancer, if 'taint too far gone. An' a cancer that's outside an' not in, 'ull clean away beautiful wi' the 'elp o' red clover.”

  Dioscorides writing in the first century AD praised the herb for use externally and internally as it works to clean and heal old stubborn wounds and ulcers. There is some debate as to which agrimony he is writing about but Parkinson was convinced he meant hemp agrimony as he wrote,

“…all the apothecaries of our land …do use the first kind of agrimony as the most assured eupatorium of Dioscorides. However, in former times, both we and they beyond the seas did usually take the Eupatorium cannabinum, which they called Eupatorium vulgare, for the true kind.”

  Hemp Agrimony can be used in bath water to ease aching muscles and joints and a compress of the leaves is said to relieve headaches. The ancient Greeks used the infusion as eye wash for inflammation of the eyes and with chamomile, the leaves are good in a tisane to aid digestion. The Anglo-Saxons used it to heal wounds and would put the bruised leaves on cuts as well as washing wounds with the infusion.

  Hemp agrimony has been found to boost the immune system and make it less susceptible to colds and flu. The roots have mild diuretic qualities and are a laxative, as well as a tonic for the blood. It is believed to have antibacterial properties and is good for sore throats and mouth ulcers.

  The infusion or tisane is made with one ounce of the dried leaves and flowers (of a handful of fresh) to 250 ml of boiling water. Let the herb steep for 15 minutes before straining and then either drink it or leave it to cool and use externally.

  There is little research into this herb, but it seems that it is safe, although perhaps should not be used during pregnancy unless used under the supervision and direction of a doctor.