n a Flower
Steve Kirk
PLANT LORE
Scarlet Pimpernel – Anagallis arvensis, has a common red form, once called the male pimpernel and a less frequent blue one, formerly considered to be female. For added confusion, in Europe and elsewhere a blue coloured close relative has long been confounded with the „female‟ colour form and is now called Anagallis foemina. The properties are very similar, in any case. It has been recommended, taken as a drink with wine, as treatment for the bites of vipers and venomous beasts, since the herbal of Dioscorides, the Greek, a first century AD work that is thought to have incorporated knowledge of many thousands of years before that. Culpeper, in 1654 and, later, others, suggested external use also; 'Used inwardly and applied outwardly, it helpeth also all stinging and biting of venomous beasts or mad dogs.' Completely independently, it is still today used by tribespeople in temperate Pakistan as snakebite therapy, amongst other things. Modern scientific analysis has revealed that the plants contains saponins, tannins, flavonoids, cucurbitacins, enzymes, a bitter principle and a compound known as primin. Several of these may act against snake envenomation but cucurbatins in particular are thought to benefit the heart and blood circulation, reduce swelling and protect the liver. Yarrow – Achillea millefolium. „For a rent by a snake, if the wound is swollen, take twigs of this same wort, seethe it in water, rub them very small; when sodden, lay them on the wound.‟ – Herbarium Apuleius 5th century AD. One thousand five hundred years later and 6724 kilometres (4178 miles) away, a paste of yarrow extract mixed with cornflour is applied to heal the “bruises” of snakebite (ecchymosis from internal bleeding) in the Kashmir Himalaya. In Tamilnadu, India, the whole plant is made into a paste and taken internally for 6 days to antidote snake venom. Some of the active parts are believed to be flavonoids and tannins but Yarrow also contains the powerful antidotes beta-sitosterol and stigmasterol, like Dandelion .
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Historically, in Britain, Great Mullein – Verbascum thapsus, has long held a reputation as an effective treatment for a variety of lung and intestinal problems; both in humans and domestic livestock. Externally it was valued as an application to burns, boils and whitlows and the like, so its antiinflammatory and poison-drawing properties are also well known. Among tribal peoples in temperate mountain parts of India and Pakistan, much the same qualities are recognised, with the addition of its use as a treatment for venomous snakebites. Modern scientific analysis confirms that the plant contains many constituents that have proven antivenom capability, including Coumarin, triterpene saponins, flavonoids, and bitter glycosides.
Bushcraft Magazine